# Gross smell under bathroom vanity cabinet/sink



## jmon

You did all the usual things that I would have suggested. Are there any AAV's (mechanical vents) in the vanity cabinet by chance? Some pictures of inside the vanity would help. Thanks.

Sometimes it's very hard to pinpoint bathroom smells. You could paint the inside of the vanity, but that would only cover it up shortly and the smell would return. Really need to find the source and eliminate it. Sorry I wasn't much help. Stay tuned, others will be along shortly with more advice and suggestions. Thanks.


----------



## joecaption

Drain been leaking?
Often times if there's a leak it's rotted out the particle board.
Old steel drain pipes in the wall? Very common to have the nipple rust away where the trap adaptor is right where it goes into the wall.


----------



## mxingislife

jmon said:


> You did all the usual things that I would have suggested. Are there any AAV's (mechanical vents) in the vanity cabinet by chance? Some pictures of inside the vanity would help. Thanks.


I didn't notice and AAV's under the sink. See pics below.


----------



## mxingislife

joecaption said:


> Drain been leaking?
> Often times if there's a leak it's rotted out the particle board.
> Old steel drain pipes in the wall? Very common to have the nipple rust away where the trap adaptor is right where it goes into the wall.


I bought the house in Nov.2012 and there hasn't been any leaks under the sink since I've owned the home; however, in the 2nd pic there is evidence of a prior leak by the swelling of the wood.


----------



## joecaption

No big deal but that's some funky plumbing under there.
There was no good reason to have a coupling in those supply lines. They should have used longer lines instead.
There was no reason for that rubber coupling to connect the drain. It's missing a trap adaptor that would have replaced that.
Your also missing the eschuntion to cover up the gap around the drain.
With that gap plus the one where the drain runs down into the crawl space or basement you have all the cold air musty air blowing into the house.


----------



## mxingislife

joecaption said:


> No big deal but that's some funky plumbing under there.
> There was no good reason to have a coupling in those supply lines. They should have used longer lines instead.
> There was no reason for that rubber coupling to connect the drain. It's missing a trap adaptor that would have replaced that.
> Your also missing the eschuntion to cover up the gap around the drain.
> With that gap plus the one where the drain runs down into the crawl space or basement you have all the cold air musty air blowing into the house.


I noticed the same thing w/the supply lines...weird. I didn't think of the possibility that there may be something under the house causing the smell and coming in through that gap. It's easy to walk/crawl around under my house, so I'll take a look and see if I find anything and also pick up an eschussion for that gap. Thanks for your help!


----------



## joecaption

Going to need some expanding foam to fill in the gaps around the drain running through the bottom plates under the house. May as well do all the places wire and plumbing where run while your under there.
Make sure to wear gloves and old clothes because what ever it gets on it's not coming off.
Going to need a split flat eschuntion and some caulking to seal it up with that funky texture on the walls.
Texture on a bathroom wall or ceiling is a very bad idea.


----------



## Ghostmaker

I also noticed original plumbing is galvanized steel and copper. It may have rotted out in the wall..


----------



## mxingislife

Ghostmaker said:


> I also noticed original plumbing is galvanized steel and copper. It may have rotted out in the wall..


Are you suggesting that the galvanized steel waste lined could've rotted out? Or the copper?


----------



## mxingislife

Update...I went under the house this evening and found that the cut out in the floor was in fact open so I bought some spray foam insulation. I haven't used it yet because I found mouse droppings on the ground and also found what appears to be chew marks on the romex that is fed through the cut out(see pics below). I'm thinking maybe a dead mouse is up there? I smelled around the cut out and pipes and couldn't smell anything. I did smell it for a second when I first got to the spot under the house but that was it, I didn't smell it again. I feel stuck on what to do next...


----------



## Alan

joecaption said:


> There was no reason for that rubber coupling to connect the drain. It's missing a trap adaptor that would have replaced that.


Looks like Galvanized drain inside the wall to me. 


Noted same as Ghostmaker, it may have rotted out in the wall, or under the floor. Sometimes a sewage leak under a room will give you a funky smell in that room.


----------



## joecaption

Not much you can do but buy some sticky traps and bait them with peanut butter in the middle of them and put them around the outside walls of the crawlspace and seal up all the other holes where wiring and plumbing was run under the whole house.


----------



## mxingislife

Alan said:


> Looks like Galvanized drain inside the wall to me.
> 
> 
> Noted same as Ghostmaker, it may have rotted out in the wall, or under the floor. Sometimes a sewage leak under a room will give you a funky smell in that room.


I don't think it's the drain rotting out because it doesn't smell under the house. It only smells in the vanity cabinet. I also smelled around the cut out in the floor and couldn't smell the scent either.


----------



## mxingislife

joecaption said:


> Not much you can do but buy some sticky traps and bait them with peanut butter in the middle of them and put them around the outside walls of the crawlspace and seal up all the other holes where wiring and plumbing was run under the whole house.


Should I wrap some electrical tape around the chewed piece of romex before I sprayfoam? I'm almost tempted to cut open the wall in the cabinet to see if I find anything behind the wall, but I don't want to create unnecessary work for myself.


----------



## jmon

mxingislife said:


> Should I wrap some electrical tape around the chewed piece of romex before I sprayfoam? I'm almost tempted to cut open the wall in the cabinet to see if I find anything behind the wall, but I don't want to create unnecessary work for myself.


I know. The more you look the more you find that needs fixing.

I agree. That would be a good idea if no bare wires are showing. It doesn't look like it, can't really tell from pic, but if bare wires are showing, have an electrician look at it first. Just a suggestion.


----------



## ChantryOntario

That semi-sweet/semi-nasty smell sorta sounds like dead mouse/rat ... Maybe whatever chewed that wire crawled up through the hole in your floor planks and croaked under the floor plate of your vanity, probably a 3 inch cavity there........ i would see if you can get the floor plate of the vanity out somehow , if possible without trashing the vanity. Certainly worth a look.


----------



## Alan

Spray foam won't keep them out. Trust me.


----------



## Arlo

People use to stuff steel wool in holes like that because mice won't chew through. It's a big hole so maybe some metal flashing and steel wool. I think they make some pest proof spray foam. The regular stuff would be like candy to them. I was kind of thinking you might have a dead mouse under your vanity yesterday but your vanity is so impeccably clean I figured you would run screaming. The carcass will eventually stop smelling on its own. Yuk.


----------



## mxingislife

ChantryOntario said:


> That semi-sweet/semi-nasty smell sorta sounds like dead mouse/rat ... Maybe whatever chewed that wire crawled up through the hole in your floor planks and croaked under the floor plate of your vanity, probably a 3 inch cavity there........ i would see if you can get the floor plate of the vanity out somehow , if possible without trashing the vanity. Certainly worth a look.


I removed the toe kick from the vanity and found nothing...this smell seems like a mystery!


----------



## Ghostmaker

I still go with bad piping or built over indian burial ground... See any ghost lately?


----------



## mxingislife

Ghostmaker said:


> I still go with bad piping or built over indian burial ground... See any ghost lately?


lol no ghosts. Do you suggest that I cut out the drywall in the vanity to take a look at the pipe?


----------



## Ghostmaker

Alan said:


> Spray foam won't keep them out. Trust me.



Good nesting for them. They used to use Styrofoam wall panels on the outside of house in the 70's found out that all little critters burrowed tunnels into it. Nice and warm in your walls during winter....


----------



## Ghostmaker

mxingislife said:


> lol no ghosts. Do you suggest that I cut out the drywall in the vanity to take a look at the pipe?


The smell is coming from some where. It might not necessarily be a drain it could be the vent that has no water but does carry sewer gas.


----------



## Fix'n it

mxingislife said:


> lol no ghosts. Do you suggest that I cut out the drywall in the vanity to take a look at the pipe?


i would not cut a hole. i would take the whole thing out. shouldn't be that hard, mine wasn't.


----------



## mxingislife

Fix'n it said:


> i would not cut a hole. i would take the whole thing out. shouldn't be that hard, mine wasn't.


By "take the whole thing out" do you mean the vanity? And see if the smell goes away?


----------



## bbo

id still fix that hole with some metal and id be tempted to try this:
http://greatstuff.dow.com/products/pro/pestblock/


----------



## mxingislife

bbo said:


> id still fix that hole with some metal and id be tempted to try this: http://greatstuff.dow.com/products/pro/pestblock/


Would you use the spray foam in the wall too, or just under the house?


----------



## bbo

mxingislife said:


> Would you use the spray foam in the wall too, or just under the house?


 not really in the wall, but I would cover the plumbing holes and make sure that was foamed too.


----------



## mxingislife

bbo said:


> not really in the wall, but I would cover the plumbing holes and make sure that was foamed too.


Ok, just so we are clear spray foam the plumbing openings under the house but don't spray foam the plumbing openings in the wall right? Just use a split flange to cover the hole in the wall for the drain pipe?


----------



## Fix'n it

mxingislife said:


> By "take the whole thing out" do you mean the vanity?
> 
> And see if the smell goes away?


yes. completely remove it. there will be far less damage and you will get a far better view of what is there.


no. i am sure the vanity is not smelly. unless its molded on the back.


----------



## fa_f3_20

In the third photo, what the heck is that on the left? Some kind of 4" trap under the house?


----------



## Ghostmaker

When you were in the crawl space any smell?

Try dumping a bottle of ammonia down the sink then run water to seal the trap up with water. Take a break to clear nose for a few hours. Then see if you can locate leak. It works better if you can hold off to spring and dump it down the roof vent. Then have a none exposed person start sniffing....


----------



## mxingislife

Ghostmaker said:


> When you were in the crawl space any smell? Try dumping a bottle of ammonia down the sink then run water to seal the trap up with water. Take a break to clear nose for a few hours. Then see if you can locate leak. It works better if you can hold off to spring and dump it down the roof vent. Then have a none exposed person start sniffing....


No smell under the house. I caught a whiff of it briefly when I was down there but only for a second.


----------



## Ghostmaker

Wait to spring then dump a bottle of ammonia down the roof vent. You will find something.


----------



## mxingislife

Ghostmaker said:


> Wait to spring then dump a bottle of ammonia down the roof vent. You will find something.


What will that do?


----------



## Ghostmaker

It makes one hell of a ammonia smell in your pipe. If pipe is solid you should not smell it in your house. Similar to a plumbers smoke test to find leaks. The person who dumps the ammonia cannot be the same person using the nose sniffer in the house.


----------



## mxingislife

joecaption said:


> No big deal but that's some funky plumbing under there. There was no good reason to have a coupling in those supply lines. They should have used longer lines instead.


So it gets better now my faucet is leaking under the vanity. It makes sense why the coupling was used to extend the supply lines because it looks like the lines cannot be removed from the faucet and that is where it is dripping. From the pic does it look like the lines are permanently attached to the faucet?


----------



## Ghostmaker

Looks like that was the manufacturer's intent. Does the chrome cover around where it ties in is it removable?


----------



## mxingislife

Ghostmaker said:


> Looks like that was the manufacturer's intent. Does the chrome cover around where it ties in is it removable?


Nope.


----------



## Ghostmaker

I guess you get to buy yourself a brand new faucet.


----------



## mxingislife

fa_f3_20 said:


> In the third photo, what the heck is that on the left? Some kind of 4" trap under the house?


It's the bathtub drain.


----------



## TheEplumber

Some of those supply lines are threaded into the body and seal with a tiny o-ring, not the normal pipe thread way. See if you can grab the line near the chrome body and unscrew by hand.

I wouldn't wait till spring for the fume test. I'd do it now-


----------



## dseward

*Help*

I know this post was years ago but I have the same issue and just saw this post. The smell is in a way sweet like toothpaste build up but yet funny like it could be mold or something. I cannot find anything and have cleaned drains. Did you ever find the root of the smell?


----------



## Pixiedust1225

*Underneath my sink is a smell that could knock you out!*

I am currently battling a godawful odor coming from underneath the sink in my children's'/guest bathroom. I live in the Pacific Northwest (north of Seattle, specifically), out in the "country" on 5 acres of land. We have seen everything from mice/rats, moles, geese, deer, wild rabbits, opossums, raccoons and even bears on our property/in our yard. I am aware that I've had the occasional mouse rummaging around underneath my house and even a couple times have caught one in a trap in a cabinet. I have tossed around the idea that the smell I am dealing with could possibly be that of a dead rodent/animal (even though I have a gaggle of outdoor cats that almost always kill any small rodent they spot) but now I'm really starting to question that theory. Can someone tell me how long the smell of a dead rodent would typically last? Here's my issue: the smell began as a slight odor only smelled by opening the doors underneath the bathroom sink and actually getting down low enough to have your nose in the space below sink. That started many months ago. It has no progressed to an intolerable odor that can be smelled at any point while in that bathroom. Opening the cupboard doors makes me nauseas. If the bathroom door gets shut for any length of time (15 minutes or more, heaven forbid it were to be shut overnight or something), when you finally open the door, the smell seriously about knocks you out! And by then, it's so strong that it literally seeps out into the rest of my home! And there's more. I'm starting to smell a hint of it beneath one of the sinks in my master bath. I will be calling someone to come help but came here to see if I could find some DIY help in the meantime. 

(As a side note: I have a manufactured home. It was constructed in 1999 and we've owned it since 2009. The sinks/odor locations are in 2 separate bathrooms that are on opposite ends of the home. I have checked under my kitchen sink, which is basically in the middle of the house and no smell under there......Help!!!)


----------

