Smelly sinks.

[DOIGAN]

Hi,

 

We have a Klargester Biodisc unit, I know some on here do not rate them but it is what has been installed so I need to live with it.

We had the unit emptied a couple of months ago but prior to then and still now we get a really wiffy smell from our sinks. We asked the guy who emptied it, he suggested filling the bath then draining it?

I have noticed that one of the discs is covered with stuff ( if you know what I mean), should this be hosed of periodically? I cannot understand why I would be getting smells anyway due to the u bend trap having water in it, I thought that was the purpose of a u bend?

I have checked the drains to the unit and they all appear clear.

 

Thoughts please.

 

Ta

[joe90]

Have you confirmed the traps still have water In them.?

[Jeremy Harris]

The smell may be unrelated to the fact that you recently had the treatment plant emptied.  One thing I've noticed is that our kitchen sink sometimes gets a bit smelly.  Having taken things apart under the sink, it seems that the culprit is the dishwasher connection (on the right here):

 

 

It comes in above the trap, and "stuff" seems to build up around the point where it joins the smaller, vertical, sink drain pipe.  I think that what might be happening is that stuff that gets washed down the main sink drain (the pipe on the left) gets splashed up the dishwasher drain and then turns smelly.  The dishwasher only gets used every two or three days, and doesn't seem to use enough water to keep that pipe clean.  I can usually fix things by just sluicing some diluted bleach down both sink drains, but have had to resort to taking the fitting apart once, in order to get the thing clean.

[ProDave]

As above.  We have two bowls and two appliances all connected to one trap.  the pipework above can get a bit smelly if you are not careful.  It is the pipe from the half bowl sink that often gets smelly as it's not used much.  I tried to mitigate that by putting the trap under the half bowl not under the full bowl, to eliminate a dead, seldom used leg of waste pipe.

 

If the trap is blowing dry then you have a stack ventilation problem.

 

The Klargesters do seem to work. The "complaint" we have with them is the moving mechanical parts immersed in the smelly stuff, and none of us would want the task of repairing something when it goes wrong.  The air blower ones are nicer in that respect as the air blower is not immersed and is simple and easy to swap when it needs servicing.

[Delicatedave]

Bicarb & lemon juice ?

[DOIGAN]

Ok, stripped both sink pipework and cleaned any gunk in them, a little yucky and smelly but nothing too bad I think, both u bends had water in them so hopefully this means no vent stack issues.

 

Does anyone know if you should hose the gunk off the discs inside the unit.

[Temp]

Sometimes the water can get sucked out of a trap by fast flowing water elsewhere in the system.

 

_if_ that's the problem then adding an air admittance valve to the waste near the sink may help. These let air into the pipe breaking the suction and preventing the water being sucked out of the traps.

[Stones]

@DOIGAN is it just the utility and kitchen sinks, or bathrooms as well?

 

As above, I'd put it down to dishwasher and or washing machine waste sitting in traps / pipework.

[DOIGAN]

19 hours ago, Stones said:

@DOIGAN is it just the utility and kitchen sinks, or bathrooms as well?

 

As above, I'd put it down to dishwasher and or washing machine waste sitting in traps / pipework.

Yep, just kitchen sinks. Will see how it goes now they have been stripped and cleaned