Stinky smelly drain - but not all the time

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United Kingdom
I have a drain outside the kitchen door that sometimes gives off a real stink. The smell is associated with the outlets from the upstairs bathroom (sink, shower & bath). The upstairs sink, shower and bath outlet pipes each feed separately into a small 'hopper' on the outside wall 3 meters above the ground. This single pipe then leads down to a drain at ground level, where the dishwasher and kitchen sink outlets feed into. there is a U-bend in the drain that stops smells coming from the sewer. I have cleared this U-bend and drain thoroughly, but the smell persists.
From reading other topics I think that it cannot be anything to do with vents (I may be wrong), but is more likely to be dirty pipes.

Am I right, or is it something else?

If it is the pipes (as they run under floorboards I don't want to have to take up the flooring) what's the best method of cleaning them? Are there special cleaning tools for this?
 
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I would lift the nearest downstream inspection chamber cover and check that everything is clear.
 
MCS.....don't start another thread, it is confusing. If the smell is coming from the gully trap there are only 2 reasons....rancid water/matter in the gully or the water is being syphoned out and smells are coming back up the line. Clean all pipes running into it.......caustic soda or acid if plastic....but not on metal pipes.....mix jeyes fluid with water and block up the pipes before you fill the line. Leave for 10 mins then flush...this will eradicate any possible contamination from the feeder lines but as i said in previous thread i doubt it is these. I will bet my life it is the gully trap water seal that is being breached......what type of gully trap? Ceramic? is it split? bail out and check. Try flushing toilets and see what the level is then see if it drops on flushing ....possible vacuum pulling water out etc...when you have done this come back and update us
 
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MCS.....don't start another thread, it is confusing. If the smell is coming from the gully trap there are only 2 reasons....rancid water/matter in the gully or the water is being syphoned out and smells are coming back up the line.

(sorry - I didn't get any response to my first one - although there has been now - but I won't do it again!)

I have cleaned the single pipe (not 'split') ceramic gully thoroughly - so clean you could almost drink out of it!

I will check the level after flushing and report back. I didn't think that a waste pipe that enters further down the line would have affected it, but now I think about it it makes sense.

Thanks for your help so far.
 

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