What to do about a stagnant plumbing line?
The cold water supply line to my kitchen sink area has been unused for over a year due to remodeling. The cold water line is CPVC. It also tees off to my icemaker. I’m now in the process of installing a laundry sink for temporary use until I can afford some new cabinets and kitchen sink. When I removed the plug from the cold water stub-out at the sink area, I was almost knocked over by the putrid smell it released. Apparently, the water trapped in that section of the line has stagnated. Should I just connect the sink and let it flow for awhile? Should I try to flush the line with bleach? Would it be advisable to replace that section of plumbing?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Replies
Depends: on whether you are on a municipal system.
If you are on a municipal public water system, you should be ok with just flushing it well.
I'd try that before I tried shocking it with chlorine, because figuring out how to shock just a small segment of a household system can be a real pain. I'd probably shock the whole house instead.
If you are on a well and septic tank, definitely try just flushing first only because you don't reall want that much chlorine in the septic system.
I'm on a well. I plumbed the house with a homerun type setup. I know that's usually reserved for Pex, but I did it with CPVC. That's why I only have the problem I do in one certain branch. It's been isolated by a ball valve at the manifold.
Flush it well and it will probably be fine. Attach a hose and run it outside (to avoid overloading the septic). Run a trickle for several hours alternating with bursts of full force every half-hour or so. Then repeat the whole procedure 2-3 times over a week.
Thanks, Dan. You wouldn't believe this odor. It's not the more common "rotten-egg" aroma. This is the smell from hell. But it's only in that one line where the water has been trapped for so long.
I would be a little concerned about backflow into other water systems. I would make sure you flushed out ALL the pipes real well, all at the same time.