Moldy Smell Coming From Bathroom Sinks

[Unregistered-Clothespin Nose]

We have a moldy smell coming from two adjacent bathroom sinks, and it’s getting worse.

Originally, my wife complained of a slow-flowing drain in the Hall Bathroom, and of a slight moldy smell.

I removed the drain stopper and saw a wad of hair between the sink and the trap. I got it out with a coathanger.

The sink drained faster, but the moldy smell from the drain was WORSE!

The smell is the most noxious near the overflow slot. Bleach kills mold, so I poured Clorox “Bleach Cleaner” in the sink, sealed the drain, and ran the water so the “Bleach Cleaner” solution flowed through the overflow hole. Afterward, the smell was WORSE STILL! Now it smelled like mold AND bleach. And now the mold smell seemed to come also from the sink in an adjacent room — the Master Bath.

A salesman at a nearby plumbing supply store recommended cleaning out the traps and using a mild acid product called something like “Hair Away”. I was not prepared to clean the traps myself, so I called my plumber.

The plumber (“Mr. Rooter”) said he had something better than the acid “Hair Away” –a proprietary bio-tech product with enzymes and micro-organisms (smells like yeast) called “BioChoice” that will clean the soap, hair, and other gunk from the inside of the pipes.

But, he said, the moldy smell could not be coming from beyond the trap, because the water in the trap would prevent those smells from escaping through the sink. He recommended cleaning the traps in both bathrooms. Since they were old, he replaced both traps with PVC. While the traps were out he also “cabled” the pipes beyond the traps.

Now we have brand new PVC traps, the sinks drain faster than ever, and the moldy smell is the worst it has been.

The instructions on the “BioChoice” label say to use it each night for five nights, and once a month thereafter. This is Day Two. I’m pouring as much of each dose as I can directly down the overflow slot in each sink.

But logic tells me this:

The micro-organisms in the “Bio-Clean” may eat soap-scum and hair, which mold and mildew grow on. But they may not kill the mold itself. And the water the “Bio-Clean” powder is mixed with probably helps the mold grow, and may even spread it.

In any case, liquids poured down the overflow slot may neither reach all the surfaces inside, nor all the mold deposits. Maybe I need a spray or a foam or an aerosol of some sort? Maybe I need to go back to bleach, or Tilex, or something?

Or is the plumber wrong — perhaps smells CAN get from the pipes in the wall, through the trap to the sink? Why else would both sinks develop the moldy smell at the same time, when only one of them had a hair problem?

Any ideas?

Clothepin Nose

[carl21l]

sounds like (“Mr. Rooter”) is a salesman and not a plumber. your most likely culprit is a clogged vent stack for the bathrooms. the clogged vent is allowning the drain to syphon the water from the trap and allows sewer gas to come back int the rooms thru the sinks.a good check is to remove one on the traps and cheeck how much water is in it. it should be full enough that a small amount will spill as the trap is removed.

JMHO

Carl

[doug seibert]

That’s where your stink is….inside the overflow of the sink…….Ever break a sink and see the open/rough/texture of the unglazed china?

If you take everything apart (again!)and remove the lavatory pop-up from the sink……the holes into the inside of the sink will be gunked up …..the passages partially blocked by the PO….Your expensive treatment just passes by most of the gunk….

You might get away with a hose and a bucket to wash out the goo………..I’d pull the sink and haul it outside…….invert and treat and hose it clean……..

[Unregistered-lonsdale]

Hello, I have the same problem as Clothespin Nose. Except not only is it coming from my bathroom sinks, it is also coming from my kitchen sink located on the other side of the house.

I noticed in one of the replies it talked about a clogged ventstack allowing sewer gases in. Where is this ventstack?

Thank you,
Tom

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