Weird smell in house - what to do?

Dr Bolouswki

I bought a 2 bed apartment 2 years ago. Since about 1 month after moving in I have an intermittant weird smell in my hallway. It is always there, but varies in intesnisity. The only way I could describe it would be as "gone off potato peels". There was a severe problem with the plumbing in the first month - this smell has been there ever since really - although it can sometimes be almost unnoticable.

Part of the problem could be that my hallway has no window in it so airflow would be poor i expect.

The smell seems to get worse when I use my kitchen extractor fan. There is also some mild water damage above my shower which I assume is coming from a loose seal on the shower in the apartment above mine. This minor water damage also appears in the corner of my kitchen that backs onto my bathroom.

I rarely have had friends or family mention it - and when I ask the all either say "no" or "a slight smell of muskiness" - but due to its varying nature, I experience it far more often then them.

I really want to get this sorted out, as it is forcing me to leave windows open (no big deal) but makes me a bit embarressed when bringing people to the house (big deal). Problem is - I don't rally now how to tackle it? Is there a "plumbing health check" or anything that can occur? Also, given that I live in an apartment, surely the problem is as likely to be plumbing from above me as anything else?

Any advice on how to proceed?

whizzbang

Could it be a burning light fitting with a too high wattage bulb in it?

Or a dead mouse somewhere.

The_Morrigan

I had a bad smell in the hall of my new apt within the first few months, I initially though it was the rubbish bin smelling cos of the heat, but when I got that out and cleaned the bin the smell still remained.
I tore the place apart trying to find a damp cloth or a leak in the hotpress etc.

The mother arrived one day and was able to inform me that I have to put bleach down the plughole of the main bathroom and then rinse out the drain a bit by running the taps.
Cos I live alone and have an ensuite in the master bedroom, I never use the main bathroom and therefore don't scrub out the sink/bath on a regular basis.

It solved the problem.

As for the water damage - get a plumber in - its better to pay for a plumber than having to deal with the cost and damage if your ceiling comes in on you.

Dr Bolouswki

Doubt its a mouse as floors are all solid - but worth checking out so thanks for advice.

Like the idea of the ensuite thing - im in the same position. Will try that and get on to the apt manager about the water damage - guess it could reasonably be all 3!

thanks for replies

hotshots85

Look into the possibility of it being the paint or "Wall Odour Phenomenon" just moved into a house recently and our kitchen smelled. It was a strange smell which we couldn't pin point, kind of like stale bins or gas and was definitely worse in the hot weather! Tried everything,got Baord gais out, floor boards pulled up, drains cleaned inside and out, pulled out all appliances etc... It turned out to be "Wall odour" , google it, it was on Watchdog in the UK.

Have since repainted the walls using the steps found online and completely cleared up, with no lingering smell.

Definitely worth checking

Victor

Dr Bolouswki wrote: »

The smell seems to get worse when I use my kitchen extractor fan.

Only use the extractor when you have the kitchen door closed and a window open.

I wonder if there is dampness in the bathroom extract duct. Is there an air feed into the apartment (bathroom or hall in particular) from anywhere?

Dr Bolouswki

Air feeds into the bathroom from a kind of recessed cistern/sink plumbing that opens into a shaft that the pipes go up throughout the building - im looking at getting a rubber seal on to the boarding on top of this recessed area