Questions tagged [smell]
For questions related to resolving a smell or odor.
228
questions
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4answers
73 views
Why does my cold water smell like sulphur suddenly?
This is a long, detailed post about my water problem. I've included all relevant info I can think of.
I bought my first house about 2 years ago, it's a ranch style with a finished basement and a pole ...
2
votes
2answers
84 views
How to get rid of a stinking wall color - paint over, remove/sanding or use ozone?
A friend got a new apartment (5 floor building built in 2008). The walls and ceiling of the apartment were renovated a few months ago.
Unfortunately, the ceiling color (Flügger Flutex 2S) started to ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
AC “Dirty Sock Syndrome” smell went away, is it actually fine?
My AC has started to turn on with the warm weather and with that I've been smelling a gross musty sour smell coming from the vents (only when it cools and not when heater is on). I last changed the ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Odor Coming From Oven
I have a GE oven and am getting a strong odor when I use any of the burners or the oven. The odor reminds me of the smell a kerosene heater would put out when being used. I haven't cleaned the oven at ...
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0answers
31 views
How can I eliminate a bad smell coming from under my dishwasher?
Whirlpool Dishwasher smells bad when hot water starts. Not inside the dishwasher, outside/underneath. I detect no water leaks, it seems like it is coming from the pump underneath. The smell comes out ...
1
vote
1answer
88 views
Electrical component melting?
I'm not sure what this may be, so I would really appreciate your help and specialism towards this. Recently, I found that my cabinet containing the fuse-box, electrical meter and other components ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Can sewage smell be from water heater if water DOES NOT smell?
We bought a farm in 2019 and spent 2020 renovating the 1987 stick built house. We moved in November 2020. Since we have lived here there is an intermittent sewage/rotten egg smell from the basement ...
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0answers
65 views
Smell of urine and urine looking fluid from bathroom vanity
We renovated our bathroom and over several months we have noticed a smell of urine which has grown stronger no matter how much I cleaned. Hubby checked everywhere and all connections good.
I ...
1
vote
0answers
32 views
How do I clean indoor stairs where eggs were broken?
Several raw eggs (and other assorted garbage) spilled on my townhouse indoor staircase. After carefully cleaning the surfaces, a day later there is still a smell of raw egg (not yet rotten egg smell, ...
0
votes
3answers
66 views
Smelly House Water
We have 2 concrete tanks 15,000 each.
The first seems to catch the sediment the second I can easily see the bottom and only has a few insects at the bottom. It is at least 2.5m deep.
Both tanks a full....
2
votes
1answer
51 views
How can I tell if there is a trap in my floor drain?
I’m a bartender at a restaurant that is in an old gas station building. The floor drain that the sinks behind the bar drain into frequently smells like rancid meat farts, which is quite embarrassing ...
0
votes
1answer
95 views
Is there mold in my apartment bathroom? What is causing the unpleasant smell there?
I moved into my first apartment in August. The apartment is a 3rd floor 2 bedroom apartment and it’s great except one persistent issue that has gotten worse over the last few months.
The master ...
1
vote
2answers
112 views
How to air-seal apartment breaker box and range hood duct
I live in an apartment on the top floor. It's the dream apartment for me except for the heavy cooking smell from neighbors entering the unit. I believe the main culprit is the bathroom fan without ...
0
votes
0answers
343 views
Sewer Smell in High Rise Apartment
I rent an apartment in a new high-rise and I´m on the 15th floor. Weird smells are in both of my bathrooms, with one being a lot stronger burdened with smell than the other.
In irregular patterns ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Source for vinegary smell on leak?
Recently, I headed down into our basement, the first time I've been down there in weeks to be honest, and I noticed that there initially seemed to be a leak coming from the Pittsburgh potty in the ...
0
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0answers
114 views
Bathroom smells bad after new toilet install
Recently we noticed a bad smell coming from our downstairs bathroom. When we investigated it further it seem that there was some leakage from base of the toilet. So had a plumber come out, took out ...
0
votes
0answers
78 views
How to remove strong musty odor from garage?
I have moved into a rental house and the garage has a musty odor of which I cannot tolerate to breathe so I cannot even park my car in the garage.
After
I put in a HEPA filter and let it run for 2 ...
0
votes
0answers
50 views
Sink drain piping, smelly and trap isn't dry
I recently installed a new sink and had to redo all the drain pipes. There is a pretty bad sewer gas smell coming from the drain. It is a kitchen sink so it gets used frequently. I checked the trap ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views
Basement Smell in Utility or Bathroom?
In our house, we have a partially below grade basement. Occasionally, our basement will smell like sewer gas (farts) but I can not determine where the smell is coming from.
The basement does have ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
mysterious dirt odor
I've lived in my house for several years without any smell issues. For the past few days, when I go outside for more than 5 minutes, when I go back into my house it's apparent that there's a very ...
1
vote
2answers
348 views
Why is there a musty smell from my HVAC system even after coil cleaning?
I am having trouble getting rid of a smell in my AC (installed 2016), 2 visits by an HVAC professional have resulted in no luck.
Problem:
There is a musty smell, from all vents, as the AC is turning ...
2
votes
1answer
156 views
Sewer smell in bathroom ONLY when central a/c is on and kitchen sink is running water
This is a weird one, and have come across multiple handymen and none of them can pinpoint the problem when I describe it. Though they have never been in the room when it happens.
Here is the scenario.....
0
votes
1answer
316 views
Is it safe to seal a gas fireplace?
I live in an apartment which has a gas fireplace. The pilot fire is sky blue in the fireplace, but I can still smell the gas somehow.
The fireplace has a glass door but it is not hermetic when the ...
0
votes
0answers
56 views
Water leaking from sink trap
This weekend I replaced a drain stopper and all the hardware down to the p-trap, keeping those parts original.
After connecting everything I ran the water for about 10-15 minutes while I cleaned up. ...
0
votes
1answer
456 views
How long should the smell of silicone caulk last?
I recaulked around my tub last night with 100% silicone caulk. It's now been a bit over 12 hours, so the caulk is set and I can get the tub wet (according to the instructions on the tube), but the ...
0
votes
1answer
145 views
How do I seal off a small closet so smells there don't escape?
I've got a small pocket closet in a study right next to where I work that is actually a partition of a hall coset in an adjacent building entrance, and therefore not well isolated from it. Recently ...
1
vote
2answers
183 views
Removing detergent smell from clay/earthen pot
I used detergent to clean a newly bought clay pot. Kept water in it for around 5 hours, To my surprise I am now drinking perfume :(.
How do I now remove this strong detergent smell. I tried coating ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Dealing with scratches in baseboards and concrete from flooring installation
This is not the same question at all. One asks about how to improve my cutting technique and nothing more. This asks about how to deal with the aftermath specifically focusing on sealing in/cleaning ...
2
votes
1answer
202 views
Tobacco smoke smell from utility closet
I'm in a condo with neighbors on both sides. utility closet is in the basement.
It smells like old stale cigarette smoke in my utility closet, like somebody has been smoking cigarettes in there for ...
2
votes
2answers
87 views
Old house odor in a condo [closed]
Condo is in Florida. The building is 32 years old. 8 Units in a 2story building. Mine is on the 2nd floor. Brand new HVAC system including ducts-2018.
Attic insulation was fine according to a home ...
3
votes
4answers
119 views
Indoor fuel tank removed - How to eliminate lingering smell
Background: I recently replaced my home heating system (an oil burning furnace) for a modern heat pump (air-water). There is a room in our basement (2.9m x 3.5m, or roughly 10ft x 13ft) where the 10'...
1
vote
1answer
4k views
Natural gas range emits kerosene/propane burner odor
I have a natural gas range. The cooktop part seems to operate normally, with the flames blue. But recently, the oven has been emitting a smell that smells like those forced air portable propane ...
0
votes
2answers
146 views
What causes old wood smell, is it bad to ignore it, and how to clean it?
I bought vintage wardrobe and cabinets and some of them have this old wood smell that you can smell in old people's homes sometimes. Does it mean it's 'moldy' in some way or there can be other reasons?...
0
votes
1answer
95 views
Slight sewage smell in basement and sump pump
we started noticing an occasional sewage smell in the basement. It comes and goes. I can't figure out its cause or source. I suspect it is somehow tied to the sump pump. The sump pump was replaced by ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
Need tips, approach, or method(s) to eliminate smell/odor in a closet short of a tear down?
Here's some background:
We bought this house in July of 2017. The previous owner left a hall closet full of GNC-style product (it was packed with pills of all kinds). It primarily smells of those ...
0
votes
1answer
109 views
Intermittent sewage smell from air ducts
My home is two stories, 5100 sq feet, and was built in 1990. I have a septic system, radon mitigation, and central forced air.
This has gone on for two winters now, but not before that.
The second ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Removing the smell of cannabis (not my cannabis!)
Having recently purchased a house which was previously used to grow a "commercial" amount of cannabis I'm struggling to remove the smell. It seems to be engrained in to every surface, hard or soft. ...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
How can I seal around pipe baseboard heating to seal out smoke from downstairs?
I live in an apartment on 2nd floor. The landlord lives downstairs and 3 people down there constantly smoke. It's so bad in my second bedroom. I bought expanding foam but afraid to spray around pipe ...
1
vote
2answers
295 views
Strange voltages from wires behind outlet, and smell from behind outlet
For the last month or so I've been getting a strange smell in my house that we bought 6 months ago. The smell is not obvious, but smells a little burnt to me, but my wife thinks it smells like a stink ...
1
vote
2answers
291 views
What could cause a wet soil / moisture smell on concrete slab
I have a wet soil smell coming from the living room concrete slab.
I had to remove all the tile in the leaving room.
A remediation company came, they removed the drywall and dehumidified the place, ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Sewer smell in basement - missing venting or other leak?
I recently started detecting a sewer smell coming from the laundry room in my basement. I think I only trigger it (and not every time) when I run my whole-house fan. I've been running this fan (with ...
2
votes
3answers
117 views
Front-load washer keeps getting stinky
I have an older Whirlpool front-load washer that's stinky. I periodically clean it inside and out (including the folds in the seal) but the smell keeps coming back. Last time this happened, I took the ...
1
vote
2answers
103 views
how to deal with tub drain smell?
There's a foul odor in our kids (teens) bathroom which I'm pretty sure is coming from the tub drain. We have some kind of domed cover over the drain most of the time to catch hair, but apparently it ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
Effective ways to get rid of smell in basement from drain?
Background
So this weekend I got to have all the fun of unclogging a clogged drain. The drain was from a kitchen sink but I was able to go through a lower access point and run a motorized snake ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
Chlorinate hot water heater
I left town for a week and now have a hot water heater that's been sitting and apparently breeding bacteria resulting in an abundance of hydrogen sulfide. It stinks really bad.
I tried emptying it ...
1
vote
2answers
190 views
Musty Smell in slab and block house
As my title states, I have a house that is on a slab and the exterior and most interior walls are block and covered with plaster. Since we bought the house we have noticed a musty smell that we ...
1
vote
1answer
415 views
New washing machine using the same valve as the sink, water smells and tastes like plastic
So I have been using the same valve for actually two washing machines and a sink, and when I got the new washing machine the problem started appearing. I am guessing this is because of the new washer ...
-1
votes
3answers
110 views
Drainage issue, water causing foul odor in home
I live in an apartment building where the building is built on a concrete slab. There is NO overhead drain pipes or gutters and the water pools up along the side of the building next to my living room ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
Is there a simple way to evaluate whether a vent stack is clogged?
I recently spoke with a home owner who has had a number of plumbing issues, ultimately resulting in a new sewer line run from the residence to the main. The homeowner is concerned that there may still ...
4
votes
1answer
278 views
Can you sand drywall to get rid of cigarette smoke?
We are living in a house that was remodeled after purchasing from heavy smokers. Our source tell us that they used to smoke packs of cigarettes a day. Then, it was purchased and remodeled. 5 years ...
