No, it’s not success…it’s my kitchen drain.
I had everyone I know come and smell my sink and try and diagnose the odour. Is it the drain, is it the water itself? Some of my “sniffers” think it’s the drain, others think it’s a sulfur smell from the water. Whatever it is…it reeks! I think it smells like wet dirt.
I tried the baking soda/vinegar volcano action, I tried drain cleaners, I tried bleach, everything and anything. Nothing was working.
So…because I have been known to fix a few things, out of necessity and not desire, I decided I was going to take the pipes apart. Ya, ya…I know.
I knew enough to shut the water off, which I did successfully. I knew enough to put a small pan under the pipes. I also knew enough to choose what I assumed was a pipe wrench over the screwdriver and hammer I originally picked up. Side note: a nail shoved into a broken cork and then pried with a hammer can open any bottle of wine when you are desperate.
As I pull everything out from under the sink, I realize just how filthy is it under there. I can’t work in a space like this, so a half hour later, the cupboard is clean, I get ready to prove to myself that I can in fact clean a drain.
I start “wrenching” the pipes apart, and beads of sweat start appearing on my upper lip. And since I am famous for my sweat mustache, I don’t even wipe it away. It’s like a badge of honour.
I start to realize, these pipes are pretty tightly connected (I guess there is a reason for that)…but I am not going to stop now. The stench from the drain taunts me and I am not giving up.
The pipes begin to loosen, water starts leaking from the opening, my hand slips and I catch my finger on some part of the sink. I don’t know any of the technical terms for any of the parts that I am currently holding, but that’s ok. I notice blood dripping on my clean cupboard…shit! I am not stopping now. Making a bandage from some paper towel, I plow forward.
Aside from regular “gunk” (yes, I am sure that’s what real plumbers say), and a lego man I have rescued from every drain in the house, there isn’t anything that would point to my kitchen odour.
At this point, I am sweaty and bloody so the only logical thing to do is sit on my kitchen floor with a pipe in one hand, a lego man in the other and cry.
I pepped talked myself into putting the pipe back in place and sat on the floor slightly defeated.
You may have won this round stinking sink drain…until we meet again.
Ugh. At least you tried!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Krista...you never know until you try lol
DeleteI've been wondering about that same type of smell coming from my bathroom drain. Now I know not to make my husband take the drain apart. I had that very task on his to do list for later.
ReplyDelete(I'd have done it myself, but I've been banned from plumbing projects already because of all the bleeding they cause)
Might I suggest a product called Liquid Fire? I've heard that it can dissolve a squirrel carcass in like 3 minutes. It may or not solve your problem, but you could always use any leftover to melt stuff in the backyard for fun.
Lol...I have banned myself from plumbing projects as well :)
DeleteI have never heard of Liquid Fire...where do you get it?
Pretty sure that you can get it at Menards or Home Depot, but to be honest I missed that part of the conversation that my husband was having with my step father because I was too busy visualizing melting squirrels.
ReplyDeleteIf you aren't able to find it in your home improvement store of choice, try calling whichever little mom and pop hardware store you can find in your phonebook. I know my brother in law stocks it in the hardware that he owns, and the smaller places are usually willing to order stuff like that for you if they don't carry it.
As opposed to the somewhat antiquated monkey wrench, pipe wrenches are still a common tool for household work, in particular plumbing and pipe work. The serrated jaws of a pipe wrench look similar to those of a monkey wrench, but are designed to rock in the frame they are installed.
ReplyDelete