Smelly Room

[Barmaid]

Over the last 6-8 weeks, we have noticed a bit of a pong in two of our rooms.

We have the living room next to the dining room and a connecting arch between them (external wall one side of the arch and inglenook fireplace the other). Mr BM says the pong is like stagnant water, whereas I think it smells as if someone has just passed wind. The smell is worse in the archway and in the two windows either side of that (ie one in dining room and one in living room). There are no toilets, bathrooms or water supplies in this part of the house (nearest bathrooms are at least one other room away). The rooms immediately above are bedrooms and there is no smell there.

We do not believe there are any drains under this part of the house (we know where all the drain runs are) and in any event, this part of the house dates to the 1650s so we doubt anyone has dug a drain run underneath it.

We have checked the fireplace and we do not believe anything has died in there (the jackdaws are a pita). In any event, it is not a constant smell it comes and goes although there is no real pattern.

We think the main sewer runs in front of these two rooms although having walked outside regularly, we cannot detect a smell there. In a straight line there is another room beyond the dining room, but no smell there. Beyond that room there is a toilet/shower room. We have had a smell in there although we did think that this is because that bathroom is never used and since we started flushing the traps through regularly that smell seems to have gone. The smell has not coincided! We have checked the drains and there does not appear to be a blockage.

There are no signs of damp.

We are at a loss. OK, so smelly candles and air fresheners are a short term fix but any ideas, please?

[BANANASPLITS]

Dead rodent?

[Barmaid]

I suppose it could be - although normally they only smell for about 10 days. It's the transient nature of this smell which has us baffled.

[Prudie]

Are you sure there isn't a dead bird higher up the chimney? The now you smell it now you don't may be caused by wind changes?

[wolf63]

Lots of dead rodents deposited over a period of time?!

Do you know any tradesmen, maybe they could identify causes.

[kvalidir]

Does it coincide with when it rains Barmaid, if so you might have yukky stagnant standing water under the house.

[pastafreak]

Is ASBO saving something for a rainy day?
;-)

[TonyV]

I would initially go with Prudie and something is dead in the chimney and transient smell caused by wind direction. My first action would be to get chimney swept.

[Barmaid]

I think we may have to get the chimney swept just to elimate that. The chimneys are blocked off (albeit not desperately well). Last night it was mildly pongy and we stuck our noses up the chimney but couldnt smell anything. This afternoon it was quite a whiff and again couldnt smell anything up the chimney.

However, it rained early on Sunday morning and Sunday evening was a little bit pongy. It lashed it down this morning and this afternoon it was quite whiffy. So you may have something there Kval. And actually whilst there is no evidence of recent damp there is evidence of a serious flood in the back of the dining room - although we put that down to the water damage to put the fire out in the chimney that is now blocked off.

[TonyV]

Barmaid any idea what caused the flooding?

[TonyV]

If chimney is blocked off you still need to have some air movement up it to keep it dry.

[Barmaid]

No, we thought it was water damage from the fire. However, there is no damp now. The walls have all be redone and there are no signs of damp. It is only when we messing about with the skirtingboard and the flooring we discovered it.

[BANANASPLITS]

How long has mr BM been missing ;-)

[Eve]

Is it anywhere near something like a washing machine pipe? I'm guessing you'd have likely noticed if it happened when the washing machine was switched on but figured I'd ask in case.

Going back to working in an old building where there were pigeons getting in to spaces behind the wall, if I remember right, the smell was transient. It linked in with me and others getting bites (I ended up with a bad case of cellulitis from it), when it was investigated and the wall opened up, there was a dead bird (or more) and stagnant water and the smell was beyond vile.

[TonyV]

If parts of house are that old probably no DPC at all. I would maybe invest in a budget damp meter and do some checks yourself. Give Mr BM a toy to play with if he's that way inclined.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=damp+meter&;index=aps&;tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_5l77qzn93c_e&adgrpid=55672394320&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=259094816560&;hvpos=1t1&;hvnetw=g&hvrand=15076527462480359099&hvqmt=e&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006529&hvtargid=aud-487704421413:kwd-297257952842

[tamborine]

any drowned birds/vermin in water tanks?

Is there a damp course?

[TonyV]

These peeps my also give you some advice.

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/ppuk_discovering.shtml

[Barmaid]

Ha ha Banana. I've told him, I shan't bury him - I have a friend with pigs. ;)

Eve - it's nowhere near the washing machine or anything like that. Although I am beginning to think that we could have dead things/water either under the floor or in the walls.

I cant imagine there is a dpc. There might be a membrane down but not a proper dpc. It's 3 cottages knocked into one with some modern extensions. I have no idea (and dread to think) what is under the floors. I know at my parents' house when they moved in it was flag stones on top of earth.

The water tanks are enclosed so that isnt an issue - plus they are in a different part of the house.

I'm going to buy Mr BM that toy for Christmas. He likes toys.

That website looks great.

And no, I dont think it is ASBO related. Although Mr BM has been blaming him or me for weeks and accusing us of flatulence. Or worse.

[AuntLydia]

From what you describe it smells like sewerage. perhaps the mains sewer has a crack, or if you have a septic tank it may be backing up.

[TonyV]

One of my houses had no foundations at all just built straight on the soil with a few bricks laid sideways as foundations. Only found out when I was renewing old lead water supply pipe. But its lasted like that from 1913.

[The Builder]

Sounds like a classic case of dead rodent(s) under the floor Barmaid.
You don't say if you have a suspended floor (timber floor and joists over a sub-floor void. If so, then probably dead rat(s).
This time of the year it wall take quite a bit longer for them to decompose because of low temperatures.
If you have a solid floor, then I really can't think of anything that will pong quite so bad.