Sewer gas smell from clothes washer drain

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jerryhk91

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I have a split level home with two bathrooms and bathroom sinks upstairs which all work good . Down stairs is my laundry a half bath and a wash basin in garage. When I let water out of my kitchen sink it causes the wash basin to gurgle and then the sewer smell comes from clothes washer drain. I looked behind washer and can see that the washer trap runs into the pvc that comes from the kitchen and the into the washbasin pipe that runs at bottom of wall. Do I have a vent problem that the kitchen sink pulls water from washer trap. My house has a vent and like I said no problem from upstairs plumbing . Only happens when I let out a sink full of water after washing dishes , a small amount of water causes no problem.
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WorthFlorida

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Was the garage wash basin and washer drain installation after the home was built? This is basic stuff that any plumber would do properly to pass inspection.

The drain pipe and trap should be 2”. Put the AAV just after the trap at a height above the water level of the washing machine. If the garage wash basin doesn’t have a vent put an AAV just after the trap on the garage side of the wall. AAV instructions show where it should be installed.
 

jerryhk91

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I have attached a picture as I finally cut a hole in the wall and I want that smell gone. The pipe with trap is washer drain and straight pipe beside it is coming from kitchen sink upstairs. the bottom pipe is from washbasin in garage. I am pretty sure it is not vented. The bathroom sinks and tubs upstairs do not gurgle or cause a smell issue and I can see the stack coming out of the roof. I wonder why they never vented this when they built the home years ago. Thank very much in advance for your help and guidance.
Jerry

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Reach4

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The vertical above the cleanout is from the kitchen sink upstairs. That is not the way things should be, but I think it would not explain the stink.

I would tape some cheap plastic dropcloths horizontally and/or vertically, to see if you can isolate the smell source to one side of the drop cloth or the other. Then move the drop cloth, wait until the next odor, and see which side the odor is on.

With some wood sticks and tape and packing materials, I think you could rig up a smell-separating sheet for your search.

husky-drop-cloth.jpg
 
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jerryhk91

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The smell always comes from the washer drain hole down stairs as that is the only opening where the washer hose goes. and you can hear the water gurgle also in the wash basin on other side of wall in garage as it is let out of kitchen sinks upstairs. It only happens if sink is full of dish water and you remove sink stopper and let it flow out fast or what should be considered normal. If you let the water out slowly by barley lifting up the sink stopper you have no noise or smell.
 

WorthFlorida

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You are saying that you see no vent for this drain? You looked in the attic. Did this suddenly start?

As you let a lot of water drain at once, the column of water is pushing the air in the vertical down pipe, the air is pushing against the water in the trap for the washing machine and air is bubbling through it and out in to the room. Or with no air behind the column of water as it passes the wyes it’s sucking the water out of both traps. If the kitchen sink is originally to the house there has to be a vent at the kitchen sink. It is why on my previous post the vent, if there is one, is plugged up.

Here is something you can try. Cap off the washing machine drain with plastic wrap and duct tape. The utility sink plug up the drain. Fill up the kitchen sink and do the fast drain. Without a vent or a plugged up vent, the kitchen sink should drain slow. You may need to go on the roof and inspect the vent or vents. Run water down it from a garden hose. It should drain with no problems.

Without seeing more pictures, a tee needs to be installed above the washing machine wye and brought to the roof for venting. You could use an AAV above the newly installed tee at a height above the washing machine but I’m tending to believe the problem is at the kitchen sink.

Next step is to call a plumber to sort it out.
 
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Reach4

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You are saying that you see no vent for this drain? You looked in the attic. Did this suddenly start?
I think he is saying that the kitchen drain from the floor above is being used as a wet vent.

Thinking about it more, I suspect the kitchen draining at a high rate is sucking the washing machine p-trap dry with a venturi effect. I guess redoing the WM trap and incorporating an AAV may solve this.
 
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jerryhk91

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There is a vent going out the roof of the house , that is what is confusing me. The bath/showers upstairs all work good and I hear no gurgling and there is no smells , also forgot to mention that when washer is running and in spin cycle and water is leaving the washer that the upstairs kitchen sink gurgles water in the trap under the cabinet.
 

WorthFlorida

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Definitely the side of the home between the kitchen sink and the second floor the vent has a blockage somewhere. Could be a varmint, squirrel or grease in the vent pipe.
 

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So when I call plumber should I ask him if he has a snake camera so he could check for blockage in the pipes. Should all plumbers have a camera like that as I am sure they are expensive.
Thanks for you help.
 

Reach4

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If there is a drain blockage, you could get the drain line cleaned out using the cleanout in your photo. I guess the theory could be that kitchen food waste is rotting in the p-trap, because the drain is partially blocked?

I still think you should get the standpipe re-done with an AAV.

As a temporary workaround, you could put a cork into the standpipe unless you are doing laundry.
 

Terry

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The kitchen sink drain should be a 2"
The washer standpipe should be a 2"

You might try putting an AAV between the kitchen stack and the p-trap on the washer.
Also the sink in the garage needs an AAV. How is the kitchen vented?
Most homes have several vents through the roof.
 

jerryhk91

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Under the kitchen sink they have put a T where the pipe goes into the wall and it is open on top . I screwed a AAV in and then water would hardly drain out of sink. So I should try to T in a AAV where the washer water goes into the Kitchen stack . And then AAV washbasin in garage. Just wanting to make sure I am understanding you correctly .
Thanks for your help.
 

WorthFlorida

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jerryhk91,
Is the kitchen sink drain pipe a straight shot down to the laundry connection or does it take a turn anywhere before it?
How long have you owned this home?
Did you always have this problem?
How old is the home?
How old do you think this plumbing of the attached picture is?
Is this the original location of the kitchen sink or perhaps somewhere else in the home?

I don't see any purple primer and the color of the glue doesn't look like PVC cement (but sometimes digital camera on cell phones can distort colors, let alone these pipe should have been 2". It has all the markings of a DIY'er. With no AAV and an open pipe, no stink at the kitchen sink, you should get odors from under the kitchen sink.
 

jerryhk91

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It leaves the kitchen sink horizontally goes about six feet and then 90s straight down from what I can see in between the wall of the garage and the house where the washer is. Yes it has sort of been like this since we built the house a year ago . The house is 22 tears old and is of excellent construction. I don't know why they plumbed the kitchen like this though. There is some stink under the kitchen sink when the washer is on .
 

WorthFlorida

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The house is 22 years old, therefore, the now kitchen was an addition? If you had a contractor do this there has to be permits on file. Most counties now have issued permits for all properties viewable online. You should check on it.
It all sounds like this never had a plumbing inspection or a permit was never issued. At this time it appears that walls will need to be opened up and the system properly vented to the roof. AAVs alone will not fix all of it. If you had one contractor do all the work that person could be liable for repairs but it probably would need to go to court for any settlement if the original contractor refuses to fix things.

Google search "building permit in wv" and "plumbing permit in wv"
https://publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/West-Virginia-Permits-and-Inspections.htm

Here is your state venting requirement
https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/document/code/550/9795976
 
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