What's wrong with my plug hole

[smmudge]

A few weeks ago I noticed a bad smell coming from my kitchen sink plug hole (both of them as there's 2 sections). Like a mouldy drain smell. Sometimes it's worse and makes the whole kitchen smell, sometimes I have to stick my head in the sink to smell it.

The water out of the washing machine and dishwasher is attached to the same pipe but they've both had maintenance washes recently and don't smell.

Today, about 30 seconds or so after running the water, I can hear a slow "glug glug".

Previously tried: whole bag of soda crystals, bleach, boiling water, mr muscle drain unblocker (though its not blocked at all)

Can I fix this?

 

[Riklet]

Put a good slug of thick bleach down it... leave for half an hour, then a full kettle of boiling water.

 

[prunus]

A few weeks ago I noticed a bad smell coming from my kitchen sink plug hole (both of them as there's 2 sections). Like a mouldy drain smell. Sometimes it's worse and makes the whole kitchen smell, sometimes I have to stick my head in the sink to smell it.

The water out of the washing machine and dishwasher is attached to the same pipe but they've both had maintenance washes recently and don't smell.

Today, about 30 seconds or so after running the water, I can hear a slow "glug glug".

Previously tried: whole bag of soda crystals, bleach, boiling water, mr muscle drain unblocker (though its not blocked at all)

Can I fix this?

Clean out your trap, probably.

Should all unscrew easily enough then you can get inside it, get rid of the gunk.

Don’t try to clean it in the same sink though... done that. Messy.

Edit: here are some basic instructions from the first link from Google How to Clean Out a Sink Trap | Bailey Brothers Plumbing

I’m sure there are plenty of others if you prefer.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I hope it’s all going in a mains drain. My neighbour just realised her 20 year old kitchen extension was served only by a soak away and that’s just failed and it looks like an epic civil engineering project to sort it out

mr muscle regularly works for me. That and training the dishwasher-borne-children I live with how to manually do the dishes the correct old school northern way

 

[Chilli.s]

Pile some washing soda crystals onto the plugole and then pore a kettle of boiling water on too.

 

[Chilli.s]

No one has soda crystals anymore do they

 

[gentlegreen]

And one of these - though they have the potential to disconnect loose fittings ...

Sink & Bath Unblocker 125mm - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Clears blockages in sinks and baths quickly. Injects high pressure water. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[TopCat]

Lube it.

 

[smmudge]

I hope it’s all going in a mains drain. My neighbour just realised her 20 year old kitchen extension was served only by a soak away and that’s just failed and it looks like an epic civil engineering project to sort it out

mr muscle regularly works for me. That and training the dishwasher-borne-children I live with how to manually do the dishes the correct old school northern way

Oh god don't say that.

Actually I'm a bit para because my neighbour had a small stream coming out the end of her garden for a couple of years. They've just fixed it and realised it's from a pipe carrying pond water from the local pond to somewhere. Anyway the pipe had broken when another neighbour had their driveway done. So a couple of weeks ago they rerouted it into the drain down the road. Then my sink starts to smell. Hoping it's just coincidence.

 

[smmudge]

Clean out your trap, probably.

Should all unscrew easily enough then you can get inside it, get rid of the gunk.

Don’t try to clean it in the same sink though... done that. Messy.

Edit: here are some basic instructions from the first link from Google How to Clean Out a Sink Trap | Bailey Brothers Plumbing

I’m sure there are plenty of others if you prefer.

OK I'm going to give it a go.....

 

[20Bees]

[QUOTE="Chilli.s, post: 17018407
No one has soda crystals anymore do they
[/QUOTE]

I do, I work in a supermarket and we sell loads of them. About £1 for a 1kg bag, they’re at the end of the laundry products aisle, or in some stores they’re with cleaning products.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Oh god don't say that.

Actually I'm a bit para because my neighbour had a small stream coming out the end of her garden for a couple of years. They've just fixed it and realised it's from a pipe carrying pond water from the local pond to somewhere. Anyway the pipe had broken when another neighbour had their driveway done. So a couple of weeks ago they rerouted it into the drain down the road. Then my sink starts to smell. Hoping it's just coincidence.

going on my garden fence evesdropping of rod wielding shit mechanics, only one in four don’t chat a load of condescending old pony

BON CHANCE

 

[existentialist]

Clean out your trap, probably.

Should all unscrew easily enough then you can get inside it, get rid of the gunk.

Don’t try to clean it in the same sink though... done that. Messy.

Edit: here are some basic instructions from the first link from Google How to Clean Out a Sink Trap | Bailey Brothers Plumbing

I’m sure there are plenty of others if you prefer.

This.

The gunk vendors must be very pleased at planting the idea that all plumbing difficulties can be resolved with a waft of their particular snake oil. But it's usually a lot more straightforward (and likely to work) if people go for the root cause, which is almost invariably a physical blockage which will only be able to be completely removed physically.

 

[seeformiles]

No one has soda crystals anymore do they

I have and I unblocked my neighbour’s kitchen sink with them last week:

3 tbsp soda crystals down the plug hole followed by 1/2 cup of malt vinegar

Left it for 10 mins then poured down a pint of hot water

Job done!

 

[smmudge]

I did it!

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to unscrew the pipes and there was much cursing of prunus 's name for saying it would be easy! But eventually they started coming undone. In fact it turns out pipes are pretty simple.

Anyway the trap was clear and full of water. No horrible smells came from the other side. To blame the smell on the u bend or anything coming up from the drain was completely unfair of me.

What I did find were all the pipes from the sink plug holes to the u bend were full of a lot of brown stinky gunk. It was gross. I was starting to wonder if we actually shit in our sink??

Anyway a toothbrush and 30 wet wipes later and it's much better. Plus I managed to put it all back together without it leaking (yet).

 

[StoneRoad]

What you had there, my dear smmudge , was the beginnings of your very own "fatberg" (possibly without the wetwipe & hair components that the water boards have to deal with.

Yeah, we had similar problems with the outside drains, having first made sure that we didn't have similar problems inside. Turned out that passing vehicles had damaged the earthenware pipes and then multiple layers of chip fat, soap residue etc had built up over the damaged surfaces. Almost a fatberg, in fact.
The cure was getting the pipework "steam / pressure cleaned" and then installing a liner to remove the rough surfaces that the fat etc was catching onto, luckily most of the cost was covered by our insurance. What was left, we shared with the other house that uses the drains.

 

[Edie]

I did it!

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to unscrew the pipes and there was much cursing of prunus 's name to say it would be easy! But eventually they started coming undone. In fact it turns out pipes are pretty simple.

Anyway the trap was clear and full of water. No horrible smells came from the other side. To blame the smell on the u bend or anything coming up from the drain was completely unfair of me.

What I did find were all the pipes from the sink plug holes to the u bend were full of a lot of brown stinky gunk. It was gross. I was starting to wonder if we actually shit in our sink??

Anyway a toothbrush and 30 wet wipes later and it's much better. Plus I managed to put it all back together without it leaking (yet).

I’ve done this before, you feel like a proper hero don’t you

 

[felixthecat]

I am currently awaiting the arrival of the water board after discovering a blocked outside drain this morning. Called Drain Doctor who was magnificent with his long rod (fnar) only to find out that he couldn't clear it and its a water board issue. So I have a manhole thats brimming with raw sewage and much to their suprise so do the next door neighbours... as do their next door neighbours. We may have a giant fatburg somewhere in the main drain.

Such a fun Saturday

 

[xenon]

No one has soda crystals anymore do they

Yeah.

I started a bit of an embarrassing thread about using them and worrying about the fumes, few years ago...

 

[existentialist]

I did it!

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to unscrew the pipes and there was much cursing of prunus 's name for saying it would be easy! But eventually they started coming undone. In fact it turns out pipes are pretty simple.

Anyway the trap was clear and full of water. No horrible smells came from the other side. To blame the smell on the u bend or anything coming up from the drain was completely unfair of me.

What I did find were all the pipes from the sink plug holes to the u bend were full of a lot of brown stinky gunk. It was gross. I was starting to wonder if we actually shit in our sink??

Anyway a toothbrush and 30 wet wipes later and it's much better. Plus I managed to put it all back together without it leaking (yet).

Don't throw the wet wipes down the bog!

 

[smmudge]

I’ve done this before, you feel like a proper hero don’t you

Haha yeah! I know i should be disgusted but it's outweighed by the satisfaction of pulling it all out and my pride

Don't throw the wet wipes down the bog!

I had to double bag them and put them straight in the outside bin! I even had to wash my hands with my rubber gloves still on.

 

[Elpenor]

No one has soda crystals anymore do they

bought some today in Sainsbury’s - green packaging if that helps