issue with drains

parking_question_chap · 9 July 2017 at 1:50PM

That outside drain has (or should have) a u-bend in it so there is always standing water in it to prevent smells coming back up the drain.

Tip a bucket of water in the drain. If it goes down slowly or not at all then its blocked or partially blocked. I've used a metal coathanger to break up blockages when they happen.

The chance of OPs smell coming from the outside drain, back up the pipe and round your sink ubend is pretty remote. If you can smell something in the kitchen its more likely to be something related to the sink U bend or something else inside the house.

illusionek · 9 July 2017 at 2:07PM

I did the bucket thing with both drains with standing water and it was going fine. I can clearly see there is a u-bend in both of them however every now again I can smell drains in kitchen or outside. It is not a permanent or very very strong smell but still noticeable. Is there anything else I could do to stop it from happening apart from fitting gully grids, which I guess are mainly to prevent future blockage rather than smells.

Aylesbury_Duck · 9 July 2017 at 2:28PM

parking_question_chap wrote: »

The chance of OPs smell coming from the outside drain, back up the pipe and round your sink ubend is pretty remote. If you can smell something in the kitchen its more likely to be something related to the sink U bend or something else inside the house.

Possibly, but I wonder whether the smell is outside and only sometimes detectable in the kitchen. Might there be some manky detritus in the drain or simply dried rubbish around the pipework that is smelling in the hot weather and OP has their windows open? If the smell is appearing occasionally, this might explain it.

Ruski · 9 July 2017 at 6:03PM

Let's put this to bed please:

Outside gully traps should have 'standing water' - it's a water trap to prevent gasses coming back up from the sewer system.

All pipes entering gully should terminate BELOW the grid, but above the water line (regulations)

Smells in the kitchen will not be coming from the outside in this instance UNLESS there is an outlet (dishwasher maybe?) that ISN'T fitted with a water trap - and the pipe empties straight outside. Smells like this are invariably because they are connected before the internal water trap.

All your pipework looks a bit amateur, and it wouldn't take much for someone to re-pipe and fit drain grids. It's a solvent weld system you have, you're not going to take that apart so matter how much you twist and pull.

HTH

Russ

illusionek · 9 July 2017 at 8:24PM

I agree the pipework looks an amateur but then how should it look like? If you look at the very first photo the white pipe is for a dishwasher. So I guess this is part of the problem? However it was recently installed by the plumber who told me that it needs to be this way because dishwasher is too far from kitchen sink. So if I get someone to sort out this pipework how can I ensure they do it properly?

Also you mentioned all pipes should terminate below the grid but then how do I fit gully grids?

EssexExile · 9 July 2017 at 8:54PM

illusionek wrote: »

Also you mentioned all pipes should terminate below the grid but then how do I fit gully grids?

You cut holes for the pipes to go through.
Has the pipe from the dishwasher got a u-bend in it? Having asked that, if I get a nasty smell around here it's usually Farmer Giles muck spreading.

silvercar · 9 July 2017 at 8:58PM

I have a similar system of gullies with odd looking pipes. I can also see standing water. The pipes all end just above the grids.

Sometimes the main gully smells in hot weather, a bit of prodding around and it appears that there is some solid matter (congealed fat?) stuck to the side of the gulley below the grid level. Dealing with that gets rid of the problem.

I don't know how you would get the pipes ending below the grid - the grid would have so many cut outs I doubt it would hold together.

Ruski · 9 July 2017 at 9:06PM

It will hold together, I've done this many times..
http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-gulley-grid-150mm-black/16499
or

HTH

Russ

issue with drains

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