Mystery Smell - What could it be, how to fix?
The property is a rowhome, partially connected on both sides.
The smell is strongest on the RIGHT side of the house towards the front inside the finished basement.
This is the side that has access to the outgoing waste line.
I was able to determine this by opening up several access panels in the finished basement walls on both sides and smelling the air in the cavity.
A neighbor (two doors to LEFT) has developed the same smell in his finished basement at the same time. BOTH houses were flipped by the same corner cutting investment crew using the same materials about 3 years ago.
The house on my adjacent LEFT (in between mine and the neighbor 2 doors down) is a recently vacant property that just sold and is about to get a full gut rehab. It is pretty gross in there. I have been inside sniffing around 2-3 times since it was put on the market. It is gross and does not smell great in there but I could NOT identify the same smell.
This smell has been noticeable for just over 2 months.
Running an ozone generator continuously inside the wall cavity effectively manages the smell, to the point of having us believe it is gone. But when the ozone machine is turned off (or died) the smell is back in 24-48 hours.
We have no idea what the smell is coming from but these are the possibilities:
a) Pets in the home made a mess in the area that was not noticed and cleaned right away. We have eliminated this as a possibility with extensive floor cleaning and running the ozone machine.
b) Sewage leak. This could be it but myself and everyone else thinks this is not a sewage smell. But it stinks!
c) Dead animal. This is my best guess. I was hoping it would deteriorate on its own but I am ready to open up some walls down there. This does not explain why the neighbor 2 houses away in the opposite direction is getting the same smell. It could be a mouse. It could also be a squirrel as they probably can get somehow via a neighbor's porch roof.
I have no other guesses as to what it could be or what to do about it. The ozone machine was running continuously for weeks and has gone kaput. The smell is back. I do need to talk to my neighbor on the RIGHT and see if he is experiencing the same thing. I've had to open up these basement walls 3x in the past 2 years for various crap that the flippers did wrong and I thought I was done with it. I do have a small handheld inspection camera and am ready to drill some small holes in the cavity and look around.
Shoot me some ideas! Somebody tag Jim K.
#3 Investor Mindset Contributor
- Handyman
- Pittsburgh, PA
And now the rat goes down! I like the big Victor snap traps whenever I can use them (no pets). Coarse steel wool to plug up holes, although sand and cement work great. I know you probably know this already but not everyone does. Good luck!
Originally posted by @Jim K.:
And now the rat goes down! I like the big Victor snap traps whenever I can use them (no pets). Coarse steel wool to plug up holes, although sand and cement work great. I know you probably know this already but not everyone does. Good luck!
Aaaaand the rat went down!
Didn't touch my trap. Died somewhere (I think) near a duct.
Started noticing the smell coming from vents in the basement, 1st, and 2nd floor along the same vertical run. Also in the basement HVAC closet room where I run the dehumidifier.
So I covered up all of the stinky vents with cardboard and ran the dehumidifier on high continuously.
The smell was not noticeable once the vents were covered. And after about a week the rat smell went away. Luckily for us I haven't had to run any heat or AC during this time, but I still have the vents covered and am running the dehumidifier. It has been a few weeks now still and I think I am finally through this!
Originally posted by @Max T.:Originally posted by @Jim K.:
And now the rat goes down! I like the big Victor snap traps whenever I can use them (no pets). Coarse steel wool to plug up holes, although sand and cement work great. I know you probably know this already but not everyone does. Good luck!
Aaaaand the rat went down!
Didn't touch my trap. Died somewhere (I think) near a duct.
Started noticing the smell coming from vents in the basement, 1st, and 2nd floor along the same vertical run. Also in the basement HVAC closet room where I run the dehumidifier.
So I covered up all of the stinky vents with cardboard and ran the dehumidifier on high continuously.
The smell was not noticeable once the vents were covered. And after about a week the rat smell went away. Luckily for us I haven't had to run any heat or AC during this time, but I still have the vents covered and am running the dehumidifier. It has been a few weeks now still and I think I am finally through this!
Don't think I've ever gotten rid of dead animal smell without getting rid of the carcass. Would not trust this fleeting moment of happiness, must continue to probe for location. Do the infrared covid camera's capture dead bodies lying around?
@John Collins
From what I’ve read if it is in a dry location I’ll be ok. I haven’t smelled anything in months now. I’d have to rip up this whole basement to find it now. Wouldn’t know where to start.