The Mystery of the Stinky House

We have a sump pump that has begun emitting sulfur odors in the past year, but I am sure it's not because the sump pump lacks water -- it is attached to our laundry tub (basement laundry), so every time I run a load of laundry, the sump pump runs.  And with 3 kids, I do a lot of laundry.  Also, I have read that it could be from the water source itself if you have a well, but we have city water.  So I am really puzzled as to why it now stinks so badly, and I wonder if it's even dangerous.   Our home is built in sandy, well-drained soil and we never have any water from outside entering the house, so the only water that runs through it is laundry water (soap, bleach, fabric softener).

Thanks!

Amy

Well, I just discovered something really interesting that others might want to know as well!  I went to Home Depot to buy some Rid-X and discovered that Whirlpool has a known problem with their High Efficiency washers causing an odor such as the one I described previously!   The odor, come to think of it, did begin about 18 months after we bought our new washer. It has to do with the detergent residue building up in the machine and then it gets transferred through to the sump pump if it's tied in, as ours is.  So, they have made these tablets that you pop into the washer and run through a normal, hot cycle.  I was highly sceptical, but it worked! The tablets come 3 to a package for $7.99 and they recommend that you use them once a month. 

As a follow up to my previous post (see 9/07/08), I wanted to pass along something very interesting that I learned from the folks at Home Depot.  We went to buy some Rid-X to try and get rid of the smell coming from the sump pump, but the guy at H.D. told us that it wasn't the sump pump -- it was the washer!  He said Whirlpool has a known problem with their new high efficiency washers creating a sulfur smell because of the residue from the detergent building up.  They make these tablets that you throw into the washer tub, then you run a normal, hot cycle.  I couldn't believe it, but it instantly fixed our problem!  We had purchased a new Duet washer about 2 years ago, and I never made the connection.  Also, we had been using small amounts of regular, not "h.e." detergent for most of that time until we developed a leak and the repairman scolded me for this.  He said that the detergents are completely different, and regular detergents will cause a build up of residue.  He did not seem to notice the sulfur smell, or didn't comment on it, and I didn't think to ask him.  The tablets cost $7.99 for a pack of 3 -- they recommend you use one a month to keep the residue from building up.  Also, bleach doesn't quite clear the machine of residue, as I use bleach often.

Amy

I would like to know the name of the tablets that you bought at Home Depot.

The tablets are called "Affresh" and I've found them at Home Depot, Lowe's,  and Best Buy.  (Probably anywhere that sells Whirlpool appliances since it's a Whirlpool problem... Sears, for example.)  Lowe's is the best price -- $6.99 for a package of 3 tablets.   When I use the tablets, the smell disappears for a while, but it always comes back.  I'm not very happy about that!  Sometimes I can smell it from the top of the stairs leading to the basement.  Also, my dad talked with a technician at Whirlpool's laundry lab who contracted a lung fungus from working with these machines on a daily basis.