Smelly Old House
flyingtim01
11 years ago
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Billl
11 years agoflyingtim01
11 years agoRelated Discussions
I need help with a old smelly fridg please
Comments (3)Is the smell all over or just inside? If it's the latter, does it smell like rotted food, or like mold and mildew? Did you try washing it down with diluted bleach? If you do, try not to breathe the fumes, wear gloves, and use a thirsty sponge and bucket. Wipe with a towel, then prop open the door and let it hard dry. If there is algae, mold or something else growing in the compressor, evaporator, water lines, etc., it may need to be taken apart to clean, and it may well not be worth it....See MoreCleaning old smelly sheets
Comments (32)Hello. I worked for Fisheries and Oceans on the Trawl Fleet. I was head to toe in hydrolic grease, fish slime, guts, blood, fish oils, food stains especially cooking oil used way to much by cook. I would have several changes of cloths, stow dirty in my duffle bag until trip end about 2 weeks on average, the smell was overwhelming! As a group, my collegues and I stunk to high heaven, our cloths permanently stained and smelly after several washes of most of your suggestions here. Cloths were an expensive comodaty over time. We also tried soakind over nite in ammonia and cold water in garbage bucket outside, this worked much better, most stains including grease would dissolved away with longer and stronger soaks. Finally we hit on the very best, first time remedy...Pine Sol, the REAL origional stuff, in cold, then rewash with hot water if needed. It smells very pinesolly when washed but an air dry outside or a cling free sheet in drier, smell gone, all stains gone. We used about 3/4 c per load plus granular Tide in top loading washer. If really heavy stain of oils usually fishy grime, we would make paste of 1/3 pine sol with granular tide, work well into unwashed cloths stain, the granuals gave abrasive action as well as being a sufficant as it dissolved deeply with Pine sol into fibres. Pine Sol plus detergent or water softeners, are now the only washing method of most Fisheries officers and fishermen. It works that well and will work on your sheets too. Granular is cheaper and works better than newer liquid products for Tide in this case. You get just as many loads. If worried about soap residue in cold wash, dilute granuals in hot water in a small container then add to cold wash....See Moresmelly house
Comments (5)What would be the best way to seal the old ducts? I have been reading some of the other questions posted on the site. I believe the odor may be coming from the dirt floor that is exposed under our house. It is also a very tight squeeze under the house. Where would I look for someone to do work on my dirt crawl space? (remove dirt, lay barrier down, etc.) I would do it my self, but I don't have any skills. I can't even cook a hamburger or change a tire. My husband is as unskilled as I am. I have the drive and the willingness to do projects, but no know how. Tamara...See MoreFixing an old house floor plan - cross post w/ The Old House
Comments (6)It was NOPSI when I lived in New Oreleans, and in rental shotgun houses...NOPSI claimed a large part of my paychecks! New Orleans has a lot of Energy Raters, the highest concentration in the state actually. Entergy has made use of some of these raters in their efficiency program Energy Smart. here are a couple of links for you to check out: http://www.energysmartnola.info/one-stop-shop/ http://www.energysmartnola.info/for-your-home/ not being in that area anymore, I don't know how this program works..but you can find out if you are interested. my only advice would be to involve yourself with an experienced rater there in N.O. someone with experience in old homes...the newer raters I met may have the training... but couldn't tell gas from electric heat systems, or know how to identify balloon framing. so look for someone who has 10+ years of experience. La. DNR also has list of energy raters state wide, their efficiency incentive program isn't still in effect...but last time I checked the list of active raters was still online. DNR(dept natural resources) provided the training for all of us back in 1999. so they have a good handle on who knows their stuff...and who doesn't. it is hard to see detail in your posted plans. so I'll keep my questions fairly general. my first two concerns are air sealing & hvac system. I know you have a partial ' basement' (LOL) are electrical & plumbing exposed? was there ever a central hvac system installed? if basement isn't full size of house...what access is there to the part of the house without basement? how much room is there between ground & house? 3'...4'....more? is house all electric or is natural gas provided? as to heating...do you have a prefrence? if all electric..then look research heat pumps...great wintertime savings in our area. (I'm south central La these days) have you looked at mini split units? condenser unit outside, individual air handler units that hang on walls in rooms. I can't tell if your layout would work for this or not. is there a space in your home you could make into heating system closet? have you had any hvac companies come out to look at the house yet? involving hvac company never starts too early. it may be that ductwork will need to be installed during the reno. if you can't give up the sq ft for system inside house...I've seen people put the heating system in the 'basement'. quite a few flooded after katrina, but its not an everyday occurrence, and depending upon what part of town your house is located in...flooding is something to consider. I know uptown floods in a hearbeat with heavy rains...but areas like bywater stay dry. the top floor...full attic or are there walls of the living space that are shared with attic space? is attic space large enough to house heating system? air sealing.. there are really two ways to air seal. caulk, backer rods & more caulk which can be diy..or foam insulation. one is inexpensive & time consuming...the other expensive & fast. foam insulating the roofline will be biggest bang for the buck. then putting heat system & ductwork in attic keeps it in a semi conditioned space, so that you don't have ducts to cool the house in a 140 degree attic. by moving air & thermal barriers to roofline, a lot of the air leakage sites in ceilings are depressurized, so that house isn't sucking hot dirty humid attic air into the house to clean, dehumidify & condition when central unit is running. as most of our heat gain/cooling loss is through the ceiling into the attic space creating a tight air barrier, and thermal barrier (insulation) is very important. we use open cell in the attic roofline, depth to equal R-value required ( R-25 for cathedral for example is 6- 6.5" deep) also if house is balloon framed, foam seal at eaves to attic floor will stop air movement in walls. we need to air seal our walls...but insulating walls here isn't high on our list of things to do. foam in walls...is a huge waste of money. the next place for foam is under the floors. here we use closed cell. to keep moisture from ground from being sucked into the house. 2-3" is sufficient. this will also seal bottom of balloon framed walls. I've had issue with some of the foam insulators in N.O., because I am one picky b!tch. unlike most energy raters I oversee install of foam and test for air leakage with foam co on site, so that they can catch any leakage sites then without an added trip. as these companies expand into my area...they don't stay long. over the years I've learned which companies will actually create air tight seals...and who doesn't. and fyi...it isn't always the big companies that do it right. owner/installer companies are more willing to learn how to do it right. and the install of foam, just like the install of the hvac system is the key to the whole thing. ok...there are your questions to answer & things to think about for today. I'll check back after you reply. and think about investing in a blower door test of the house at minimum. this will identify leakage sites that need to be sealed. if you have ductwork, spring for the duct test also. better to know what you have to start with..what you need to do... and have it tested when completed. this way you have a goal to work towards...and an idea of how to do it. best of luck...See Morelazy_gardens
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