Sealing Wood Floor/Barrier from Odors in Basement
Looking for more advice and hope some of you can help me out. A while back I posted about a strong sewer odor in the bathroom of my coop apartment. Well, it turned out to be a sewer backup in the basement. I also noticed a slight odor in my kitchen which has a wood…
Looking for more advice and hope some of you can help me out. A while back I posted about a strong sewer odor in the bathroom of my coop apartment. Well, it turned out to be a sewer backup in the basement. I also noticed a slight odor in my kitchen which has a wood floor but not in my other rooms that have carpet. I now realize that this has happened quite a few times before but the odor was not as bad and I could not figure out where it was coming from or why. Now I know and in a way wish I didn’t. I’ve been in contact with maintenance to stay on top of this and make sure they thoroughly clean and sanitize but other than that I really have little control over how exactly they handle each and every problem.
Anyway, I had plans on ripping the carpet up and having all of the wood floors sanded and stained throughout the apartment and now I’m worried that without the carpet there will be even less of a barrier between the basement and my apartment which is on the first floor. Is there a way the wood floor can be completely sealed to prevent any odors from coming up into my apartment. I have radiators, not vents
Other than moving, I’m looking for suggestions and advice.
licoln, very smart
My previous co-op was a small co-op and the ‘pitch’ of the sewer pipe was not adequate (these are lay terms, I know).
Our board set up a protocol for the pipe to be cleaned out every quarter or at least two times per year. As I recall, it wasn’t that expensive.
10:23 – Thanks. Actually about six months ago, maintenance did send everyone a letter addressing this issue and I didn’t give it much thought at the time. I think it’s hard to get everyone to abide by rules they think do not directly affect them in some way. There’s always going to be a few who do what they want no matter what.
If you find you are having frequent sewage backups, it would be worthwhile to see if the board can set some rules or suggestions to other tenants. It is a gross subject, but a lot of people flush things they shouldn’t be. We had a sewage backup in my co-op. When we told people about it and got out a flushing no-no warning, I found out that one guy had been flushing his leftovers down the toilet! Also those flushable baby wipes? Not flushable, even though they say they are. It is an gross subject, but not as gross as having to clean up a sewage spill! Even if you put a some sort of barricade they smell will still find a way. There will always be some sort of nook or cranny. Good Luck!
Denton, Thanks for responding. I’ve already faxed a letter to the manager and right now there is no odor and the basement has been thoroughly cleaned. I guess I’m just thinking ahead in case this happens again which I’m sure it will at some point. I’m not sure what the basement ceiling is constructed of but it’s obviously not solid enough if the odors were able to come up into my apartment. The ceiling is possibly just wood, like the floors beneath the carpet. The coop consists of garden apartments that scan more than 10 blocks so I doubt they will agree to address the basement ceilings in every building.
I planned on having the floors sanded and stained but am wondering if there would be more of a chance of odors coming up through the floor boards if this does happen again. Then again having them trapped in the carpet is not great either.
I joined this board because I do own a brownstone that I rent and have found this site to be a fantastic resource and its members very knowledgeable and helpful. I have to admit that I’m not use to, and definitely do not like, having so little control over situations like this. I guess it’s all part of owning/living in a huge coop.
I also just had to deal with a mold issue in the brownstone basement and will post information on the contractor I hired when the testing comes back and I can vouch for his work. So far, I consider myself fortunate enough to have been referred to him because he did not charge a fortune and did not use scare tactics, which most mold remediators do. He also gave a guarantee of his work which another mold remediator refused to do. Unbelievable!
Thanks again.
Seems to me this needs to be tackled from the basement, not your floor. More info, pls. Is the basement ceiling ‘rocked? Is it concrete construction? Wood?
You need to bitch big-time to the board. It’s up to them, not you, to get the problem solved in the basement. You’re entitled to live in an apt that doesn’t smell like sewage. Hire a professional cleaner to get all the stuff out of the basement, run air cleaners, and so on. Board needs to handle it.