Bad Egg Smell in Kitchen

[scott6471]

Hi,
For at least 8 weeks now we've had an intermittent "bad egg" smell in our kitchen; sometimes it is foul, other times nothing at all. Needless to say we've been hunting around trying to locate where in the kitchen it seemed to be emanating from, but with little luck; we even called out National Grid thinking it might be a gas leak but that didn't indicate a problem (didn't personally think it would as I know the smell of gas; similar, but not the same).
Had a couple of suggestions ranging from washing machine to rats/vermin. I'm guessing not vermin as I had all base boards off and cupboards emptied out and no indication of droppings etc. In addition we have concrete floors with the polystyrene type insulation with a chipboard sub-floor on top on top of which is 18mm solid oak (sure do hope it's nothing below!). I'm pretty sure no soil/waste pipes run underneath the house.

So far we can only say the smell seems to come from ground level and seemingly in front of the washing machine. We tried the usual tricks of running the WM on a boil wash a few times (we have up until now only used cool washes with gel type washing liquid which we now know isn't great for the machine), however this doesn't seem to have necessarily done the trick as the smell does return. Either the boil washes are not enough or the smell just "appears" to be coming from the WM, not sure.
It's starting to drive us mad now so any suggestions or contradictions to anything I've said would be gratefully received.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Johnmelad]

Sounds or smells like an electrical problem.

Turn off everything at consumer unit and open sockets/back-plates look for loose connection/burning.

 

[Brigadier]

Standing water.
Daft things like:
the little plastic pot that we stand the washing-up brushes in,
the little pot that we stand our toothbrushes in.

Possibilities.

 

[Newboy]

If it's bad egg then it's hydrogen sulphide.

Usually drain problem.

Check washing machine standpipes, fluff filters, soap drawers.

Worth checking the sink overflows as well.

Electrical faults are usually a fishy smell (or burning!)

 

[gigz]

And don't forget the check the sell by date on your eggs

 

[Flyboytim]

Could be from the waste pipe trap - if the waste of the washer empties into a standpipe p-trap (e.g. http://www.screwfix.com/p/washing-machine-trap-40mm/18640), sludge in the trap could be foul leading to smells. Similarly compound waste traps under the kitchen sink may benefit from being emptied and cleaned out.

Otherwise, leaks from appliances (self defrosting fridges and freezers as well as plumbed in appliances), pvc pipework or condensation from unlagged cold water pipework can cause dampness that may result in odours from organic materials decomposing under low oxygen conditions e.g. beneath floor coverings.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I'd check where the drain from the washing machine goes. Is the waste pipe fitted with a trap?

I use the gel in my washing machine, I think you're similar in we live in one of the hardest water areas in the Country, and washing powder doesn't dissolve very well in this water. Gel and liquids have the advantage straight away.

 

[scott6471]

Wow, thanks all for the replies so far.

To answer a couple of points:
WM drains in to the waste underneath the sink, I have had all of the waste section out and cleaned.
I'm actually an Electrician and never heard of bad connections smelling of rotten eggs, but for my own sense of pride will check that just in case.

Something that does interest me is the mention of fridges (the self defrosting type which we have) as we had a new fridge delivered 3 to 4 weeks before we started getting the smell, however, sniffing around this area previously hasn't suggested this was the offender.

I'm wondering if there is crap and bacteria in the sump of the WM but have to be honest I don't know that much about them so don't understand if that is something that can occur. If so is it something that could be accessed to clean? Would be more than happy to pull the machine out and take it to pieces if I thought it would make a difference.

 

[conny]

Washing machine can be pulled out and pump removed quite easily. (Being an electrician you should be fairly dextrous and sensible).

After pulling out the machine lay the drain hose down as low as possible into a container to drain off any standing water inside. Lay the machine on its side, (with the hose now hooked over a cupboard door or something similar), and you should see the pump near the bottom of the machine. Have a bowl handy to catch any water inside the pump. Pull off the plug connection, or spade terminals to the pump, undo the two jubilee clips and undolt the pump. You should then be able to clean out the inlet and outlet sections before re-assembling. Also push a wire down the outlet hose with a small rag securely attached to clean the inside of the pipe of any residue.

Of course, before you do any of this make sure you isolate the machine from the supply.

Thought just occured to me. Does the smell get worse when you use the hotter washes?

 

[JohnD]

does the waste hose from the washing machine connect to the sink trap? If so, does it rise in a loop, where the highest point is higher than the max water level in the sink? If not, dirty sink water (and bacon fat, tealeaves and cods heads) can run down the hose into the washer.

 

[jeff the gasman]

As above and squirt neat bleach in kitchen sink overflow.
Jeff

 

[scott6471]

"Thought just occured to me. Does the smell get worse when you use the hotter washes?"

Actually when the machine is running the smell seems to disappear, the only hot washes so far have been to try to do a maintenance wash.

Thanks to all those who posted. I think I will disconnect and take the WM in to the garden over the weekend and have it apart for a good clean, if that doesn't cure the smells then I'm stumped. Will let you know how I get on.

 

[toolofjoy]

it will most certainly be a drainage problem identified by the putrid smell which is emanating from the sewers up to the drainage pipe under your sink . I have had this problem exactly as you describe as intermittent .It is caused by the menace of leaves in autumn blocking the drain filter ring that sits on the drain hole that leads the waste from all three sources of waste water to the sewer located outside your property on a pathway at the side of your house .The three waste pipes are from the kitchen sink , the the bath water , and the bathroom sink unit . The cure is to lift the ring and keep broddelling the sump till the standing water in it drains away , then run the cold water at full bore from your kitchen sink to check that the water runs away and does not fill up the sump to overflow back up beyond the level of where the ring sits . There after , boil a kettle full of water to pour it down the drain plug with a bit of washing up liquid . But better still is to use "Sink & Drain Unblocker" from HomeBase costing 99p to pour down the kitchen sink overnight .

 

[longdogs]

Last time I came across this problem it was the sink waste leaking under the floorboards combined with water from the garden running under the house. Are you positive there are no waste pipes under the floor? If you can lift a board, use a mirror and torch to have a look round.

Also, do you have a macerator toilet in the house?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

You'd be amazed what can collect in the sump of a washing machine. Mine was emptying rather slowly so I took it apart. In the outlet from the drum, prior to the pump was a large filter assembly.

This contained about 37p in assorted coins, a hairgrip, 2 newborn baby socks, and a large lump of hair/soap/crud. It stunk to high heaven and once removed the machine drained in seconds!