Smell coming up though floorboards

JacoStanley

Hi

I'm living in a terraced house built around 1895. We started noticing a smell in the hall which seemed to be coming from the floor of the press at the front door. The gas meter is located here. There are a few gaps between the floorboards here and so I filled in the floor with some glass wool insulation. The press no longer has the smell but it now seems to be seeping through where the rad pipes meet the floor in the hall and any other small gaps in the floorboards. We had DIY man over to do a few things, one of which was to rebuild the concrete step at the front door as part of it was starting to crumble. He noticed that there was a vent that had been filled in when the concrete step had been constructed. I'm told these steps were originally wooden and air passed under the house for ventilation. Anyway, there was a right bang of what we've been smelling coming from this vent opening and appeared to be a pipe running under the house. We thought ventilation of this airway may solve the problem but we're still get the smell. We've had Bord Gais out and they've confirmed it's not gas although sometimes it's got a gas-like smell although more foul. Anyway, I'm stuck as to what to do. It's only really developed over the past 6 months. It's a small house in the North Strand so it's built on reclaimed land. It's only in the front of the house. When you drop down to living room from the hall (split level), you only smell it if it's venting in under the door.

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

Gary

mad m

My house was built around 1939, it has tassle walls which joist are on and then the floorboards are on. Underneath its vented like yours and only on windy days I get a musty smell, it can be very faint but you get it.

The only thing I can think of is, some of either your joists or floorboards are after rotting because lack of ventilation and now since the vent been opened up your getting it all the time now because the air is passing though brings the smell with it.

By any chance have you had problems with mice/rats lately?

JacoStanley

mad m wrote: »

My house was built around 1939, it has tassle walls which joist are on and then the floorboards are on. Underneath its vented like yours and only on windy days I get a musty smell, it can be very faint but you get it.

The only thing I can think of is, some of either your joists or floorboards are after rotting because lack of ventilation and now since the vent been opened up your getting it all the time now because the air is passing though brings the smell with it.

By any chance have you had problems with mice/rats lately?

Hi

No rats or mice in the house but not to say what's happening below. It's more of a methane sewerage type smell I think.

Gary

looksee

If the house is built on reclaimed land and you are getting a methane smell I think you should be getting a professional to check it out. Bord Gais say it isn't gas, but presumably they are only looking for the household type gas that they supply. I don't know who you would talk to though, possibly ask in your local corporation/council offices.

Overature

theres proberly a dead body down there