Any plumbers?

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Jun 7, 2017
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I have a plumbing issue that I think I have had for quite some time - since I moved in.

I always have a smell in my dishwasher. No matter what detergent or how many times I run it when I open it up from a fresh wash, it stinks. I found that my dishwasher drain line has about 4 feet of slack in it so I just removed all of that and now it seems to drain much better. It does have a high loop. During this testing though, I found a few things. When I run the sink on the left with the garbage disposal, it seems to fill a bit and when I turn it on (the disposal), water rushes down the drain and shoots into the other drain geysering 3 feet up from the sink drain on the right. At that point the disposal side drains but looks like it is sucking the water lock out of the right drain allowing sewer gases to come up. I can from time to time smell sewer from here. I put a new tail piece on the right (today while fixing the extra dishwasher drain length) since the one on there was restricting flow. I got a larger one that allowed much more flow from the dishwasher. Looking down the drain with a flashlight while the dishwasher is draining shows a nice heavy stream of water. But when I took off the old tailpiece it stunk to high heaven like sewer. Not sure where this is coming from since I use this since many times a day the drains should be well flushed.

Some backstory - This setup never worked well. I replaced the dishwasher myself last year and instead of running it through the disposal tap (I got a new disposal with the dishwasher so I had the option of not using that setup by not punching out the dishwasher plug) I got a new right-side sink tailpiece with the dishwasher tap. I did this because when I removed the old dishwasher drainline, it was incredibly nasty with so much garbage in it right where it connected to the disposal that I didn't want to go this route again. I suspect it was like this because the disposal (as I found today) has never drained properly.

Any advice greatly appreciated! At this point I am ready to cap off the disposal and not use it anymore. I am on septic so they don't recommend using a disposal anyway.

This is a pic of the plumbing:

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Just a diy here

I would say you got something down the line problems, it's not sloped right or is severely built up, or not vented. What happens if you fill one sink full and pull the plug, and vice versa.

If your brave enough (even hate to mention) you can use muratic acid down the drain to clear build up, I think I used to do 50/50 but haven't had to in a while. If it reacts with something not safe it will go bad for you though. It will ruin metal surfaces if you let it sit on it. Run lots of water after if you do.
 
The plumbing goes to the septic system. That drain is very close to where it exits the house actually. Not sure the exact path once it goes into the floor I would assume a slight dog-leg and then straight down since under this is the basement ceiling (finished) and there are no bulkheads on the ceiling down there. I would think there is a vent somewhere the drains seem to drain ok everywhere in the house. When I fill the right sink bowl with water it drains fine but the disposal side will sometimes come up out of the right side. I'll get a video.
 
Most of the undersink plumbing I have seen there is only 1 trap. Perhaps that it the issue?

Right side draining - You can hear that "blub blub blub" when it is done for a long time.
Right Side

Left (disposal) side draining.
Left Side
 
I agree. I think that dual trap design is messing you up. Do you have a downward slope between the top of the trap on the pipe leading into the wall?

If the right side sink trap contains water down through the Y, when the disposal runs the water when it hits the Y will go in both directions. Down the drain and up the right sink. Normal water flow on the left sink does not have enough pressure to squirt out the right sink. But the disposal does.
 
As you can see from the pic, whatever moron plumbed this mess did not leave any room to fix it. My only hope I think is if that reducer pipe where it goes into the main drain is threaded. It has a "nut" look to it but not sure I can turn it out. If not, I will most likely have to call a plumber to do this correctly and that will be VERY costly in this area. It would not surprise me to get quotes upwards of $1500 and more.

- - - Updated - - -

skimmerswimmer said:
Not sure that pipe after the join should head down without a vent pipe. Also, two traps looks unconventional, but might be OK. I'm betting on a venting issue causing the smell.
Click to expand...

I am fairly certain the plumbing is properly vented.
 
I'm going with you should have a single trap going to the drain. That should eliminate the separate drains pushing water into each other.

Also most new installations will include a 1-way vent under the sink to improve air venting of the kitchen sink drain. A vent like this would be installed on a vertical riser after the sink trap.

Even in properly vented systems kitchen sinks just because of where they are located tend to have issues with getting proper venting.


Do you have a Bosch dishwasher by any chance? They can have issues developing a smell because of how they have their pumps set up.

Make sure the filters and screens at the bottom of the dishwasher are clean. If they are there they will be easy to remove and rinsing them in hot water will clean them of debris. This can be a source of smells.

Also another thing to do is to use a dishwasher cleaning product regularly or anytime your dishwasher starts to smell. I use this stuff from walmart and it always works great for me. Its basically just a citric acid based degreaser that will flush any built up grease films out of the dishwasher.

Also try to open the dishwasher after has completed a cycle and let the inside dry out.
 

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Ok, looking at those videos, you have a clog down the main drain. Those sinks take way to long to drain, and seeing as this is the kitchen sink drain, grease buildup will be your enemy.

Because you have septic, I have no clue what chemicals you could/should use to help clear it, so I would recommend a manual clean out.
 
CJadamec said:
I'm going with you should have a single trap going to the drain. That should eliminate the separate drains pushing water into each other.

Also most new installations will include a 1-way vent under the sink to improve air venting of the kitchen sink drain. A vent like this would be installed on a vertical riser after the sink trap.

Even in properly vented systems kitchen sinks just because of where they are located tend to have issues with getting proper venting.


Do you have a Bosch dishwasher by any chance? They can have issues developing a smell because of how they have their pumps set up.

Make sure the filters and screens at the bottom of the dishwasher are clean. If they are there they will be easy to remove and rinsing them in hot water will clean them of debris. This can be a source of smells.

Also another thing to do is to use a dishwasher cleaning product regularly or anytime your dishwasher starts to smell. I use this stuff from walmart and it always works great for me. Its basically just a citric acid based degreaser that will flush any built up grease films out of the dishwasher.

Also try to open the dishwasher after has completed a cycle and let the inside dry out.
Click to expand...

No it is a high end Kitchenaid (with the window in the door).

I will get a snake and try to clear out what I can. Could be just a bunch of grease buildup.
 
All the same check for any cleanable pump suction micromesh screens that can be cleaned.

The dishwasher cleaner product really does work quite well, and if there is some grease build up in your drain it might help to break that up.

The enzymatic drain cleaner products also work reasonably well to clear grease build up in drain lines but they take some time to work. They won't harm your septic system or damage any pipes like the caustic clog remover products do.
 
Most has been said but one temporary thing you can do for odor is dump some bleach around. Obviously don't do it the same time you try any acid type treatment. I have never heard of using acid for drains. I agree - never seen a double trap like that, and that your main line seems clogged. I don't like disposals just on principal, but then I usually have chickens around to deal with food scraps.

Not a plumber but do all my own plumbing out here, so I know from "ranch-rigged" plumbing. Double traps is totally new to me. LOL
 

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