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Help me identify source of smell!

12 replies

3AndADog · 27/10/2023 23:46

Old old house. Bedroom stinks of what I can only describe as a sour, sweaty smell when it rains. It hasn’t smelt all summer and now it’s back and I’d forgotton how awful it is. The gable wall has a chimney in it (capped), it’s a granite wall lined with plasterboard so no fireplace - it’s all covered up. The room below which has the main fire place doesn’t smell. There is no major damp, we’ve had it surveyed by damp specialists. We have new windows so no ingress there. Floorboards and carpet seem fine. There is no way to get to the source of the smell - it is in the corner of the room but no wall/area of floor smells particularly strongly. It doesn’t smell musty or earthy or damp. More acidic, like sweat. Our trusted builder has no clue and says we’ll only get to the bottom of it by ripping out the plaster and taking the room back to the granite, but we can’t afford to do any of that right now.

any ideas?!!

OP posts:
MadeOfAllWork · 27/10/2023 23:48

Possibly something dead, but the smell does go after a while, certainly after a year, even if it’s not found.

3AndADog · 27/10/2023 23:50

No, doesn’t smell of death and as I said, only when it rains.

OP posts:
Paradiseflycatcher · 27/10/2023 23:51

Ask @Pigletjohn

Paradiseflycatcher · 27/10/2023 23:52

Bugger. Can someone tag Pigletjohn? He is the person who may well be able to answer your query, OP.

Getoverit1965 · 27/10/2023 23:57

Is the boarded up fireplace vented?

3AndADog · 28/10/2023 00:00

No vent. I worry that putting a vent in will make the smell worse!

OP posts:
Getoverit1965 · 28/10/2023 00:15

Lack of airflow in a boarded up fireplace can be an issue. That would be my first port of call. I have a surveying degree but don't work as a surveyor so I'm not an expert but I do have some knowledge.

Getoverit1965 · 28/10/2023 00:16

Interested to see what PigletJohn thinks, he's very good on this sort of thing.

Glipsy · 28/10/2023 09:56

if a vent in the fireplace would make the smell worse, the smell is coming from the fireplace!

3AndADog · 28/10/2023 15:23

I don’t know this - there is no vent so I don’t know - the chimney breast is totally covered by plasterboard so I don’t even know if there is a fireplace or vent there. If it’s coming from the chimney then what would create the smell - as I said it’s not musty or damp smelling, but only happens when it rains

OP posts:
Glipsy · 28/10/2023 20:16

I’d definitely start by venting the chimney - it might not be that but if it smells when it rains, it’s almost certainly to do with water getting in and that’s a decent place to start

Chalkdowns · 28/10/2023 20:20

I’d agree with the others about the fireplace. They need vents. I’ve just opened up a boarded up fireplace as it was an endless source of little flies which were enjoying the damp and so far it being opened up has sorted it

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