Hello,

I moved into this home a year and a half ago. The home is on a pier foundation and the drainage plumbing is underneath. We occasionally smelled a sewage or rotten smell in the kitchen at times, and noticed it was stronger under the sink. Well, there was a slight damp area on the cabinet bottom from a slow leak at the drain pipe, which I repaired and it has been dry for months now. We thought that was it, but it wasn't. Yesterday I turned the exhaust fan on in one of the bathrooms and the smell got really bad. We turned off the fan and the smell slowly went away. I guess the fan was creating enough pressure drop in the house to allow the vent under the sink to breathe into the under-cabinet area. We opened the cabinet and it reeked. So, I guess the occasional pressure fluctuations between indoors and outdoors is causing this problem? What can I do to prevent it? It's an embarrassing thing when company is here and just plain unpleasant even when it's just us. We are on a septic system if that makes any difference, but there are no signs of septic system failure. Just that smell mainly in the kitchen. I have noticed that smell in the spare bathroom as well, but it stays closed and we don't use it much, so I don't know how often it does it in there.

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

Hi cheese,

Its a studor vent under the sink? I would first replace it then post back. They do fail.

The fan would not draw it open since it works the opposite, and lets air in and not out. Its a one way valve. So if the fan is pulling sewer gas out then my assumption is its faulty.

Have you checked down under the home for potential issues?



Mike NJ

 

Yes, it has some kind of valve or vent on top of a stand pipe under there. Yep, if that's a check valve then it must be bad. Thanks!