Sewage smell in drains sometimes???

[generalinq]

Hi Folks,

I've used this site in the past with success and I'm hoping you can help me again.

Everytime my wife uses the dishwasher upstairs or turns on the washing machine in the basement, there is a bad odor coming from the basement kitchen sink - sewage type smell... It's so bad that I have to leave the room until the smell goes away.

I'm not an expert but the only thing I can think of is the fact that the kitchen sink in the basement has not been used in over 2 or 3 years. Could it be that the drain going from the kitchen sink is clogged so everytime there is a large amount of water used, it starts somehoe backing up?

The kitchen drain is at along the back side of the house. The drain pipe is about 20feet or so long (just guessing) and appears to slope downwards into a piece of pipe that resembles a 'Y' fitting if I remember correctly. The bottom of the Y fitting goes directly into the ground. The kitchen is one end of the top of the Y and the other arm of the Y is the washing machine.. The plumbing stack is located at the other side of the house where the bathrooms are located.

Any help would be appreciated. Thx a lot and keep up the greak work on this site!

 

[Jadnashua]

First thing to do is run some water down the drain of that sink. THe trap may be dry, which allows sewer gasses to leak out. In normal use, the water keeps getting replenished, but if you don't use it, it will eventually dry out. The trap full of water normally blocks the gasses from escaping.