Intermittent sewage smell coming from kitchen

Biofox

Hello,

Just after some friendly advice on a topic I know little about.

A bit of background-
I had my kitchen refitted about 6 weeks ago, superficial refurb- meaning it was just new units, worktops and appliances. I didn't have any pipe work done or rearrangement of anything. Layout was the same.

I have noticed that, since having the kitchen done, there is an intermittent smell of sewage in the kitchen when the bathroom (directly above the kitchen) is used. It doesn't smell every time the bathroom is used, just sometimes.

I have had a sniff around and have noticed that the smell seems to be coming from, or is most powerful, when I open the cupboard under the sink or the one next to the sink. These 2 cupboards butt against the waste pipe which runs down the corner, boxed off. The smell doesn't seem to be coming from the sink itself, to be clear. And since the sink and waste traps are new I can't imagine it is coming from gunk or old food stuck in there.

I can't see any leaks, inside or out, but like I said the waste pipe is boxed off so I wouldn't really be able to see anything in there anyway.

Has anybody any ideas as to what this might be, how I might solve it? I don't recall having a problem before we had the kitchen redone however since there was no major reworking of the kitchen I can't imagine it is the fitting that has created a problem. Although I have gotten back in touch with the fitter about it.

Advice about who to call would be appreciated. I assume I call a plumber? Or is there a specific "waste" company who deals with this kind of thing? Is an investigation into what is causing it likely to be expensive?

My only saving grace at the moment is that if it were a cracked waste pipe, surely it would smell all the time?

Many thanks for sticking with my long post!

andy208833

Had a similar problem in old house, plumber left the cap off an unused pipe feeding into the waste pipe and everytime we flushed the loo it flushed into the kitchen. Only way we found it was by removing the boxing to inspect. Wife was nearly sick!!

Call a plumber or alternatively the people who did the work for you.

keystone

Suspect that the kitchen waste and the bathroom waste are both (and probably always have been) plumbed into the same pipe.

Three possibilities:

1. The old kitchen sink was fitted with an anti-vac trap which prevented the bathroom waste rushing down the pipe syphoning the water out of the kitchen trap thus not allowing nasty niffs to get back into the kitchen. If they didn't fit an anti-vac trap this time you could be getting syphonage. If everything is buttoned up properly I'd expect the smell to be coming out of the plughole in this case.

2. Someone was less than competant in making up one of the joints on the waste after the sink trap allowing the pongs into the cupboard. But as you say I'd expect the pong to be there all the time in this case.

3. A combination or variation of 1. and 2.

Get the fitter back to sort it I'd say. You shouldn't need to get anyone else out to it. He touched it last - 'tis his responsbility.

Cheers

themull1

Have you lifted the manhole cover to see if the drains are blocked?

Biofox

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

The smell isn't coming from the plug hole, I had another investigation last night (sticking my head in the cupboard while someone flushed the loo upstairs) and it didn't seem like the smell was coming from the waste pipe connecting to the soil mains like I originally thought. The smell seems to be coming from underneath the cupboards O__o

But I have gotten back in touch with the fitter, think he is coming over on Thursday so fingers crossed it is something easily fixable!

I haven't yet checked the MH in the garden to see if it is blocked, but thanks for the advice I will check tonight!

Biofox

I thought i'd give an update as I had the fitter out this morning. He took the panels off the cupboards (kick boards?) as I couldn't get them off and it was like a scene from Alien! Loads of water, everything was covered in this white web of mould. Yuk.

Possibly the reason the smell has gradually been getting worse!

Fitter thinks it way have been the connection at the soil main where the kitchen waste pipe joins it. He gave it a nudge and it "seemed" to go in, like a push fit. He seemed surprised that it did this, obviously he was under the impression that when he fitted the kitchen and connected everything up it was all sound.

Fingers crossed, that was the problem. I have cleaned it all and bleached everything (not a nice job) and now just have to wait for it to dry out and see if it keeps doing it. If it does he will have to come back and remove the cupboard to get to the area causing the prob.

Really hope the initial thought has fixed it as I would rather my new kitchen didn't have to be ripped out shortly after being fitted!

Thanks for all your advice though!