Why does my bathroom sink drain smell like a sewer?

Bar28147006
by Bar28147006
  8 answers
  • Val hetherington Val hetherington on Aug 26, 2017

    You need to clean the drains

  • Val hetherington Val hetherington on Aug 26, 2017

    I use a ption of baking soda and vinegar to freshen up the drains 1/2 cup vinegar 1- cup water to 3 tbsp baking soda let sit in for 20 minutes before rinsing sick

  • Terri Whittaker Terri Whittaker on Aug 26, 2017

    A sewer smell is often a sign that sewer gases are coming back into the house via the drain. This is a common problem for plumbing that isn't vented to the outside. Make sure you still have water in the P trap under the sink. A lack of venting allows the P trap to be drained dry because it's forcing air into the drain via the sink. If you are lacking the venting, you may need to periodically run some water to refill the P trap.

  • Rkk27847947 Rkk27847947 on Aug 26, 2017

    the sink should have a "goose-neck trap" shaped drain pipe under it that is supposed to maintain some water in it at all times. That trapped water will not allow sewer gasses to come up through it. If that goose neck dries out it will let the sewer gasses come up through the drain line hence the smell. It can dry out if the sink is not used consistently. Pouring a small amount of "Draino" down the drain to clean out the Goose neck trap can also help.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Aug 26, 2017

    I would do the baking soda and vinegar but eliminate the water. Let it sit and foam for at least ten minutes, then run about a gallon of boiling water down the drain to rinse it. That should have the pipe sparkling clean. I do my kitchen sink about once a month at least and the pipes stay clean as a whistle( have a pipe downstairs along the wall that drains from the sink, it has a big bolt you can open and see the pipe and it is clean now all the time).

  • Pizzchzz Pizzchzz on Jul 18, 2018

    Sewer-like smell in the bathroom sink is very embarrassing. Potentially, your p-trap is dry. Try to run some water down the drain. Also, it could be that your venting pipes were not done appropriately. Inspect more problems and how to fix them in your bathroom sink in this post https://pizzchzz.com/why-bathroom-sink-smells-like-sewer/

  • If you have a sink that you don't use very often, gases come up through the sewer and make it smell bad. Just run some water in it about once a month. (We have one in our basement that does this.)

  • Em Em on Jul 19, 2021

    Mine does the same. My vent pipe was snaked from the roof and it is clear. There is a toilet on the other side of the wall and it has been suggested that when the toilet flushes it creates enough suction to pull water from the p trap allowing sewer gases to escape into the drain. I use my sink numerous times every day so it does not "dry out". The only suggestion was to add a piece of pipe so the p trap is lower and contains more water.