Last summer, I notice a musty type, sewer, rotten egg odor coming from the kitchen sink. The smell kicked in my children's allergies. Sometimes I notice the smell in the hallway from the bathroom to the back door also. Had anyone had this issue and know how I can solve the problem?
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My guess is that there is no drain system air pipe to let out smells from all the drains in the mobile home. Do you find that at least some of your drains run slow sometimes? Without the air pipe, a vacuum can sometimes form in the drain system, causing slowed drains. An air pipe usually goes out through the roof or right alongside the home, and is usually white PVC pipe of 2 to 3 inch diameter, and might have a screen and hood over it to keep out rain and critters.
Since this is a mobile home you will probably not have the same type of plumbing 'system' running through your house as a regular house would have and what year your mobile home was built will also make some differences in the system.
1.) Do you have a septic system or are you connected to city sewer lines? This answer (yes or no) will make a BIG difference in what could be causing your 'odor' problem.
2.) How old is the mobile home?
3.) How long have you lived here and have you had any water or sewer problems?
4. Do you have children that could be overusing toilet tissue (or other things?)?
5.) Do you use/flush 'disposable' wipes of any kind? (Big issue with a septic tank and also with a mobile home drainage system).
6.) Are any of your drains running slowly?
Answer the questions for yourself and you may be able to determine what needs to be done as all of these things can contribute to your problem.
Some older mobile homes have insufficient drainage systems that may have curves/bends from different parts of the home that will slow down and slowly clog the lines. Also, older mobile homes may have used different types of drainage pipes than new homes and could be causing problems now.
I would suggest checking for odors outside first and then go from there.
Try doing a good cleaning with every drain including bath tubs/showers. Pour a cup of baking soda in drain, then pour a cup of white vinegar to drain; wait until it stops sizzling. Then have a full kettle of very hot water (faucet hot water is usually not hot enough) (be very careful carrying hot water from place to place).
Pour the water SLOWLY in the sink/tub and then leave it untouched for at least 30 minutes.
This is good even if it does not solve your problem.
If someone in your family (or previous owner) have long hair you can order an inexpensive tool that can be used to remove hair from drains. I use this tool about once every 6 months and really like it. Sold in stores and online at many stores.
www.amazon.com/
www.walmart.com/
If you own your home, I would suggest trying any suggestions provided by other members also before having to call in a 'specialist' as any service call will be expensive.
Please let us know if you find a solution that worked for you as your answer may help someone else in the future that is having similar problems.
The horrible musty type, sewer, rotten egg odor coming from the kitchen sink in your mobile home is called hydrogen sulfide. It has no color, is very flammable, and extremely hazardous and toxic. This problem is described here: www.mobilehomesell.com/
Beneath your kitchen sink, there is a plumbing fixture called a P-trap. The purpose of this P-trap is to capture the debris that drains from the sink, prevent clogs and prevent gas leaks from entering your home. A good P-trap is between 2 and 4 inches long.
When the P-trap is empty of water or has been cracked, it may leak this musty type odor.
You need to clean it up. Of course the plumber will handle this. But you can try to clean it up yourself first. You need a hand snake for it (you can buy it in a hardware store).
Find a stopper under the kitchen sink.
Unscrew a pivot nut which is connected to a drain pipe and remove the stopper.
Insert the hand-snake down the drain and crank the handle. This action will grip onto everything clogging the trap and clear it.
Repeat this action several times.
Then clean the stopper.
Do not flush the items down your toilet, as that could cause another clog.
You can also try pouring boiling hot water down the drain.
Another option you can try is using vinegar or baking soda or chlorine bleach. Pour each ingredient into the drain separately and allow to sit it in the drain for approximately two hours at a time. Never mix bleach and vinegar together as it can create an extremely toxic chemical.
Check the P-trap for any damages. Do not forget to place a bucket or container beneath the P-trap. Find a pair of coupling nuts that attach the P-trap to the sink. Safely using a pair of pliers, remove them. If you can not get the coupling nuts to move, or if they simply fall apart, or if the P-trap is cracked, then you will have to replace the P-trap.
Call your local plumber to replace the P-trap or do it yourself.
Remove the coupling nuts and detach the P-trap from the sink. Make sure that a new P-trap is a minimum of 1 long. Place the new P-trap in the proper position beneath the sink, and attach the coupling nuts.
I would have a plumber come in to check. You may have something clogging the line.
With a septic system and using a lot of water daily where it cannot drain well outdoors especially in Spring time weather when it's really rainy this can happen. If you use your washing machine a lot this odor can happen too. To SOLVE this issue, place your kitchen sink drain stopper in the sink(s) and add a little water so pressure won't lift it up when sewer air escapes. IF it's in bathroom too where you might notice it a lot, do the same to those sinks as well or laundry tub even. When the washing machine is done, you can then remove all sink stoppers. ALSO, if your septic system needs cleaning; you will need to have it emptied as it's way too full. I've lived with septic systems all my life and understand the issues you address.
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