Smelly Condos

[Matt M]

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I've been coming to PH for several years now and as many of you know, most of the times the kitchens and bathrooms can smell like a sewer. Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix it? Obviously in the kitchen the problem has to do with the drain and in particular, the area under the sink (this area always smells bad no matter how nice the place is that I'm staying in). In the bathroom it's harder to know if the smell is coming from the sink, the toilet, or the shower drain (possibly all three!).

The hosts of the places I stay with don't seem to mind the smell, but it drives me crazy and if it was an easy fix, I would do it myself or even hire someone. Thanks for the info expats :)

[Jollygoodfellow]

Usually condos have a grease trap under the sink. It can smell if the lid is not tight. 

[frosty (chris)]

34 minutes ago, Matt M said:

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I've been coming to PH for several years now and as many of you know, most of the times the kitchens and bathrooms can smell like a sewer. Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix it? Obviously in the kitchen the problem has to do with the drain and in particular, the area under the sink (this area always smells bad no matter how nice the place is that I'm staying in). In the bathroom it's harder to know if the smell is coming from the sink, the toilet, or the shower drain (possibly all three!).

The hosts of the places I stay with don't seem to mind the smell, but it drives me crazy and if it was an easy fix, I would do it myself or even hire someone. Thanks for the info expats :)

I used to get a really bad smell in my kitchen, I bought some draino type chemical from the local supermarket in a 250 ml bottle about 70 pesos from memory, every month I just pour a bottle down the sink at night time and let it work it's magic, no more smells and the drainage is also much better, sorry can't remember the name, next time shopping will look and post the product name here.

 

[Matt M]

Yeah I've noticed those traps. The place I'm at now doesn't have one, but thanks for that tip. That could be the issue at the next place I stay at.

I'll look for something like draino at the supermarket. 

Thanks for the tips fellas!

[earthdome]

Not directly related but I have stayed at AirBnB's in the Philippines that had a rule of no cooking fish inside the unit. I expect the rule is to prevent the unit from getting stunk up from cooking fish.

[Clermont]

a S bend under the sink should do the trick, easy to install. As for the shower, a S bend at the outlet, if you can find it, should also solve the problem. 

10 hours ago, Matt M said:

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I've been coming to PH for several years now and as many of you know, most of the times the kitchens and bathrooms can smell like a sewer. Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix it? Obviously in the kitchen the problem has to do with the drain and in particular, the area under the sink (this area always smells bad no matter how nice the place is that I'm staying in). In the bathroom it's harder to know if the smell is coming from the sink, the toilet, or the shower drain (possibly all three!).

The hosts of the places I stay with don't seem to mind the smell, but it drives me crazy and if it was an easy fix, I would do it myself or even hire someone. Thanks for the info expats :)

 

[JeffK]

The main reason is gases from the building sewer system venting into the condo unit instead of outside the building. It can be caused by unsealed connections of fixtures and pipes in the unit, which would be the first place to look and easiest to fix. It can also be caused by inadequate venting of the building drain system or improperly balanced building ventilation systems, which can't be fixed within the unit except by workaround measures. 

I just had this problem with a short term apartment rental in Manila, and found that the drain tailpipes under the bathroom sinks had no mechanical seal whatsoever.

 

From what I've read, this is a common problem. 

Jeff

 

Edited February 9, 2019 by Old55
Removed link to another Philippines forum

[Old55]

Welcome  to the forum Jeff. 

Great answer too. 

I removed the link to another forum that is not allowed you may want to review the forum rules fairly simple in all. 

[JeffK]

20 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Welcome  to the forum Jeff. 

Great answer too. 

I removed the link to another forum that is not allowed you may want to review the forum rules fairly simple in all. 

Apologies - didn't think of that. In lieu of a link, what I would suggest is to google some combination of words like: plumbing sewer smell in condo asia philippines. That will lead to first-hand troubleshooting experience from others who've had the same problem.

[Matt M]

Thanks Jeff. This is the setup I'm dealing with under the sink in the kitchen. Around 3pm almost everyday, I get an odor of garlic which is stifling. I wonder if I could use some type of tape to create a makeshift seal of some sort. I'll be here for 3 more weeks so it might be worth my time depending on the effort needed.

There's a different issue in the bathroom though. As you mentioned, it might be poor ventilation. There is a plumbing trap under the bathroom sink, though the problem could be coming from the toilet or the drain. I once taped over a drain (not the shower one) and that worked.