How do I take my dd apart?

18 years ago

And should I?

We went on vacation for 2 weeks. When we returned, the kitchen sink had a funny smell, like old musty water. When I ran a load in my bottom dd, there was a smell of sewer gas. I can't tell where the smell came from. I also noticed that the bottom drawer was venting out the bottom instead of the top. I tried running the top drawer and there was no sewer smell but the same musty odor persisted at/under the sink. I thought maybe it was because the dds hadn't been used and there was leftover food particles in the trap, but I tried the bottom drawer again after thoroughly cleaning out the drawers and got the same results.

At the same time, the drains are slow in the kitchen sinks and the prep sink now gurgles when the dd or other sink is being used.

In a nearby bathroom, which was also part of our remodel 3 years ago, there was a sewer gas smell near the toilet (new). I have caught whiffs of this since shortly after the remodel was completed. It is not ongoing but happens occasionally. It is worse when it gets hot and when we got home from vacation, was very strong. We had the septic guys come and pump out the tank, which was replaced during the remodel and also got new leach lines and rock at that time. The septic guys said that there were lots of roots and we should remove the large tree next to the tank, which we don't really want to do but will if we have to.

Since pumping out the tank, the smell in the bathroom has gone although there may be some of the musty smell--I'm having trouble figuring out where exactly the smell is and is not--but the kitchen problems persist.

I am stumped as to whom to call. Should I take apart the dd and see if there is a clog or piece of debris? Should I call an appliance repair person? A plumber? Other? Does it sound like our septic at fault, or is it a leak in a waste line, or something blocking a vent, or ???

I will post this on the plumbing forum if you guys think it sounds like more of a plumbing issue than a block in the dd line. If it *could* be a dd blockage, could someone tell me how to check that? I know how to remove a drawer and the ss filter plate but I don't know how to do anything from there.

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Comments (3)

Fori
18 years ago
I dunno..I don't think I'd blame the dishwasher at all. I believe it is an innocent victim of a blockage. It just may act up more because it's the low point. Sounds like something further along the line if the sink is slow. A blocked vent or drain pipe. If you have roots in a pipe, they may be small enough to grab TP occasionally, then let it loose before too long.

I think you need a plumber.
seekingadvice
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks, fori. We opened the sink trap today to check for a blockage there but there was nothing and no smell from the pipes. The smell persists in and under the sink, though, and around the dds. I am guessing there is a clog somewhere in the dd's drain line but I know very, very little about plumbing. I just thought it might be something I could check out in case it was a simple fix, but the likelihood of that is slim I suspect.
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Fori
18 years ago
I'm no plumber...but we recently had the gurgling followed by backup in the tub (lowest plumbing point)...and it was caused by a blockage to the main sewer line. (In my previous home, we had a basement and an annual blockage in the main sewer line that would manifest itself as a backup in the floor drains of the basement. I don't think they build them like that anymore. Ew.)

Is the smell the sewery smell or the musty smell? Not that I can diagnose from that, but it might help the plumber. Musty would make me look for a leak or past spill, but a leak wouldn't have anything to do with your clog.

I think that if the DD had the clog, you'd ONLY have a problem with the DD, and it would be horribly obvious. It must be bigger than that.

Do check the plumbing forum. They're usually active enough over there.