I’ve got a smell problem that I can’t figure out. We have an upstairs bedroom that has a “fishy” smell that appears sporadically. We can’t figure out a connection to anything going on in the connecting bathroom or any other room in the house. The smell only shows up occasionally (say, once or twice a week) then goes away completely.
We’ve checked every item in the room, we’ve tested when the smell is not around to see if flushing a toilet, running a bathtub, etc. makes it appear. I’ve also checked the air conditioning to that room, and it’s clean with no smell. The smell is only in that room, strangely.
Any ideas?
Replies
It could be a ghost...
ghost of an old sailor...that'd smell fishy......Jeff.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
Smelly fish? Ask Newf.
""Smelly fish? Ask Newf.""
...smelly fish don't kill, smelly hooks do...
Now, what is the question?
...<G>...Newf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
Only if the worm be dead for a week bye!! And what's it doin' in the bedroom bye.
Edited 8/8/2002 9:16:23 PM ET by weekendwarrior
Edited 8/8/2002 9:16:40 PM ET by weekendwarrior
...The fish or the worm????????...Newf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
either or matey. And DW beside me says she don't want either lord tunderin' jeez bye.
...Not the worm?....
I could hardly type that..........................HA!Newf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
Hey Newf.
Why is it that everyone thinks your the expert on smelly fish? HA-HA-HA.
Definition of expert:
Ex: as in unwanted or no longer wanted.
Spurt: A dribble under high pressure.
Expert: an unwanted dribble under high pressure.
You sound like you have a dislike for me...
Everyone here knows me, and my real name, 'tho that's not imp, 'til you insult...
Are you tring to say you don't like me, or everyone one the board doesn't like me , or you are Pete?
I could really care lessNewf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
No No No.
I'm sorry to insult. So sorry. I was just poking fun. Obviously I went too far and I appologize. Please accept it.
Hi Weekend:
Sorry, kinda took it the wrong way. No need to apologize. I'm a doofus sometimes. OK, alot...
...<G>...
Would have posted this before, but it was "lost"!
Don't sweat the small stuff
PeaceNewf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
Dead rat or squirrel in the wall?
air flow past rat with changes in outdoor tempreature and barometric pressure?
if so, should go away in a few months.
when wood glue goes south it can smell like fish. especially the gap filling variety. don't know why you would have an old bottle of uncured wood glue in the bathroom though...
Interesting--I'm having the exact same problem. At first I thought it might be the smell of the attic insulation coming through the ceiling opening where I have a dangling light fixture. Then I thought the dog might have picked up an odor in the pond and rolled around on the carpet. Not sure what it is now.
Hi Pete:
...Really don't know...Fiberglas is the only building product I know of that smells bad, usually like cat urine...
...Fish smell...Has Jeff been around???
...<G>...
...Say "Hi!" to Lisa for us...we really want to do a "Clevefest", and see Carole and Jim and Theodora, and Cal, and this "Andy" guy from "the Press" we hear about...
Peace
Newf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
Two of the most common causes:
1) An auto vent. A valve in a plumbing system substituted for a vent to daylight. They are supposed to allow air to enter the pipes while stopping gasses from being released into the house. Most small units use a small rubber flapper to control the flow. Over time this flapper can fail allowing sewer gas to get into the house. These valves are sometimes used under sinks. Typically as high as they can be mounted. So check under sinks and counters with a flashlight. Most screw in and can be replaced.
2) A plugged condensate drain can sometimes cause water to stagnate in the drip pan. The stagnate water can smell like a fish tank only worse. Even if condensate is still coming out a partial clog or poorly sloped drain pan, under the interior air handler, can still contain considerable quantities of stagnant water. Summer is the right time of year for this. AC running in warm moist air, lots of condensate, and the temperature promotes bacteria growth to produce the smell. This also adds up because such a cause would be intermittent and diluted by the air stream in the AC if it was sucked into the blower.
Blowing out the condensate line is a start for a minor problem. Check the pan for a proper slope to the drain and shim as necessary. Last one I worked on I cleared a pan, stuffed with gelatinous mung with a wet vac first. Nasty smell that one. Cross between a fish shop and a dead body. The smell hung around me like a curse for days. Tablets and bars available at an AC shop and a few big boxes that prevent a recurrence once the underlying causes are taken care of.
We do have Studor vents in the house, but not near this room. The AC unit is in a separate area of the house. The only thing I can think is that it may be the insulation on the light in the room (not fluorescent). I'll check that today.
Thanks for the help.
Hmm. I have never thought that the pitch from a florescent ballast smelled like fish. I have replaced quite a few. More an acrid smell. Still worth checking.
Sewer gas? Are there any unused plumbing traps? Sinks in seldom used bathrooms or the unused sink in a pair are common sources of smells. A dry trap to the washer could do the same thing. In each case a little water added might cure the problem.
The smells from a corrupted AC condensate pan might travel considerable distances and only be detectable in less ventilated rooms. Also check the pans associated with refrigerators, freezers and dehumidifiers.
Also check pipes, especially copper or galvanized ones, for condensation. I have seen where cooler ground water cause a 30' run in an attic sweat to profusely. The water traveled along the sloped pipe run to a 90 degree fitting that was above a wall. The insulation at that point and the entire wall interior was soaked. In this case I was called in to reroute cables as the carpenters removed and rebuilt the wall. There was no great odor other than a musty smell but the great quantities of mold found in the wall were deemed a hazard that prompted the demolition.
Does your bathroom have carpeting. My last house had an elusive odor that I tracked down to a small amount of overspray from the shower and a larger quantity of condensate from the sweating toilet tank. After researching solutions I came up with one of my own. I inserted a 20' length of coiled copper under the house. The coil sweats but the toilet gets warmer water that eliminated the condensation. That and a wider shower curtain solved the problem.
No sure fire solutions here. Nagging problems like this can be very frustrating and can take lots of work to solve. Just some ideas.
Just a shot in the dark, Phil. You wouldn't happen to live in an older house with plastic wall tiles would you. I had them in a previous house, and when the humidity would increase, so would the smell. Darndest thing , and a real fishy odor. Talked with a ceramic tile guy about it and he said it was a common thing although he didn't know whether to attribute the odor to the tile or to the mastic.Lambeth Restoration and Building
One question - is there a florescent light fixture in the room. If so check the balast for a leak. Remove the cover panel, if you find a black goo stuck to it or the balast this could be your problem. When the balast warms up this goo will give off an unpleasant barely perceptable odor. If you've ever worked in an office with hundreds of florescent lights that odor becomes so familiar that you unconsciously learn to ignore it, but in a home it all of a sudden takes on a familiar yet "fishy" smell.
Would it be too much of a stretch to give a gift to the person who uses that bedroom ?
Like say maybe a soap on a rope, or a years supply of right guard or gynelotrimin ?
: )
Quittin' Time
Two other possibilities:
(1) Do you have fiberglass window screens - they can really stink.
(2) Does someone like to pee in the shower? Remember what traps do ....
T. Jeffery Clarke
One source of a nasty fishy smell I have found is ice and water dam for roofing. Any chance it is nearby? The left over roll sitting in the house this past winter had me worried...until my nose found it.
Fiberglass insulation can be that way too, as you mentioned.
Is it worse on hot days?