# Methane smell coming out of every sink in a house?



## luigi1up (Oct 8, 2012)

So I joined this forum back in 2012 and have been reading post after post learning quite a bit from you guys! Between everyone on here, you guy have some crazy awesome experience, which I hope will come in handy with this situation.

So I have been in the residential pluming/draining cleaning field for 6 months now and have never come across this situation.
The customer is having methane gas come out of every sink in this 3000' sf house built in 2008. For the most part, only when you’re running the water in the sinks does the methane gas detector go off!
*BTW the neighbor’s house is experiencing the same problems with their sinks!

*I tested the water with are methane tester in a separate clan bowl, water is fine.
*I checked each sink for clogs and rooted two of the bathroom sinks including the kitchen sink without any change.
*P-traps are holding correct level of water in all sinks

The one thing I did not do in the allotted time is rooter the main, because everything is draining perfectly.
The boss has never ran into this before, and could only suggest maybe jetting the house main to see if that might clean the line little better and get rid of the smell, but we just don't know??? Any Help on this one!


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Is it just the lavs ...

This may sound strange but along time ago we had this problem and it was the soap they were using ... The smell is actually the soap rotting in the POs and the pipe before the sink ...

That apart the POs and more than likely there is build up in the drain and over flow of the sink...


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## aprilmayb (Feb 11, 2013)

OldSchool said:


> Is it just the lavs ...
> 
> This may sound strange but along time ago we had this problem and it was the soap they were using ... The smell is actually the soap rotting in the POs and the pipe before the sink ...
> 
> So what kind of soap doesn't leave a build up/rotting smell?


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## alberteh (Feb 26, 2012)

fracking nearby releasing methane into the aquifer? in a separate "clan" bowl (?) may have allowed time for methane to dissipate into the atmosphere.

if there is methane in the water (unlikely i know but bear with me) it would likely only be noticeable when the pressure drops after a valve is opened thereby allowing dissolved gases (methane in this case) to escape.

also, what kind of "methane gas detector?" if its their noses and they smell odourant then it is from a nat gas supply line somewhere. if it is an actual combustible gas detector only than it may be my fracking theory etc...


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

how old is this house? are the drains cast? I was working on a older house once same problem with sewer smell all drains ,toilet ok finally pulled toilet open wall that cast stack was gone!! totally rotted away it never leaked because it was above the floor. ho had me replace the whole system basement to roof awesome job.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

The soap was ivory I am pretty sure ... 

Some soap does have organic matter that does rot ...

Got to be around long enough and you will experience just about anything...


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

Certain hair chemicals besides the perm stuff smells horrendous.:nuke:


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## luigi1up (Oct 8, 2012)

alberteh said:


> fracking nearby releasing methane into the aquifer? in a separate "clan" bowl (?) may have allowed time for methane to dissipate into the atmosphere.
> 
> if there is methane in the water (unlikely i know but bear with me) it would likely only be noticeable when the pressure drops after a valve is opened thereby allowing dissolved gases (methane in this case) to escape.
> 
> also, what kind of "methane gas detector?" if its their noses and they smell odourant then it is from a nat gas supply line somewhere. if it is an actual combustible gas detector only than it may be my fracking theory etc...


There is fracking nearby, and maybe putting the water in a clean bowl wasn’t a good idea to eliminate the water being the culprit.

*The House was built 2008 close to 2009 and the neighbors near by are experiencing the same thing!

*The detector is a ( 
GAS-Mate Combustible Gas Leak Detector )


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## mightypipe (Dec 22, 2012)

Not sure about actual methane gas, but I have run across a bad smell especially in lav sinks. Like OS said its usually build-up in Pop-up assy, especially in over flow. A long baby bottle brush and bleach usually does the trick. 

Also, did you check the anode in the water heater?


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

If the p-traps are full, then it's not a drain issue. I'm thinking it's the potable water supply.


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

I have also like mitypipe said. have seen real bad smell from over flow stuff gets in there and can get really ripe lik he said try to flush it out with bleach real good to see if that helps


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## Titletownplumbr (Feb 16, 2011)

mightypipe said:


> Not sure about actual methane gas*, but I have run across a bad smell especially in lav sinks. Like OS said its usually build-up in Pop-up assy, especially in over flow. A long baby bottle brush and bleach usually does the trick. *
> 
> Also, did you check the anode in the water heater?


Yep, I have seen that condition many times myself and I always recommend the same thing. The smell is amplified when you use hot water, stick your nose down by the overflow while the faucet is running and at times the smell can be pretty bad.


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## luigi1up (Oct 8, 2012)

Thx fella's for the suggestions, I will be sure check the anode rod in the water heater.

I am hesitant to even try cleaning the overflow in their lv sinks, because
all seven sinks put out that smell only when you run the water! 

For the most part, this is a very clean newer home built 6 years ago, and I didn’t see any gunk or those soaps mention earlier, being used.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> Is it just the lavs ...
> 
> This may sound strange but along time ago we had this problem and it was the soap they were using ... The smell is actually the soap rotting in the POs and the pipe before the sink ...
> 
> That apart the POs and more than likely there is build up in the drain and over flow of the sink...


I agree with OS on this. Therefore the service plumber must ask questions the most important being "how do you use this lavatory" if the answer is I fill it then I wash my face and hands then drain it and rinse it out". Right there is the culprit, in that split second when the drain lever is pulled the soapy water finds its own level -- in the over flow passage and this soap builds up and dries in there and sometimes stinks worse than sewerage. IMHO


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## heeterman1 (Feb 12, 2013)

luigi1up said:


> So I joined this forum back in 2012 and have been reading post after post learning quite a bit from you guys! Between everyone on here, you guy have some crazy awesome experience, which I hope will come in handy with this situation.
> 
> So I have been in the residential pluming/draining cleaning field for 6 months now and have never come across this situation.
> The customer is having methane gas come out of every sink in this 3000' sf house built in 2008. For the most part, only when youre running the water in the sinks does the methane gas detector go off!
> ...


Last yr i had one like that,it was the soap iñ the overflow if its a rotten egg smell check anode do they have never water softener sometimes that will mess with the anode if so change it to an aluminum anode aluminum won't be in the same as magnesium I see the conditional on residential type heaters in time shares i sevice


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

Am I the only one that noticed these two points? 

1. There is fracking nearby. 
2. The neighbors are experiencing the same problem. 

Not my field of expertise but something in my head says don't strike a match by a running faucet.


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## heeterman1 (Feb 12, 2013)

SewerRat said:


> Am I the only one that noticed these two points?
> 
> 1. There is fracking nearby.
> 2. The neighbors are experiencing the same problem.
> ...


Are they on a well


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## heeterman1 (Feb 12, 2013)

heeterman1 said:


> Are they on a well


No it ess ñoticed


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Fill up a trash can from a garden hose, have your sniffer wand curled over the top and cover the trash can while doing this.

BTW, have you put the sniffer in the toilet tank?

Is this a tract home? Meaning the house next door might have been built at the same time...by the same plumber.....who might've messed up on the same thing?


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

luigi1up said:


> Thx fella's for the suggestions, I will be sure check the anode rod in the water heater.
> 
> I am hesitant to even try cleaning the overflow in their lv sinks, because
> all seven sinks put out that smell only when you run the water!
> ...


Is the house on a well, could be H2S gas


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

heeterman1 said:


> No it ess ñoticed


Is that English, German, French Spanish, Italian, or a composite of several tongues? 

Me no comprendo.


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

If only happening when water is ran and neighbor is having the same issue it could be the venting. Especially if the same plumber built both houses.


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## dmar2053 (Feb 6, 2013)

If it is the anode rod the smell would have started before now. Did you try running just the cold water?


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## gassyplumber (May 1, 2011)

Isn't methane odorless in its natural state before met captan is added


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## luigi1up (Oct 8, 2012)

HSI said:


> If only happening when water is ran and neighbor is having the same issue it could be the venting. Especially if the same plumber built both houses.


It's funny you mention that, even though everything is draining correctly
I was wondering if a venting issue could come into play!



gear junkie said:


> Fill up a trash can from a garden hose, have your sniffer wand curled over the top and cover the trash can while doing this.
> 
> BTW, have you put the sniffer in the toilet tank?
> 
> Is this a tract home? Meaning the house next door might have been built at the same time...by the same plumber.....who might've messed up on the same thing?


 
 I do know this, most of these homes look identical and very well could of been plumb by the same company or person's!

What really messed up is the new home owners found out that the first owners complained about the smell to there nabor before they moved out, but didn’t mention it on the sale of the home.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

gassyplumber said:


> Isn't methane odorless in its natural state before met captan is added


No, that is natural gas you are talking about and its hydrogen sulfide that is added to it to give it the rotten egg smell. Mercaptan is also sometimes used but is different. Bacteria from waste forms methane gas and that's why it stinks but its a natural stench, not man made.


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## alberteh (Feb 26, 2012)

I've only heard of methyl mercaptan added to gas as an odourant. H2S does not strike me as a particularly good odourant to have in your house. that stuff is crazy deadly.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

alberteh said:


> I've only heard of methyl mercaptan added to gas as an odourant. H2S does not strike me as a particularly good odourant to have in your house. that stuff is crazy deadly.


So is natural gas. And they only use .2 ppm or some small amount. It may be .02%. I can't remember but that's how Texas does it. You're not going to have it in your house unless there's a leak and then you will know to get it fixed.


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## Ghostmaker (Jan 12, 2013)

Does it burn?
If it doesn't then your methane may be sulfur.
There is a bacteria that grows in hot water tanks that eats the anodes.
You will need to change out the anodes to aluminum-zinc alloy anodes

The smell is only noticed on the hot water or warm never cold only.
This is common on well systems.

The hard part is getting rid of the bacteria. Some recommend treating the tank with several bottles of hydrogen peroxide. I prefer replacing the tank with the replaced anodes.

Also helps to keep the tank temp 130 Degrees F after you install.

The bacteria is in the aquafer so all wells that feed from the same source well develop the same problems.

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pa...ooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html


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## pigskin plumber (Oct 2, 2011)

SewerRat said:


> Am I the only one that noticed these two points?
> 
> 1. There is fracking nearby.
> 2. The neighbors are experiencing the same problem.
> ...


What's fracking?


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

pigskin plumber said:


> What's fracking?


When they use high pressure fluid forced down a gas well to fracture rock layers and create more channels for the gas to flow into the well. They force sand into the fractures to keep them open and allow the gas to flow.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

pigskin plumber said:


> What's fracking?


Lol

Pumping water in to a dry gas well to fracture the well and make it produce again !!!


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

pigskin plumber said:


> What's fracking?


What they said


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Here


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Big money in it around here. But I think there are risks. As population increases we have less lake water. In years to come we need the underground water and need it clean. Like making a cross connection. It's bad news. But oil is king


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## PCBplumber (Apr 13, 2012)

If fracking is the cause then there you go. There was a news report about fire shooting out of a kitchen faucet a while back, if I remember correctly it was attributed to that. Extreme case. I did not think methane was released from fracking though. That's news to me.

If water heater is set below 120F, bacteria can form and cause a rotten egg smell. It's a bi**h to treat. I couldn't find a post about if it was on a well or not but that can be a problem too. 

Be interested to know what you find.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

I have heard of flames from faucets but it came from a cross connection of potable water and propane from a propane storage facility. This was years ago, tho.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Fracking has been done around here since late 90s


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## PCBplumber (Apr 13, 2012)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> I have heard of flames from faucets but it came from a cross connection of potable water and propane from a propane storage facility. This was years ago, tho.


See, I heard it was from fracking that forced propane into a aquifer and was pulled in through a well. I could be wrong.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Not propane but nat gas probably


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Big money in it around here. But I think there are risks. As population increases we have less lake water. In years to come we need the underground water and need it clean. Like making a cross connection. It's bad news. But oil is king


Then we'll be stuck with RO water which makes coffee tastes like horse p... sorry I don't drink coffee..


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## 100 Watt (Aug 11, 2011)

I used to do alot of trac homes. I've seen plenty of po's get nasty and stink everytime hot water is ran at the sinks. It was definately the type of soap people used and how they used the sink. Cant remember what brand. I'm sure none of these homes had anything more than smoke detectors and possibly a CO2 detector though. I wouldn't think a funky PO would cause a flammable gas detector to go off. Be interested to hear what you figure out.


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## PCBplumber (Apr 13, 2012)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Not propane but nat gas probably


Ugh, that's what I meant to say. I must have been thinking about grilling.


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## 1929chrysler (Jul 10, 2012)

If the house has city water and not well water it couldn't be fracking because the water supply would be sealed off from the soil. Right?


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## luigi1up (Oct 8, 2012)

My boss is taking over on this one, and I'll let ya guys know what we find out!

BTW the gas detector went off, when running the "cold side" of all 6 lv
incuding the KS.


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## Plumbdog (Jan 27, 2009)

Clean PO and Overflows. Cheap and easy first step.


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## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

Try testing at the toilet tank. It would eliminate any possibility of anything soap or drain related.


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## Ghostmaker (Jan 12, 2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2cKhY2Edt2Q

A documentary about fracking financed by 5 to 10 dollar donations. Not financed by
OPEC like the movie promised lands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Y1W8MnveFq8

http://fracknation.com/


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

The lav in my hall bath had this. The installing plumber (me) used too much putty and blocked the overflow at the bottom of the basin. The sink wouldn't drain with the nice whirlpool, rather it just slowly lowered. The buildup would get to the point where it got that sulfur smell when the water hit it. I replaced the plastic Moen drain with a metal A/S and used the putty sparingly, making sure the overflow wasn't blocked. Drains great now. I have actually made a lot of money on service calls with this, especially grid strainers.


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## Ghostmaker (Jan 12, 2013)

A little hydrogen peroxide down the drain does wonders also.


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## Best Darn Sewer (Dec 23, 2012)

422 plumber said:


> The lav in my hall bath had this. The installing plumber (me) used too much putty and blocked the overflow at the bottom of the basin. The sink wouldn't drain with the nice whirlpool, rather it just slowly lowered. The buildup would get to the point where it got that sulfur smell when the water hit it. I replaced the plastic Moen drain with a metal A/S and used the putty sparingly, making sure the overflow wasn't blocked. Drains great now. I have actually made a lot of money on service calls with this, especially grid strainers.


How do you get grid strainers to drain better? I have always assumed they were just a slow draining type of drain because they have no overflow to vent with.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> How do you get grid strainers to drain better? I have always assumed they were just a slow draining type of drain because they have no overflow to vent with.


They have over flow


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

....


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Best Darn Sewer said:


> How do you get grid strainers to drain better? I have always assumed they were just a slow draining type of drain because they have no overflow to vent with.


I read on this forum some time ago that someone had success with drilling out all of the holes just slightly larger.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Had a college kid break out the grid so he could stuff ramen noodles down it. Drained great till he did that !!! Stupid kid


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## love2surf927 (Dec 22, 2011)

U666A said:


> I read on this forum some time ago that someone had success with drilling out all of the holes just slightly larger.


I've done this, works well.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Plumbdog said:


> Clean PO and Overflows. Cheap and easy first step.


My bathroom sink has always stunk. Tried to pour some water in the overflow but it backed up. Took a deep breath and blew into the overflow and all this crap came out. Boiled some water and poured it into the overflow....made the whole bathroom stink. Now I know the issue is the nasty overflow and not the water.


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## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

That's disgusting. I don't think I could process "this smells disgusting, I think ill put my mouth on it and blow" if I were a female I could never be a groupie.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

You need some better hygiene if you've heard that before.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

gear junkie said:


> My bathroom sink has always stunk. Tried to pour some water in the overflow but it backed up. Took a deep breath and blew into the overflow and all this crap came out. Boiled some water and poured it into the overflow....made the whole bathroom stink. Now I know the issue is the nasty overflow and not the water.


Ur joking rite ??? Get a gallo gun homie!! Or blow it out with a shop vac


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

http://www.faucetdepot.com/product-images/General-Wire-KR-D-WC-Kinetic-Water-Ram.jpg

You need one of these.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Got a gallo gun and shop vac but messed with it at around 9pm and didn't feel like going into the van. Anyway....got my oring remover and some pipe cleaners and cleaned the inside holes of the excess gunk. Used my son's water gun to spray directly in there. Poured bleach through the overflow, let sit for a couple hours. Come back....no more smell. 

Amazingly I was so far off track. I was ready to pull the angle stops to see if there was some old bread or something left in the pipe causing the smell. So what I learned is if a sink stinks when running water, pour boiling hot water into the overflow and take a big whiff.


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## ex-scientist (11 mo ago)

Not a pro, but for future reference, some of these gas detectors respond to humidity. I just got a strong signal putting the tip of a TIF-8800 into the top of a half-full jug of distilled water. The climate is dry here; in a humid place you will have set the sensitivity to where this signal might not seem so big. The site below mentions the response to moisture:


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