Hi everyone! - We bought a new house two years ago in North Texas that has a sink built in to the kitchen island. Shortly after moving in, we were hit with a strong odor coming from the kitchen island, and when we pulled the dishwasher out to look behind the sink area, we saw that the bow vent had been cut off and the sewer lines left open, we assumed, by the cabinet company who installed the island - apparently the bow vent was too tall for the cabinetry, so they cut it off! The plumbers associated with the builder came out and capped off both sides where the cuts occurred. However, we still get that sewage odor when opening the cabinet doors directly under the sink area. Interestingly, if we pull the dishwasher out and smell back where the capped repair was done, no odor. Another group of plumbers the builder is now using after they fired the other ones came out and smoke tested it for leaks, none found. We were told to dump coffee grounds under the cabinets and that would take care of the odor. I tried this and everything else under the sun to remove the odor, and it is still there. I do not believe that the wood cabinetry has just retained the bad smell, as every single cabinet door interior on the large island smelled awful when the leak was active, but as soon as it was fixed, no hint of the odor in any of the other cabinet door/drawer areas on the island. The plumbers have shrugged it off, saying if it was smoke tested and is not leaking still, there is no problem, it just smells, and that is unfortunate. My concern is I believe the bow vent design at the top of this fixture was there for a reason, and if it was cut off, it may not be venting properly, causing the smell to still occur. I am going to pull the dishwasher out again and see if I can photograph the repair. Any advice? Thanks for listening!
New with Island Sink Plumbing Question
- Thread starter ellemet
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With no vent at all there is a chance the trap is being siphoned allowing sewer gas to enter the room. Can you reconnect the bow vent? It needs to be at least up to the height of the counter top. If not then a studor vent may solve your problem. A picture would be of great help.
John
John
Thanks John! I will take a photo of what has been done, and if I can, I am going to go into one of the homes being built here to see if I can get a photo of the plumbing scenario under the island - what it is supposed to look like, anyway 
With the island installed, it is very tight quarters, so I will try and get the best pic I can. I am not a plumber, so I won't be reinstalling a bow vent myself, I just need to figure out what is wrong here so I can find the correct plumbers for the repair. Tired of the 18 year olds being sent out here to fix things, no offense, but that is what has been going on.
With the island installed, it is very tight quarters, so I will try and get the best pic I can. I am not a plumber, so I won't be reinstalling a bow vent myself, I just need to figure out what is wrong here so I can find the correct plumbers for the repair. Tired of the 18 year olds being sent out here to fix things, no offense, but that is what has been going on.
If that's what is going on then I highly doubt they did a proper smoke test.
john
john
Yeah studor/cheater vent is your best bet if everything is finished. Not all young plumbers suck at their job, just the ones who don't care it's a shame because I go into way too many houses where people doubt my ability and once they see my quality of work they take it all back. But I can respect what you are saying, way too many people my age don't take pride in their job and realize that people have to live with their poor decisions.
I ran into a situation once where the washing machine drained so quickly, that it forced air out of the p-trap at the kitchen sink. The kitchen island sink was 20 feet downstream of the washer and they both shared a 2" drain heading towards the 3" building drain. After snaking the line with a full size 2" head, it was determined the line had a belly downstream of the Combo serving the washer and kitchen. Long story short, an air admittance valve (studer vent) only allowed air in, and not out. It wouldn't solve the problem and may not solve yours. I strongly recommend reconnecting the existing vent piping and ensuring there is a clean out. If the problem persists, you may need to camera the line and also make sure it's vented through the roof properly.
And John, I doubt they did a through smoke test as well!
And John, I doubt they did a through smoke test as well!
