My son is a new home owner. Here is a question he sent me that I can't say I experienced myself. Any of you have any ideas?

"So our washing machine tends to emit a faint odor that resembles methane. There is no natural gas hook up anywhere in the house.
When we moved from the old place we removed an old washer and upon disconnecting the water drain tube an overwhelming methane odor attacked us.
I'm assuming it is some stale water in the line, or a.common venting issue. Any idea?"

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Stale water in a washer will smell like liquid farts.. Its gross. Run it once with a healthy amount of bleach.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

Is the trap dry?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Also be sure the drain is not sealed into the drain in the wall. it should be an open connection so that it cannot siphon off or suck water up from the drain.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Methane is odorless - why is a "methane smell" a bad thing?

Now swamp-ass-gas is another matter entirely.

^^^ What he said.

That's probably it. Is the washer sitting in one of those plastic washer trays?

Run the machine a number of times with hot water, detergent and bleach. Let this happen for at least 5 times in a row. I'm assuming that the the water n the bottom of the tank didn't drain completely, which is somewhat normal on older machines, and has gone stagnant, giving off a nasty odor.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Thanks for the responses. I've passed them along. I'll post back when I get some answers from my son.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Addendum: If he's smelling gas it's probably H2S, which is added to methane so you can smell a gas leak. H2S is also a byproduct of some kinds of microbial decomposition. If you have biodegradable stuff collecting with little oxygen present you might get H2S forming. But I'd sure look for a leak from a gas line.

Around here, we add Mercaptan to the natural gas as an odorant. Stuff is obnoxious. The gas company even sends out "scratch and sniff" cards so people can become familiar with the " aroma".

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

PO been washing diapers?

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95 E300D gave away
77 300D, 227k, station car
83 300CD 370k, body gone away to the rust gods, engine is in a Yota pickup, going strong
89 190E 2.6- 335k, no more
79 VW FI Bus- 154k summer driver
59 VW Beetle ragtop- 175k
12 VW Jetta- 250k
74 MG Midget-78k

Duh!!! liquid farts????

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The lint reacts with the water and soap, creating a frothy brew. I smell it, unfortunatley, on a regular basis. It's not the drain, there is always a small amount of water in the washer between cycles. It becomes liquid fart. A healthy amount of bleach will solve your problem. Pour abut a half gallon.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

How is it that you know so much about farts? are you some kind of a Fartologist?

__________________
For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!