ᐅ Ikea siphon ventilation/drainage problem. It causes unpleasant odors.

Hello IKEA fans,
I’m usually a big IKEA user, but I’ve run into a problem with the Atlant siphon:

Under the kitchen sink, I wanted to create space for three separate bins for waste sorting, so I built the entire Atlant siphon system very compactly. However, when someone on a lower floor, for example, flushes the toilet or drains the shower, a vacuum pulls the water out of the siphon, causing bad odors to spread throughout the kitchen. It doesn’t happen all the time, but quite often. We live in a three-unit building, and we are on the ground floor and basement level. It could also be a neighbor above us who drains their bathtub, which “sucks dry” the siphon. The smell gets slightly better then but still somewhat unusual.

Maybe you have a tip? I understand IKEA no longer offers a service hotline like before. What did I do wrong? What do you think? I’d appreciate it if someone could share their expertise. Best regards, toll_dreist

Hello,
I’m not a plumber, but I think the trap is installed too high. However, I can still ask my plumber.

Regards, bergpriv

Hi!
I’m not a plumber either, but you need to make sure the trap is installed vertically, not tilted like in your case.
Regards

Hi!
I’m not a plumber either, but you need to make sure the trap is positioned vertically, not tilted like in your setup.
Regards

Yes, I will try to get the trap into a horizontal position. Normally, the trap is installed lower than the outgoing drain pipe, but the user manual didn’t require it that way; in fact, it was shown the other way around, with that option crossed out.

Do you really think straightening the trap will be enough? Could that already solve my problem? There are more complicated issues.
Best regards, Uwe

Hi,
not horizontal but vertical, so that the water level, which effectively forms the water trap, is the same "thickness" at every point. If you tilt your siphon to the side, the water (which is always horizontal) becomes quite "thin" on one side, allowing gases (unpleasant sewer smells) to escape with even slight pressure differences.

Best regards

Hi,
not horizontal but vertical, so that the water level, which essentially forms the water seal, has the same "thickness" at every point. If you tilt your trap to the side, the water (which always stays horizontal) becomes quite "thin" on one side, allowing gases (unpleasant sewer air) to escape with slight pressure differences.

Regards

I did it! And – it didn’t help at all. It still smells terribly. I’m calling the plumber now. Thanks for your efforts.

Best regards,
Toll