My neighbor has a 3 year old house with a bad smell problem. Not the neighbor, the house. The gas company has been out – it’s not that. One plumber has been out and swears it’s not a sewer / waste line problem. The neighbor describes it as a smell like a woman’s hair salon – in other words someone getting their hair permed. He says its worse from 11 am to 3 pm. Today it got so bad that he called the fire dept. Anyone with ideas? Thanks.
Tim
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Replies
Client recently had a similar problem last month. Nobody could find, I was called to give it a try. Asked all the usual "what new things have you bought/brought into the house" questions. Nothing, of course. Smell seemed to have no point of origin, was a chemically-type of smell. Maybe could say it was like a hair salon. Smell seemed to fill the house, no room was really worse than another. I opened all windows, vented house with fans for complete air change over, closed all interior doors, closed all windows, shut down HVAC, kept bath fans/etc off while I checked over house. Did this process several times.
Finally traced it to a new (of course) anti-slip rubber pad they had put under the (old) oriental rug in the dining room. After finally suspecting it (the pad had absolutely no discernable smell when you put it right under your nose), we put it in the detached garage. A couple of hours later, the chemical smell had permeated the garage. Bot a new anti-slip pad for the rug, and it was all OK after that.
BTW, this pad was the soft molded foam, light gray in color, with holes in it (almost looks like a weave pattern).
FWIW
BTW, that job paid well, eight hours on the jobsite at $75 (my weekend/night rate--did this on a Saturday, cause it's the only day he/she can be there). Check he handed me was for $1,600.....a thousand buck "reward" for being the only one able to find the problem. Done several honey-do type jobs for the family in the last month, too. They've paid a bonus of some sort every time. I like them.
Had a luggage cart once that had really stinky wheels. And no, I hadn't rolled over anything. It was the rubber in the wheels that stunk. It was especially bad after wheeling things around with it.
It took a while to trace that smell. Tossed the cart out once I did.
Your smell could be anything. Good luck.
Some detective work would help.
How long has she been in this house? What is the location? Now is the house constructed?
When did it start?
Has there been any "changes" around the time that it started. Changes could be anything from the carpet pad, to changes in the weather, or a new diet.
What ever it is the sun is getting to it 11:00 am to 3:00 PM.
Bad carpet where the sun is coming window and the carpet is braking down. Drapes, plastic vinyl slip covers on the furniture.
what are the windows made of vinyl clad, or some of the caulking braking down
Edited 7/29/2003 2:35:32 PM ET by fredsmart
More Info:
Carpet / Rug pad has been ruled out. Colorado - US Home construction, 3 years old. Hottest time of the year here in Colorado. The smell comes and goes and is on the upper floor of a two-story plus finished basement. Pier & beam w/ concrete slab. Lot drainage has been an issue in past. Owner thinks maybe it's the worst a couple of days after sprinklers run - 2 days a week. He's sure it's not a dead animal - more of a chemical smell. We're just coming out of a drought in this area.
I'm tellin ya, they really should consider a separate room with door, for the W/C...
; )
A good heart embiggins even the smallest person.
Quittin' Time
" more of a chemical smell. We're just coming out of a drought in this area."
Any possibility of there having been anykind of "business" activity on that site in the past? Or a gas station with in a block or so?
I am thinking of ground contaimination.
Check the sewer vent stack again, particularly where the downstairs bathrooms tie in.
The land in this area was previously undeveloped. No gas stations close and I've never heard of any issues regarding chemicals in the local soil.
Thank you very much to those of you who have offered suggestions about this problem. Hopefully we'll find the source soon.
Tim
Does this person have any teen age kids that may have meth lab in the attic. Could there be some one close by that has a meth lab and smell is getting pulled in through a window. Is there a fire place on the second floor and some thing got into the chimney and died. Is there and of cooling / heating units in the attic and the drains are not working.
Does this person have any teen age kids that may have meth lab in the attic.
Reminds me of that great moments story about the college age kid who visited his parents for Christmas, and ever since, the parent;s could not get the house warm no matter what they did.
The kid had set up an armchair under an open skylight, to smoke, and had never shut the skylight...
A good heart embiggins even the smallest person.
Quittin' Time
Just a guess, but how about a freonoil leak in the ac A coil evaporator in the house? 11 to 3 is when the sun is the highest and might be causing the ac to work the hardest and leak the most.
or
"Owner thinks maybe it's the worst a couple of days after sprinklers run - 2 days a week. He's sure it's not a dead animal - more of a chemical smell"
Does the owner's or neighbor's lawn get chemical fertilizer etc.. from a lawn sevice? the water might disolve the chemicals and the 11-3 sun will help vaporize them, how the smell gets into the house is another Breaktime mystery.
I haven't a Clue but I think Mrs. White did it in the bedroom with the wrench.
Mike
It's O.k. to think out of the box, Just don't walk off of the plank!
Edited 7/30/2003 10:12:29 PM ET by Mike S
Edited 7/30/2003 10:17:11 PM ET by Mike S
Edited 7/30/2003 10:18:14 PM ET by Mike S
MYSTERY SMELL SOLVED
The culprit was sewer gas - we just found out.
US Home's plumbing sub roughed in a shower drain in an area not requested by the purchaser. It was eventually covered by a hardwood floor with - you guessed it - the shower drain left uncapped. The smell was worst during the heat of the day when the AC ran and distributed it throughout the house. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions (especially Mr. Hartmann who was right).
Tim
Tim , please do tell, who, how??, was this a slab on grade?, or wood over crawl? I suppose just being able to fix that problem, makes the wood floor repair, hopefully a minor inconvenience. I don't even want to think about who's paying for what. I thank you for posting back. Jim J