Sewer smell in 2nd floor laundry room with F&P ecosmart washer

16 years ago

Hello All,

We've got a F&P Ecosmart washing machine that we bought about 9 months ago. The laundry room is on the 2nd floor. We also have a Kenmore dryer from Sears that's about a year old.

After a wash the room has this really strong sewer smell. It also appears to be in the machine when we open the lid but the clothes don't seem to smell. I read through a few posts online and it appears that there might be one of two causes.

1. The trap (and I don't know that we have one) is getting emptied due to the powerful pump on the F&P but could that happen with the Ecosmart?

2. The laundry room is pretty much sealed with the door closed, so when running the dryer (which often happens about the same time, have to do more testing to isolate it) it sucks are and fumes from the drain. We did leave the door open and still get the smell, so I doubt it's this but it is a possibility.

Is there a way that I can tell if we have a trap in the drain?

We don't get this smell in the 1st floor laundry/mud room, which is unused except for the utility tub. And we don't get the smell in the basement either, again another utility tub. They're all one below the other.

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated! Specifically around the F&P washer pump output and the "how do I know if we have a trap installed".

Thanks!

Kevin

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

dadoes
16 years ago
Per observation of my F&P, the pump doesn't seem any more powerful than any other washer I've used or seen in operation. Specifications state that it moves 6.3 gals per minute, and can handle a head height of 7 feet.

You don't outline what is the specific drain arrangement. Assuming you have an in-wall standpipe, it surely has a P-trap. Very unusual if it doesn't.

Perhaps try pinpointing the odor to the machine or the drain by removing the drain hose from the standpipe for a day or so, then sniffing into both the machine and the standpipe.

If the machine seems to be the source, try running a cleaning cycle (your instruction manual should outline how to do that) with a good dose of powdered ENZYME automatic dishwasher detergent, or perhaps LemiShine (found at your store by the dishwasher detergent).
kebuchan
Original Author
16 years ago
Hey Dadoes,

It's a standpipe in the wall I believe. There's basically a "window" with the water supply values (hot&cold) and a hole for the drain pipe. The window is about 6" above the washing machine so we basically arch the drain pipe up and over into the drain. I don't know if there's a p-trap but I would assume there's some kind of trap. The house is about 1 1/2 yr old.

It will be tough to determine where it's coming from. The whole laundry room (10'x5') reeks of sewer ..

I will run some more tests and see what I come up with. Rule out the dryer etc.

Thanks,

Kevin
Related Professionals
Ocala Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Panama City Bathroom Remodelers · Langley Park Cabinets & Cabinetry · West Freehold Cabinets & Cabinetry · Centreville Custom Closet Designers · American Fork Flooring Contractors · Canton Flooring Contractors · Dunwoody Flooring Contractors · East Haven Flooring Contractors · Elmhurst Flooring Contractors · Emmaus Flooring Contractors · Tigard Flooring Contractors · Wheat Ridge Flooring Contractors · Alum Rock Flooring Contractors · Cocoa Flooring Contractors
lkplatow
16 years ago
Are you sure it's a sewer smell and not grossness in your washer?

I got rid of my 6 year old ecosmart washer a couple months ago because it broke, but I was happy that it broke because it stank horribly starting when it was about 6 months old. I always left the lid open and used HE detergent but still the washer stank horribly of mildew/mold/general disgusting funk. I had to run cleaning cycles with bleach about once a month to keep the stench at bay, and even then it was there, it just wasn't unbearable.

Another GW poster had a similar issue - her dh took the washer apart and it turns out she had all kinds of mold growing on the outside of the drum.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg1116132918352.html

Here is her post with the picture:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/gal1116003129042.html?1

I'm guessing this might have had something to do with our water (it's well water through a softener) since lots of people here have ecosmarts and don't have problems like this. But then again, in the 7 months I have owned my frigidaire Affinity front loader, there's no hint of smell or mold or anything else I was afraid would happen with a front loader. So who knows? All I know is that you couldn't give me another F&P washing machine - never again!
darboydoughboy
16 years ago
Had this problem in my new house. Drove me nuts. We added a trap, even added an additional vent stack on the roof.No luck. It went away with the purchase of a new washer that just happened to have a smaller discharge hose. The old black hose fit tightly or snugly into the drain pipe. The new hose being plastic and smaller had some air gap along the sides. No more smell.