odor in house during humid weather
Jane913
12 years ago
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jennifw
12 years agohitthewall55
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Septic tank odor during heavy rain
Comments (8)Late to the game here but here's my take.... I'm on septic too and it's old but works well. The house is old too, predates indoor plumbing, so when plumbing was installed only the upstairs bathroom was vented and not the downstairs halfbath. When we get heavy a prolonged rain (4-6"+ over a week) the unvented downstairs toilet will burp when the upstairs toilet is flushed. To me it appears that the heavy rains temporarily saturate the old drain field which causes a back-up of waste in the septic tank. This waste back-up covers the outgoing pipe located inside the tank with waste water so when the upstairs toilet is flushed the resulting compressed air in the line has no where to go except to burp out via the first floor toilet which is not vented. The odor you smell results from the burped/expelled air. I hope my "theory" makes sense as I am no way an expert on this topic. But in my case it seems to be the only logical explanation due to heavy rains and a saturated septic field. My only real concern is that too much toilet flushing, showers/bath use, laundry use, etc during these rain events would back up the waste water all the way into our house via the lowest drain outlet. I'm open to any thoughts on my thoughts about this, would like to know if it's "normal" for heavy prolonged rainy periods to cause old septic tanks to back-up? Thanks...See MoreHelp! Strange Odor in my Home
Comments (18)Kitchens & Baths, it just could be the paint and nothing more serious, but you never know. I would possibly invest in an inspector at this point and see what they can find out for you. If they can't find it, I would probably get out of the contract. I came across this thread and wanted to post my experience since several people had a suspicious smell possibly relating to paint. It's possibly caused by paint that had been frozen. We painted a room last winter. A few months after painting, we started to notice a funky odor, that was sort of cat urine like, yet not. We have cats, so I kept thinking a cat had to have peed in the room, but I couldn't find it anywhere. We couldn't find any other source and the walls specifically did seem have an odor, especially after the door to the room had been closed. I finally went back to the local Sherwin Williams store where I purchased the paint. The store manager came to our house and confirmed the walls had an odor, but suggested it could be mold or something else causing it. (No mold!) Even so, he gave me free of charge new wall paint, as well as their primer/sealer product to prime with. I primed and painted, and the odor is gone. We recently hired a painter to paint some other rooms and I mentioned the stinky wall paint. He knew immediately what the problem was. He said the paint had probably sat on a delivery truck in freezing weather, and the freezing causes the sulfur-like odor. He even suggested the paint store manager probably also knew what caused the odor, and that the manager should have paid for the labor to have the room repainted in addition to covering the paint cost. I feel like it's too late to go back and ask for that, but I'll keep it in mind for the future....See MoreLow humidity in home and the effects on engineered floors.
Comments (13)The bottom line with engineered in a home with RH fluctuations (too low in winter and possibly too high in summer): SHORTER life span = Guaranteed - Read below: Cupping is likely in summer (ahem...you have a DEHUMIDIFIER in your crawlspace = humidity imbalance is already known) 3. Gapping is GOING to happen in winter (you already know this because your own investigations into your home's environment are already pointing in that direction. "Checking" or splitting/cracking of the veneer surface is HIGHLY probable once humidity drops below 30%....and it can do it year #1 if you have a bad winter! There is NO going back once it does this = need a new floor. 5. Wood does not always "go back" to size once it has been "stretched" too much. Example: a wood floor exposed to HIGH humidity in the air = crowning....if the humidity is left to stay HIGH for months the wood may NEVER go back to original size. This is the major risk. It can happen with engineered and solid. As you can see, an engineered hardwood has many concerns with humidity levels and lack of control. Remember: the weakest link in any chain is the place where metal has been "bonded" together. The "weld" spot can be the weakest spot. That is the same concept with wood. The weakest spots are the GLUED areas. The GLUE can "let go" when exposed to too much movement. Wood is hydroscopic (it grows or shrinks with moisture levels). The HIGH END adhesives can be VERY elastic....but they will eventually "age" and then become brittle and then eventually "snap" - like an old crunchy elastic band. The more the glue is MADE to move, the more likely it will FAIL = delamination; checking/splitting, etc. A solid hardwood is missing all that GLUE. It will have it's issues....but the issues are more likely to stay "healthy" and functional over time. If you do NOT have a "veneer" you do NOT get delamination. If you do NOT have glue, you cannot have glue failures. If you wish to work with engineered hardwood, you might want to look at floating flooring. When the edges are glued together, the floor will move as ONE PIECE. It will expand as one, and shrink as one. There are VERY FEW solid hardwoods that are allowed to be "floated". And only 70% of all engineered are allowed to be floated. At this point, you will need to "pick your poison". You know your home's weaknesses. You know your own tolerances (and you accept the imperfections of "life" which is a HUGE advantage ;-). You will have to find the product that is the MOST APPROPRIATE for your use. You want a floor that will "last" and that will never be refinished (while you are in the home....the next people can deal with the floors later). I worry that an engineered hardwood in a wider plank (4" or greater) will have issues in your environment. The checking and splitting of the top wear surface (the veneer) is a BIG possibility in your situation (with humidity that *could drop to 20% during a cold winter). And that NEGATES the requirement of a LONG LASTING floor. Once that veneer splits, you need a new floor OR you need wall to wall area rugs to stop the 3" splinters from stabbing you in the leg. A narrow plank (3") solid factory finished hardwood that is quarter sawn. Cleat into place so that you avoid the glue concerns. This might be your "best bet". I would install the floor in either spring or fall. We call these the "shoulder" seasons. These are the seasons where the humidity is considered in the "average" range for the home. Not too high, not too low. That gives the wood the best chance of being "happy" for the longest periods of time....See Morehow to increase humidity in home
Comments (53)FWIW, my current house was also custom built by the previous/first owner (who, if you live in Edgmont, probably used to live within a few Km of you) too. He acted as his own GC and unfortunately used the lowest bid for everything, and I am finding all the shortcomings at decade and a half later (e.g., earlier this year, french patio doors attached by just _one_ screw - the two others were attached by two screws each). His background may have been a commodities trader and he believed many things were a commodity (his wife and he were not of limited means either). One of the issues with the HVAC was that the air return from the bottom floor was never completed (by far) so cold air wasn't really being sucked out of the bottom floor....See MoreWanda18
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