Another smelly kitchen sink

[Curious Skip]

So sorry to hear of Terry's passing. The family is in my thoughts.

I have the typical two bowl sink, with a P trap and an AAV. There has been a slight odor present at times in the 17 years we've lived here. I have read a bunch here, but nothing stands out as to where the problem lies. Three pro plumbers have looked at it as well, with no obvious issues. No changes have ever been made.

I recently had a plumber come to replace both strainer baskets, as one had developed a leak. (I have arthritis in my back, and I can no longer get under the sink to do things like this.) A couple of weeks after he was here, we identified a smell as sewer gas. It was very faint, and intermittent. I called the plumbing company, and the boss came out. Nothing looked amiss. He took the trap apart, made sure it was clean and all that. And of course he didn't smell anything. But the smell remains, still intermittent.

We have been using the stoppers in both bowls, with a little water in each bowl as a block against leaking gas. Doing this when the sinks are not in use, overnight, etc. I have become aware that the smell presents itself when the water is turned on. Not every time, though.

This morning while using the sink, when I removed one stopper it released a bubble of air or something. I would think there shouldn't be any air looking to escape like that. Is that a possible clue?

 

[Reach4]

I recently had a plumber come to replace both strainer baskets, as one had developed a leak. (I have arthritis in my back, and I can no longer get under the sink to do things like this.) A couple of weeks after he was here, we identified a smell as sewer gas. It was very faint, and intermittent. I called the plumbing company, and the boss came out. Nothing looked amiss. He took the trap apart, made sure it was clean and all that. But the smell remains, still intermittent.

We have been using the stoppers in both bowls, with a little water in each bowl as a block against leaking gas. Doing this when the sinks are not in use, overnight, etc. I have become aware that the smell presents itself when the water is turned on. Not every time, though.

If the sinks still have the stoppers holding water in both bowls, the smell is from the water from the faucet.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Curious Skip]

If the sinks still have the stoppers holding water in both bowls, the smell is from the water from the faucet.

It's tough to be perfectly clear with words! I only smell it when the drains are open.

I also have checked the water for odors. Nothing.

 

[Reach4]

I would consider getting my drains cleaned. This could help some problems, and is probably cheaper than actually troubleshooting to the exact cause.

My hope would be that this would eliminate some standing water that could be blocking the passage of air through the drain line to connect to the roof vent eventually.

Regarding your bubble, a normally functioning drain would have air below the stopper. But if the pipe was clear, I don't know that the bubble would force its way up.

One potential thing is to increase the trap seal from 2 inch to 4 inch. The trap seal is how deep the water in the U of the trap sits. That might be easy or hard, depending on what you have under the sink.