Odor from kitchen sink only (Well water)

[clawbennett]

Hello,

We are on a septic system and well water to preface our situation.

So for a while, we've been noticing odors from the kitchen sink. We have the typical sink, but have a vent attached to the drain system. There are no draining issues from the sink or the dish washer. The odor itself typically smells like sewage or gassy.

The odor does disappear after the water has run for a short while, but it always comes back. We notice it most when filling up pots or containers with water. I thought it was the drain causing this issue, so I have bleached the drain and even filled the sink up with water and forced it down the drain with a plunger to push any junk out.

Today, I went to fill a small bowl with water and smelled the water in the bowl and I could smell the odor in the bowl (away from the sink). I did it again with another glass and the odor was faint, but it was still present. Eventually, it was no longer detectable.

So, it seems as though the water itself smells, but it is ONLY from the kitchen sink and not from any other faucet in the house.

Any ideas??

 

[Reach4]

Today, I went to fill a small bowl with water and smelled the water in the bowl and I could smell the odor in the bowl (away from the sink). I did it again with another glass and the odor was less faint, but it was still present.

It's not the drain and vent system then.

I suggest you sanitize your well and plumbing. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my writeup. It's more intensive than what most people do. I am not a pro.

If vinegar is not available, there are other things that could be used with much more care.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

How about a picture of how the drain is done underneath?
800 pixels or less.

 

[clawbennett]

Thanks,

800px or less coming up.

 

[JerryR]

AAVs are notorious for failing and allowing sewer gases to escape.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=aav+vent&crid=3E5VMLMI4MY2A&sprefix=Aav,aps,776&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_3

It looks like you have an Oatey brand and it should be easy to replace. It just unscrews.

Oatey 39017 SURE-VENT AIR ADM VALVE, 1-1/2-Inch by 2-Inch, White

 

[clawbennett]

AAVs are notorious for failing and allowing sewer gases to escape.

I don't disagree, but that wouldn't make the actual water itself smell, right? Would the area under the sink smell if it was faulty? I am not sure how these valves work to know where the odor itself would come from if it was faulty....

 

[Reach4]

AAVs are notorious for failing and allowing sewer gases to escape.

If that were the problem, the smell would be stronger under the sink.

Clawbennet, any difference in the smell from hot vs cold water?

 

[LLigetfa]

My guess is that bacteria got established inside the the flexible supply hoses of perhaps the hand sprayer. Either replace the supply hoses or take them off and soak the inside with bleach. Don't overlook the hand sprayer and supply to the dishwasher. If the hand sprayer or dishwasher is not used daily, it could be where the bacteria colonized. If you don't fully eradicate the source of the bacteria, it will come back.

 

[clawbennett]

If that were the problem, the smell would be stronger under the sink.

Clawbennet, any difference in the smell from hot vs cold water?

It takes quite a while to get hot water to any of our sinks in the house. Regardless of the position of the single faucet handle the odor is present, usually after having not run it in a while. After a short period of running the water (maybe less than 30 seconds), the odors disappear. They won't reappear unless no water is used in the sink for some time. I have not yet run the dishwasher first on it's own without running the sink faucet to see if the odor is present or not.

We use the sink and the dishwasher pretty much daily.

Not sure how relevant it is, but the sink/plumbing was installed last summer.

 

[Reach4]

I would start gathering materials for your sanitizing. Vinegar-wise, I used 2 gallons. The two gallons were under $5 (Sams). Bleach-wise I might have used 3 gallons. Not all at once , but I needed to add more as those got consumed doing their job. My well holds about 60 ft of water in a 4 inch casing, and there is air above the water. Wells and water vary, but the test strips let you adjust to your water and well.

If you cannot get vinegar, let's message about how to carefully and safely deal with a more dangerous alternative.

 

[LLigetfa]

We use the sink and the dishwasher pretty much daily.

What about the hand sprayer? The rubber/plastic material in the hand sprayer hose and in some supply hoses can harbor bacteria.

 

[LLigetfa]

I would start gathering materials for your sanitizing.

Before you take drastic measures sanitizing the well and all associated plumbing, I would work backwards from the kitchen sink.

 

[clawbennett]

What about the hand sprayer? The rubber/plastic material in the hand sprayer hose and in some supply hoses can harbor bacteria.

I will see if I can disassemble the faucet/sprayer. It's a single unit.

 

[clawbennett]

I would start gathering materials for your sanitizing. Vinegar-wise, I used 2 gallons. The two gallons were under $5 (Sams). Bleach-wise I might have used 3 gallons. Not all at once , but I needed to add more as those got consumed doing their job. My well holds about 60 ft of water in a 4 inch casing, and there is air above the water. Wells and water vary, but the test strips let you adjust to your water and well.

If you cannot get vinegar, let's message about how to carefully and safely deal with a more dangerous alternative.

I would probably need to have someone do it professionally. Our well is 200ft or more deep and it's not a job for me. lol I don't want to screw something up.

And yes, bleach and vinegar are not available for us here. I am in rural Michigan. Limited store access times and limited stock due to the current situations.

 

[Reach4]

Before you take drastic measures sanitizing the well and all associated plumbing, I would work backwards from the kitchen sink.

You think sanitizing your well and plumbing is drastic, or do you just think my suggested method is drastic? Surely you sanitize your well every 5 years or so.

 

[LLigetfa]

You think sanitizing your well and plumbing is drastic

Yes, if it is not needed. There are anecdotal reports of things going terribly wrong when undertaking such a drastic measure.

No, I don't sanitize my well periodically. The only time I do is when I pull the pump as that can and likely will introduce bacteria. I always take care not to lay anything down on the ground and work with clean hands.

As for bacteria getting established in supply lines, I have had two such incidents, one at the kitchen sink which was in the hand sprayer hose, and another in a bathroom sink that was in the supply hose. Both required only a little bit of bleach in the removed hose and neither problem ever returned.

I've also had a bacteria problem in a shower drain that required a thorough cleaning in addition to sanitizing with bleach.

 

[clawbennett]

Tested it again this morning. It is definitely localized to the kitchen sink faucet. This morning I immediately put the water into a fluted glass and it smelled of rotten eggs/sulfur. So we know it's bacteria. The odor disappeared after about 10 seconds of running the water. I did the glass sniff with two different glasses.

So I am going to attempt to move forward with disassembling the kitchen faucet and sanitizing with bleach. If that doesn't work, I will proceed to the supply lines under the sink.