Where is the mold smell coming from???
Kendrah
4 years ago
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Comments (18)
J Williams
4 years agoKendrah
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Where is this smell coming from?
Comments (8)Thanks for all of the info and suggestions. Creek side, I agree that it is probably the septic system. And we are now fairly sure it is caused by the roof sewer vents freezing up. Most often the smell has gone away after my husband broke through a thin layer of ice on one of the vents. The reason we thought it might be something else is because our plumber told us that a thin layer of ice usually doesn't cause sewer gas to back up, and he also said he didn't think it smelled like sewer gas. But what other explanation could there be? Why else would the smell come and go so often, if it isn't the sewer vent freezing and thawing? Last night confirmed the fact, at least to us, that the smell is coming from the freezing vents. It was seriously stinky last night and much more of a rotten egg sulfur smell. So DH went up to the roof and knocked ice off of one of our vents. This morning, the smell is pretty much gone. So if the smell is the result of ice forming on the vent, then does anyone have an idea of why our one (not both) roof vent is freezing over at least 3 times a week? And how can we prevent it so that DH isn't climbing on the roof so often? Why have I never heard of people having to unplug their sewer vents so often? It seems that something must be seriously wrong for that to keep happening....See MoreWhere's mold coming from?
Comments (7)Hello again, lazygardens and worthy. More news on the mold front. I inspected the flashing on the auxiliary and found that there was a gap between the flashing and the wall, and that the flashing was sealed along only half its length. My roofing guy is going to seal it. The bigger issue, however, may be that my roofing guy installed a TPO roof last February to replace the modified bitumen roof I had before. My roofing guy came out today and, in the course of our conversation, he mentioned that TPO roofing doesn't breathe, and perhaps that could be a factor in my mold problem. I then went online and found two articles indicating that condensation buildup can be a problem with TPO roofs. Both articles recommended installation of insulation above the roof deck before applying the TPO. Have you heard anything about this?...See Moresewer gas smell coming from drain in basement
Comments (5)Your trap is dry. The forced air causes the water to dry rapidly because of the pressure imbalance. This is a common problem in commercial building lavatories where the exhaust fan runs constantly. A solution is to add a fresh air intake vent in a basement window to balance the pressure. Another solution is to completely seal off the basement from the climate controlled zone of the house, but it sounds like your basement is part of the conditioned space of the home (most likely through the old floor boards). A third solution is to put water down the floor drain every day. The hole you see in the side of the floor drain is probably a tee that runs to your foundation drain system....See MoreAny ideas where the smell is coming from?
Comments (9)The "trap" in the drain is this dipsy-doodle just below the drain opening. It traps a small quantity of water in it which acts as a seal to prevent sewer gas from coming up though the drain. Even if it doesn't drain as well as it should, that "trap" should still hold water and prevent gas from coming up. Suspect separate issue. Sometimes well water has stuff in that is affected by being heated. If you say this is something you notice only when hot-water tap is opened, I would be suspicious of something like that. Wish I could smell what you're smelling. These odors are almost always characteristic of the source. If you have access to a more experienced person to do the smelling, perhaps you could learn something that way....See MoreJAN MOYER
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoUser
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4 years agoJ Williams
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