Problems with smell from the waste pipe under sink- advice needed!

Hello all... as the thread title suggests I am having this rather unsavoury problem. There is a smell from the drain but it is seeping back into the house. It is not coming up through the plughole (the u-bends are doing their job) but when I open the presses under the sink the smell would sink a battleship.

I removed the kickboards under the presses and had a look at how the waste pipe leaves the sink. The white waste pipe goes into a black rubbery disc thing in the ground. I'm presuming that it is this connection/seal that is the problem and the source of the smell. The whiff is definitely at it strongest at this point.

But before I go fiddling around with it I was wondering if anyone knows if this is a major job to replace this ? Or should I be thinking of sealing around it with silicone ? Also does anyone know the name of this seal/connection thingy - (I find that the staff in my local DIY place respond better if they think you know what you are on about.)

On the same point, is there any solutions that are recommended for putting down drains to eliminate smells - I have already used copious amounts of Domestos and a few shots of caustic soda. Is Jeyes Fluid suitable or is that more for exterior drains ?

As always I am very appreciative of any help you might be able to give me.

Thanks,
-g

Hi Gianni,

Run lots of cold water regularly, it flushes anything there away from the pipes. The drain clearing stuff is excellent for blockages between the sink and the u-bend but that does not appear to be your problem.

Good luck.

The rubbery disk may have simply been loose , can you push it back down. Check is it making a tight seal all the way around.
They are called waste adapters.
[broken link removed]

If you want to change it you should be able to disconnect the white pipe at the u bend and then just pull it out of the adaptor. Then simply pull out the adapter and fit a new one.

beldin said:

The rubbery disk may have simply been loose , can you push it back down. Check is it making a tight seal all the way around.
They are called waste adapters.
[broken link removed]

If you want to change it you should be able to disconnect the white pipe at the u bend and then just pull it out of the adaptor. Then simply pull out the adapter and fit a new one.

Click to expand...

Excellent!
Thanks for this bledin, will investigate thoroughly this evening!


Thanks also gillarosa, I'll give this a go... any suggestions for a drain cleaning product ?

Check how the outlet of the dishwasher & washing machine are plumbed.

glenamaddy said:

Check how the outlet of the dishwasher & washing machine are plumbed.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion glenamaddy.
I have already checked the two outlets that you mention..

The dishwasher outlet is attached to the same waste pipe as the sink via a connection yoke a few inches below the plughole of the sink. No odour is escaping at this point, plus the u-bend in the sink will take care of any odour coming up the pipe.

The washing machine is in a utility room away from the sink area and was indeed a source of odour but, after reading other posts on this forum, I wrapped the machine's flexible outlet pipe with a cloth and inserted it tightly into the waste pipe. Problem solved on that front!

I'm anxious to get all this sorted before in-laws arrive for the Christmas... have to put on a good show and all that!

You may want to check that your percolation system is working properly. Should your site have a high water table and your sink is plumbed into your main system then it may be the case that your waste system is not flowing and the water is just lying in your waste pipes. This normally becomes an issue around this time of year given the high amounts of rain fall, especially with the last few weeks of rain.

If you’re on a public waste system this wouldn't apply.

had a similar smelly problem... turned out it was the washing machine! previous owner was an infrequent occupier. Ran machine empty on hottest cycle, poured bicarb of soda and boiling water down all plug holes upstairs and downstairs and havent had a repeat of problem so far

We had similar smeel under the sink a few years back. As the OP said, it was only apparent when you opened the press under the sink.

The problem was simple (in the end). the 1.5inch water pipe from the sink was connected to a 6 inch soil pipe from the downstairs bathroom, and this was not sealed correctly. While there was no leaking, where was a stinking smell.

Went home last night and had a good look at the Waste Adapter (see I know all the lingo now!) and I gave it a good push down into the ground... it seemed to move about 1/4 inch... I then noticed that there was some scope for pushing the white waste pipe into the top of the adapter.. that too went down about 1/2 an inch...

I then ran the water for a while...put on the dishwasher too...and all pipework seemed to remain in place. The smell seems to have dissappeared too although I had so many Neutradol's and PotPourri yokes about the place that I'm not 100% if it has gone. I'll know this evening on my return. But, so far, it's looking good.

Thanks again for all your help & suggestions.