Sewer smell from kitchen faucet/water

[Mike S.]

I live in a two story house with well water and septic tank. I've
noticed that the water from my kitchen faucet sometimes smells like
sewage. If I let the water run for a few minutes the smell usually
goes away. I don't notice this smell at other faucets. I did notice
something rather disturbing when I first discovered this problem. I
had a party at the house and one of the upstairs bathrooms was
supposed to be off limits. A few days later I noticed the sewage smell
from the kitchen faucet. That's when I discovered that one of the
guests had left a "deposit" in the upstairs toilet. It had been in
there a few days. I can't be certain, but after some testing it
appears that when "deposits" are left in that one toilet, it makes the
kitchen water smell like sewage. The smell from the kitchen water
smells like the toilet which is why I made the connection in the first
place. I hope I'm wrong about this because I can't help but wonder
what I've been drinking the last few weeks.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what is actually causing the kitchen
faucet water to smell like sewage?

[ransley]

P traps stop smell, no smell can bypass water in the bottom of the
trap, do you have one. When my pvc kitchen pipe gets a moldy smell I
pour in bleach, do you have a disposal.

[hal...@aol.com]

smell only appears when water runs?

run fresh water in a bucket... does odor appear?

this will narrow it down to water supply or the more likely sewer
part.

check under sink any leaks? a leaking trap can cause this

[Ed Pawlowski]

Mike S. wrote:
> I live in a two story house with well water and septic tank. I've
> noticed that the water from my kitchen faucet sometimes smells like
> sewage.
>

> Does anyone have any ideas as to what is actually causing the kitchen
> faucet water to smell like sewage?

I'd certainly have my water tested. There are plenty of places that can do
it at little or no cost. Could be some cross contamination between the
septic system and the well. Until tested, I'd drink bottled water.

[Art Todesco]

Also, check to see if you have one of
those terrible "air inlet valves"
under the sink, instead of the tried and
true vent pipe on the roof. I
apparently had a defective one which
left the under sink cabinet smelling
pretty bad. The plumber (a new house)
replaced it and it's been fine
since.

[Colbyt]

"Mike S." <littleb...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1a2e5cf4-f1d1-4fc8...@p8g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...

I don't recall the terms but sometimes hot water contains a gas which can
smell like toots.

Well water can also contain traces of sulpher at some times and not others.

I would certainly check it out but at this point I would not be overly
concerned.

Colbyt

[Eric in North TX]

On Jan 17, 8:09 am, "Colbyt" <col...@-SPAMBLOCK-lexkyweb.com> wrote:
> "Mike S." <littleboybl...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

That was my thought, i get a little sulfur smell a few times per year.
i deal with it by dumping a cup of bleach into one of the filters in
the well house, & flushing the line until the bleach smell subsides.
Seem to hold about 6 months.

[Steve Stone]

Are you sure this is not more of a sulfur smell rather than a sewer smell?

If it smells like sulfur it could be natural in the rock formation and
might be reduced by using a simple carbon filter.
If it is bacteria then you might have to shock the well with bleach.

[Jules]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:13:09 -0800, Mike S. wrote:

> I live in a two story house with well water and septic tank. I've
> noticed that the water from my kitchen faucet sometimes smells like
> sewage. If I let the water run for a few minutes the smell usually
> goes away.

Are you sure it's the water, not the sink drain? It might be there's a gas
build up in the drain which is somewhow disturbed and able to pass back up
the drain when the water's run. Maybe there's something up with the system
and using that problem toilet is somehow sucking water out of the u-trap
below your sink, allowing gases out (there's probably some form of
visible vent pipe at roof height for the sewer system - check it's not
blocked with leaves, rodent nests, insect nests etc.)

cheers

Jules

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

On Jan 17, 12:54 pm, Jules

I think Jules is right on. Have you tried pouring water down the
drain from a big 5 gallon bucket to see if you get the same effect.
If so, then it is not the water, but sewer gas in the drain that is
being disturbed.

[EXT]

"Mike S." <littleb...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1a2e5cf4-f1d1-4fc8...@p8g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...

There is no connection between the toilet and the kitchen faucet that could
cause the smell to be transferred except possibly through your well being
contaminated from your septic tank or leach field. How close are they, do
you know. Your party guests may have overloaded the septic tank causing the
leach field to flood and cross contaminate the well. It is time to test the
well and have your septic system checked out.

[Paul Oman]

have had same in similar set up. Was not sewage but bacteria in the well
water (no problem for many years)

fix was an aeration system into the well water system to add oxygen into
the water.....

(smell was that of 'rotten egg")

paul

[shortT]

On Jan 17, 5:48 pm, "EXT" <noem...@reply.in.this.group> wrote:
> "Mike S." <littleboybl...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

I agree.
In the mean time stop drinking the water from your faucet.
What probably happened is that during the party a more then normal use
of your toilet caused an overflow in the septic system that reached
the well.
Has nothing to do with the toilet upstairs imo.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
First question, was it always like that or just started to happen?

[nefletch]

In my business, I get this all the time, and 99 percent of
the time it is simply a bacteria of some sort in your trap.
When you first turn the water on, it disturbs the water in
the trap and it smells for a while, then it goes away as
fresh water flushes the old stuff down he drain. To test
this, simply run some water into a clean glass first thing in
the morning and smell it. If it smells good, then it's in your
trap, and all you have to do is put the stopper in the drain
and fill both sinks with water and a good amount of
Clorox, and then drain...if this happens in a bathroom sink
or sink with an overflow, then it can happen in there, and
that is a whole 'nother post
"Mike S." <littleb...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1a2e5cf4-f1d1-4fc8...@p8g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...

[Iggy]

replying to Mike S., Iggy wrote:
I'm surprised to see that the typical culprit wasn't included in the other
answers. Normally the cause of Hot Water Supply Stink is the Water Heater.
Specifically, that your Water Heater's Anode Rod needs replacement. The Anode
Rod literally rots away and very commonly lends a rather disgusting smell and,
sometimes, taste to the Hot Water (nothing harmful). Replace the Anode Rod as
your first course of action in such a case.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/sewer-smell-from-kitchen-faucet-water-419421-.htm

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke]

On 9/1/2017 12:14 PM, Iggy wrote:
> replying to Mike S., Iggy wrote:
> I'm surprised to see that the typical culprit wasn't included in the other
> answers. Normally the cause of Hot Water Supply Stink is the Water Heater.
> Specifically, that your Water Heater's Anode Rod needs replacement. The Anode
> Rod literally rots away and very commonly lends a rather disgusting smell and,
> sometimes, taste to the Hot Water (nothing harmful). Replace the Anode Rod as
> your first course of action in such a case.
>

I replaced mine with The Anubis Rod. Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead. Anubis rods are seen infrequently at best, and then only at the most fashionable of mansions. You can't go wrong with Anubis. Get yers today!