ionized_gw, Thanks for your reply. No suction at the return when I feel that slight air flow. I've done the paper test. I feel air coming out of the vents/registers. It is not consistent, though.

No shared dryer ducts. The place was vacant for a few years except for twice when some renters moved in for about 3 months each. No one has done any laundry until these new people moved in. I told them that perhaps the dryer vent needs to be cleaned out and I was told that the owner did that before they moved in but I highly doubt that.

I don't understand the smell in the downstairs hallway unless it is just leeching out of the laundry room but the other day just a slight smell in laundry room and very strong in hallway. There will be no smell at all in the return and then that very strong perfumey odor is back again.

I'll check into the smoke pencils. I am planning on re-contacting one of the HVAC guys who came out here. The first one who came out was the one who installed my system about 2 years ago. He came out twice and checked everything, no charge. The second guys checked the ducts and the furnace and didn't feel there were any problems. Of course the smell is never strong when anyone is here to check it out. :-( The smell is very similar to what has come out of the neighbors' dryer vent. In fact one day the smell was extremely strong outside and my neighbor was outside and told me that he smelled it but he didn't believe it was coming from his dryer although he did say that they were doing laundry about 1 1/2 hrs. earlier.

I'll also check out info about pressure differentials and wind & stack effect.

I just need to figure this out. I had a 2 day reprieve of no smell and then it started again the other day. It's making me sick. I use laundry detergent without perfumes and I don't use dryer sheets or fabric softener.

It's unlikely you will ever get it exactly the way you want it without any smell if your neighbor is doing something unlike what you want or do. Part of this portends to the reality of the difference from living in a townhome, apartment, duplex or condo versus that of a single family home. There is a certain part of the population that would never consider moving into one of these places to live, because of the nuisance of living so close to other people.

Some of you may take the attitude that I am 'brow bashing' because I take a different stance than someone who suggests to you to 'chase your tail'.

People that are allergic to various smells tend to be more sensitive to these things than other people. The problem in dealing with these kinds of things in a shared home ( a home that has common walls with other tenants / owners of a shared property.) Is that a home's air has a turn over rate. A rate in which outside air will make it's way inside.

So how could the exhaust of a dryer make it's way inside?

A multitude of ways.

Get a make up air intake installed for the laundry room. Sounds like your house gets depressurized and sucks in air from the attic through vents. Also explains why the attic smells like baby powder and why it gets down into your house. Resealing all your ductwork would be an endeavor but may be needed. Also check the ceiling penetrations where the ductwork comes through, those might not be sealed.

If applicable you might be a good candidate for aeroseal which seals all the ductwork from the inside.

May also help to have a fresh air intake attached to your return to bring in fresh air all the time when the unit is running, unless the smell is outside as well.

Good advice from Vith. I'll add to check all ceiling penetrations. Can lights are notorious. You could get in an energy rater. They can identify areas to easily cut energy use and might well help you out with the pressure problems.

Thanks for the information. I've lived here many years and this is the first time I've experienced this. My duct work was checked and I was told that everything was sealed. Two different people checked this.

What exactly is a "make up air intake"? (same as fresh air intake??) If that needs to be ducted from the outside and an area of outside wall needs to be cut then I probably can't do that here. I live in a townhouse and there are limitations to what we can and can not do especially to the exterior which is not our responsibility. The smell is also outside so a fresh air intake would probably just pull more of it inside the house. :-)

The only can lights here are in the downstairs hallways and those are not attached to the ceiling area going to the attic or roof. One is underneath an upstairs hallway and another underneath a bedroom.

Can the smell be going across the firewall somehow. I believe there is a small hall where wires are coming through. Could the neighbor's duct work be leaky and this cause the smell to come out of their ducts and go across into my home?

As for the sealing aerosol does that produce fumes or odor. I need to be very careful here what is used in my home because I have birds and they have sensitive respiratory systems. I assume that an HVAC person would do that, although as I have indicated both HVAC service people told me that the ducts here are sealed and there are not rips or tears.

Haven't had a strong smell for a few days but do have some light odor coming from the vents with system on. Forgot to ask, why does the odor just seem to linger in the ducts and then come out of the vents when I turn the system on even when there is no smell lingering anywhere in the house or outside. I know that fabric softener and dryer sheet odor can be very long lasting. I have mild asthma and am very sensitive to this. The charcoal activated odor reducing filters seem to be useless.

BTW, I would much rather live in a single family home than a townhouse. I have lived here a long time and would like to move if it was affordable. If I knew what I know now about townhouse living I would have bought a single family house to begin with. It's a nice townhouse but I would prefer not to share walls and not to deal with an HOA although ours is not a bad one.

To pressurize the house, you'd probably want an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or heat recovery ventilator (HRV) depending on your climate. Yes, they bring in outside air which means that you'd have to find a location where irritating VOCs are not in the stream.

Consider talking your problem over with an energy rater or other specialist. This is really not an energy rater problem, but if you find the right one, they should be able to dive in and help. It would have to be one that colors outside the lines.

Another resource that could help might be a home inspection firm that does inspections for home buyers, but you might have better luck with one that also does commercial work and engineering inspections and energy rating all under one roof. I don't have any connection with this company other than they did a pre-purchase home inspection for me and, later with another house, asked for a consult about some problems with the property and for wind protection. I was impressed and this is who I'd recommend if you were my neighbor or otherwise in my area. Just for an example:

credentials

It is far easier to remove the offending culprit, It would mean that you go to your neighbors and tell them your dilemma and see if they might reduce their dryer sheet usage or stop using them all together.

Certain smells can permeate walls with little resistance and because we're talking about dryer smells, the smells can also be outdoors.

Forgot to ask, why does the odor just seem to linger in the ducts and then come out of the vents when I turn the system on even when there is no smell lingering anywhere in the house or outside.

Hard to say really. It could be how the structure was built. If the return is a chase built return that could have something to do with it. The odor is more or less intended to attach itself to things, so IMO this is the reason it lingers.

Talked to the neighbors 4 times and nothing is going to change. :-( They don't think it's coming from their vent. I even asked the wife to come outside one day when their dryer was running and take a whiff of the air coming out of the vent but that didn't happen and one day the husband noticed the smell after they were done with their laundry but he didn't believe it was coming from their vent. He even stated that maybe it was coming from mine and I know for certain that is NOT the case.

It would be nice if they would stop using dryer sheets, perfumed laundry detergents and fabric softener but that is, unfortunately, their choice. Would probably also be a good thing if they had the dryer duct as well as their dryer cleaned.

I had a reprieve most of the week but this afternoon the smell was back.

What is a "chase built return"?

A chase built return is more or less a small cavity that is framed typically with sheet rock and attached by some means to the return side of your HVAC system.

Here's a picture... The air filter would go where the 1" lip is showing in the picture toward the bottom left hand corner of the picture.

Did you ever get this problem resolved ?? I am having the same type of problem. A strong fabric like softener smell that comes and goes.

Here are 5 common HVAC odors and what they indicate.

https://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/

1. Electrical Odors

If your HVAC unit smells like it might be overheating, it very well could be. Turn your unit off before attempting to diagnose the problem. First, check the air filter to see if it is very dirty as this can restrict the air flow and overheat the electric resistance heaters. If it’s not an air filter issue, make sure the electricity is turned off at the master switch. A professional HVAC technician will need to check out the problem and make repairs. An electrical odor typically is a problem within the motor or the wiring. Attempting to fix either of these items can result in severe injuries.

In the fall, the first few times the heater kicks on, it may emit a burning odor that can smell electrical and dusty. If you are just turning on your heater, this could be a problem which will eventually go away on its own. Give it 20 to 30 minutes and see if the smell dissipates. If it does, it probably was just the dust burning off. If it continues, contact your HVAC technician.

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2. Rotten Egg Smell

Provided there aren’t any rotten eggs in your home, then the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur most likely indicates a natural gas leak. Although on its own, natural gas is odorless, most utility providers add the aroma to alert people of a leak. Don’t take this lightly. Open the windows to your home, get out of the house immediately, then call the gas company.

3. Gas Smell

Sometimes, when you first turn on the heater, it can smell like gas is burning. During the summer, dust settles within the HVAC on the heat exchanger. When the furnace is turned on, the dust gets burned off. If the smell isn’t coming from the vents, it’s most likely a leak at a pipe fitting or within the equipment. You should not attempt to fix this problem. Call your HVAC technician to find the leak and make repairs.

4. Musty or Moldy Smell

A smell like mildew or mold is probably the most common ailment of HVAC systems. When the AC is running, there is a lot of condensation within the unit. When the moisture doesn’t drain properly, it can escape into the ducts and cause mold. Finding where the mold buildup is and getting it cleaned up will solve the problem. An HVAC technician has the knowledge to handle the problem and ensure that it doesn’t recur.

5. Smell of Oil

The smell of oil comes from one of two things. First, look for an oil leak. If you see oil, you may just need to tighten a fitting in the tank, oil line, or filter.

While this isn’t a dangerous issue, it does need to be taken care of by a qualified repair technician. It should be noted that a new furnace may emit the burning smell for the first 24 hours of operation, but if the smell continues beyond then you need to call the professionals who installed the unit.

Did you check that the dryer vent in attic is connected properly? Had issue once where it became disconnected and all the lint / fabric softener smell just poured into the attic when dryer was run. Then of course the smell could permeate around from there.

i’m having this same issue and am having headaches, sneezing etc. every surface of the house where dust settled smells like strong fabric softener. our new HVAC system is only 3 years old.

im so glad someone else has exoerience with this because i thought i was losing my mind