[primopj]

Both of my sinks emit a foul smell when I run the water. The smell must be coming from beyond the traps as they have both been removed and cleaned. The smell is not present until I run the water. I have flushed white vinegar down one of the drains as well. The drains do NOT run slow.

[Just Dahlia]

Could it be your water? Have they worked on the sewer recently?
Pour some in a glass and smell it.

When they work on my sewer around here, we have smells coming from every plumbing orifice.

[primopj]

No. This is only a quick instance of smell when the water initially goes down the drain. If I leave the water running, to smell is not noticeable.

[massplumber2008]

Hi Primopj:

Are the sinks vented?

Have you tried pouring bleach down the drains? How about some bleach down the overflow hole in the bathroom sink..

Let me know...

MARK

[gopalakrishnan]

Due to blockage in the line

[speedball1]

I don't think it's a blocked line at all. Do you have a disposal? Mark gave you excellent advice. After you do the bleach thingy boil a large pan of water and pour boiling water down each drain. The boiling water will loosen the stinky grease the bleach missed and flush it all away. Good luck, Tom

[primopj]

There is no disposal and the P traps are clean. I will put bleach down the drains again but this was done about a month ago. The overflow vent on the bathroom sink is clear. The smell is momentary when the water first goes down the drain and eliminates the standing water (by design) that prevents sewer smells in the first place. Someone on another thread mentioned 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup of salt followed by white vinegar. Any thoughts on what this does and if it is recommended?

[speedball1]

When you say,

Both of my sinks emit a foul smell when I run the water.

What do you mean by "both"? Are you referring to both the tubs in the sink or are you referring to the kitchen sink and the bathroom lavatory?

[primopj]

I mean the sink in the kitchen and the sink in the bathroom

[speedball1]

I mean the sink in the kitchen and the sink in the bathroom

Kitchens have sinks, and with the exception of vessel sinks bathrooms have lavatories and vanities. That's how we can tell what room you guys are asking about.
Because they both stink doesn't mean that you're smelling the same crud.
Sinks have rotting garbage and grease while lavatories have grease and rotting hair.
Let's take them one at a time. Bathroom first.
Remove the stopper from your lavatory. Look down in the drain and you will see a rod about 6" down. Hair hangs up and fermemts on that rod. Fish it out,(ugh!) The reason you smell it at the overflow is that when you drain some of the smell is forced back out the overflow. Now pour a quart of bleach down the drain and let it set overnight. Next morning,(and this is important)flush it out with a pan of boiling water If you can't pull the stopper out then your stopper has a opening at the base that the rod goes through so that it can't be pulled out. To defeat this and pull the stopper look under the sink and follow the pop up lever down to the rod. You will see a knurled nut. Now push the pop up knob so the stopper is in the up position. While holding the stopper in one hand, slowly back the nut out until it's clear,(You may need to free it with a pair of pliers) Careful! You don't want to pull it all the way out. Now, GENTLY pull back on the rod while pulling upwards on the stopper. As soon as the stopper clears turn the nut back in hand tight or tight enough to hold the plunger rod up. From here on in you will let the stopper ride on top of the rod instead of tying it down. Now take a bent coathanger and fish out any hair that may have hung up on the rod or the trap. After you have cleared out any hair or trash, just drop the stopper back in the drain. When I install a lavatory I never tie down the stopper so that the owner can check the drain without the expense of a service call That should take care of that smelly lavatory. More questions? I'm as close as a click. Let me know how it went and we'll move on. Good luck TOM

[primopj]

The bathroom lavatory drain is clean and clear from the stopper, beyond the p trap, and into the marvel connector. The drain and stopper assy were recently all replaced when I replaced the faucet.