Odor question
Hi, Looking for some advice…we live in a single family row house, moved in about a year and a half ago. I noticed occasional odors when we were first here and chalked it up to neighbors cooking–it used to be limited to just the front two rooms on the top floor. We did do some air sealing which may have changed odor dynamics. Over the past few months, we have noticed that this smell has intensified and seems to linger in the stairwell between the first and second floors and both central hallways. Seemingly stronger on the second floor and typically negligible jn the basement. We seem to notice it more at night and thought there was a correlation between rain,thinking we smelled it more the day after it had rained. We recently had a fresh air intake reinstalled after someone suggested that it had been covered up and may be part of our problem. This has not made a significant difference. We have two high hepa air purifiers which do not seem to remediate the odor. The odor comes and goes–we were told by a building inspector we called that odors depend on wind, barometric pressure, etc, but we are concerned about the source of this odor, which smells like food, possibly rotting onions? But we know it is not food, wondering if it is perhaps sewer gas escaping? We had our pipes checked and there is nothing compromised beneath our basement floor, but perhaps it is something traveling under from our neighbors. A few questions: 1) who does one call to identify and remediate this kind of problem? 2) has anyone had any experience with a plumber putting a camera into walls and underground lines to see if there are cracks, other issues? This was suggested by our plumber but we would like to know if people have done this, what this typically costs, and if it is worthwhile 3) what are people’s views on high powered air filters? Are they worth the money and do they significantly dissipate smells? We are sleeping with windows open as extra ventilation which is fine now but not great in January Many thanks for any advice–this has been frustrating and anxiety-provoking, and we would appreciate any leads to help with resolving this issue
jenandjosh
in Plumbers and Plumbing 12 years and 8 months ago
8
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8 replies
jenandjosh | 12 years and 8 months ago
Thank you to all who have responded, it feels encouraging to realize its not just us. Would any of you recommend the plumber who fixed your problem?
slvillager | 12 years and 8 months ago
is your plumbing properly vented in every bathroom?
BobMarvin | 12 years and 8 months ago
I had a similar problem once. Our plumber traced it to a vent pipe where the roof end was clogged. Snaking that out from the roof eliminated the odor.
catboot | 12 years and 8 months ago
We had a similar problem. We would smell gas by our front door and front parlor room – but intermittently. It turned out to be a combination of two things: a major sewer back up that was releasing sewar gasses, as well as a gas pipe leak (exacerbated by us freeing up the pocket doors in the front parlor that had been sealed shut). Once the sewer pipe was sneaked out of all the detritus the previous owner/tenants flushed down the tolilets (this was so gross it became known as Poop Gate 2012), and the gas pipe leak was fixed, the problem was solved.  Gateway did the plumbing, RotoRooter handled the clogged pipe.
SewardWasRight | 12 years and 8 months ago
we had similar odors and they were in the same places and smelt at the same times you mentioned. When the bathroom that was built in our parlor was demolished, we discovered – as Cate mentioned above – that the plumbing vent pipe for this bathroom was not vented to the outside, but ended somewhere in the wall. We were smelling sewer (and other) gases.
cate | 12 years and 8 months ago
The smell is often worse during the change of the seasons — so as we go from summer to winter, you may notice it more, then it will die down in the winter as the weather stabilizes to cold. It can also be more prevalent in warm months when evenings are cool.
cate | 12 years and 8 months ago
I’d be very interested to hear what happens and what you find. Good luck.
cate | 12 years and 8 months ago
I’m glad you asked, because we have had sewer gas for three years, and have finally figured it out (I think). Five plumbers and a contractor could not find the source of the problem. They didn’t smell it either. It smells like cooking potatoes but somehow also very rotten. We get it when the barometric pressure is low, typically when it’s raining, and/or the temperature is changing from warmer to cooler — and almost always in the evenings, very rarely during the day. Finally, we hired a plumber to do a peppermint test. They immediately identified the problem. On one side of the house, they found a faulty vent connection, which we had suspected. The other side of the house was notable for its lack of peppermint. One of them was clever enough to insert a small camera into a hole only accessible from inside our air shaft. They discovered a ridiculous homemade patch on a lead waste pipe that was visibly oozing. Turned out one bathroom was still all lead pipes (in the waste system). When we later opened the ceiling to get a better look, we discovered the toilet was also leaking, very slightly — a leak that had been completely invisible for years and had never made any mark on new plaster or paint. They charged $500 for the peppermint test, and nothing for the camera. It seems the peppermint test works best if they have direct access to the pipe they’re testing. If it’s behind a wall, I’m not sure they’ll smell anything. Also, while smells do travel in odd ways (particularly down staircases), I have found they nonetheless do also center near their origin. (For example, the leaks in the bathroom lead piping, located in the floor, caused an odor chiefly in the room below. The vent leak was very obviously originating right where the hole/faulty connection in the vent is, although if the windows were all closed the smell would fill three whole rooms.) Is there plumbing in the areas where you are getting the smells? Also, are any of the pipes lead? Not that lead will always be an issue, but they seem more likely to cause sewer gas than other types of pipes — at least that has been true in our house. (We had problems earlier with other lead pipes as well.) Lastly, as I’m sure 17 plumbers have already told you, do check all your traps and make sure they’re not cracked or dried out. It’s also possible you could have some crazy open old vent pipe or something wacky like that in a wall. It could even be coming from a neighbor’s plumbing.