Posted on 11/24/2009 7:00:50 AM PST by Alberta's Child
Sorry for the vanity, but I'm looking for advice from someone with a good working knowledge of plumbing issues and I've never been disappointed with the advice I've ever gotten here on FreeRepublic.
A little background . . .
1. My situation involves a finished basement in a small commercial building with a kitchen sink against a wall that is shared with a bathroom. The building was originally designed with the bathroom on a platform that also functioned as a stairway landing. The kitchen is at "ground" level (i.e., on the concrete floor), 2-3 steps down from the bathroom level.
2. The kitchen sink is drained by a Zoeller 105 Drain Pump (to get the water up to the same pipe that drains the bathroom sink).
3. Both sinks drain into a 1.5" pipe. Along this 1.5" pipe, the outlet for the kitchen sink (from the drain pump) is maybe a foot "downstream" from the outlet for the bathroom sink.
Some time ago we began to notice a sewer-like odor coming from the kitchen sink. Not constant, but it was pretty strong when it was observed. I didn't notice any kind of pattern and couldn't do anything to replicate it -- but I did find that when I filled the kitchen sink and drained it, the drain pump would activate 2-3 times and each time it activated a small quantity of brown water (accompanied by a fainter version of the sewer odor) would bubble up into the adjacent bathroom sink.
We had a plumber come and snake out the entire 1.5" line in two segments . . . from the bathroom sink past the kitchen sink to an access valve, and then from the access valve out to the 4" sewer main for the building.
The problem seems to have been corrected for the most part, but I still get a faint sewer odor from both sinks occasionally -- especially in the bathroom when the kitchen drain pump activates.
My question is this:
Is there some kind of chemical treatment I can do in these two sinks that would eliminate odors and perhaps break down grime in the pipes without damaging the drain pump?
I'm looking for something non-toxic that can be simply poured down the bathroom and kitchen drains periodically as part of a regular maintenance/service item for the building -- but it can't be noxious to anyone using the kitchen after it has been poured.
Yogurt, yeast?
baking soda or if there is a disposal lemon or orange rinds.
2. Did you check to see if you have a venting problem?
Chlorine bleach will eliminate bacteria that causes plumbing odors, a dousing twice a week will help. Also, regularly use foaming drain cleaner to eliminate organic materials from inside the pipes that foster bacteria.
IIRC, Roto Rooter makes some kind of enzyme treatment that comes in a gallon bottle and is supposed to help clear out fats/proteins and things like that. Typically, it is supposed to be used once a month to keep the entire water line system clear, but it can be used in a pinch as a “soft” drain cleanser. We had a stopped up sink a few weeks ago that I used it on because I didn’t have any of the “good stuff” on hand, let it sit overnight, and cleared the sink line right out and it’s been flowing well to this day. It should work if your odour/grime problem is organic (i.e. fats and grease, food, etc.) but won’t work if its scale/deposit/corrosion or something else inorganic.
Have you checked the vent to make sure it isn’t plugged? Also, make sure you have “p” traps on all the drains. If not that can allow sewer gases into the house.
I use baking soda and vinagar. Put the soda down the drain, first....then pour on the vinegar. It bubbles all of the ‘ick’ away. When I don’t use that....I just use bleach.
Not sure if that is the problem, but it could be. How would I know?
Thanks. LOL.
I don’t think it’s a venting problem . . . the drain pump vents directly into the building’s vent, and there’s no evidence of any odors anywhere else but in those two basement sinks.
You didn’t say anything about the P-trap that should be below the sink. Is there one there?
from your post you say (Vanity), but you are not installing a vanity.
very misleading.
You have to be careful of bleach if you have a septic system. I never thought to ask if this is a sewer or septic. The guy who installed my septic system said NEVER EVER use antibacterial products. These kill the good bacteria in the system and can cause improper bacterial action thereby causing smells. He said even if someone in the house is taking an antibiotic this can cause problems.
Throwing out ideas here...
1: Because your drains are not ordinary gravity feed items, an ordinary gravity feed plumber may not be able to correctly diagnose & cure, LOL.
2: I am not so sure a chem treatment mild enough to fix this would have any lasting effect since you’d be washing it away every time you used either sink, no?
3: I would confirm that your venting is adequate and not plugged up with a bird’s nest or something silly like that. You might need a dual vent, one either side of the offending fixture.
4: It may be that you need to install another trap along the shared drain line, if I am reading your prose description right.
5: It is possible that the pump is either pumping your line dry enough so that the trap doesn’t stop vapors *or* it’s pumping so dry that the trap(s) do not work right. That second thought doesn’t seem possible, but I’ve seen (and smelled) weird problems before with drain pumps.
6: Got a fan in the bathroom?
...this time of year mnake sure the vents on the roof are not clugged (leaves,nest, bears, north jersey...*grins*)
I didn’t know that. Thanks! :)
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