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How to sniff out an overpowering odor

Q. We've got this awful smell in our house. It comes and goes from time to time and is driving us nuts. We've checked in the crawl space for dead animals. We've cleaned up the dog run on the side of the house. We've even put air purifiers in three of the rooms, but nothing seems to work. We're just stuck with this nasty stink. What do you think we should do?

A. Locating the source of a disagreeable odor can sometimes be frustrating, especially when the offending stench is intermittent. Usually, the nature and "flavor" of the smell itself will offer some helpful clues, so let's check off some of the likely candidates. Without having sampled the aroma in question, I can suggest the following possibilities:

• Sporadic household odors are sometimes caused by improper venting of a drain pipe, allowing sewer gases to vent into the living area from a sink, a shower drain or other plumbing fixture. This can usually be corrected by a licensed plumber, if the specific drain can be determined.

• The kitchen and other areas of the house should be checked for any decaying food that may have fallen into a concealed area, such as inside a cabinet, behind a garbage can, under a bed, or behind a sofa or dresser.

• Some house odors are caused by rodent infestation. The scent of mice, and especially of bats, is highly pungent and can be continuous or intermittent, depending on the location and population of the creatures in residence. If the problem is bats, you'll know by checking for odors inside the attic.

• Another possibility is excessive moisture in the subarea below the building, a condition that can promote the growth of fungus or mold. Problems of that nature are generally caused by poor ground drainage and/or inadequate ventilation. A general contractor may be able to correct drainage and vent problems, but the infection itself should be referred to a licensed pest control operator if it is fungus, or to a certified mold expert if the problem appears to be mold.

• Another prospect may be pet odors in the carpet. Perhaps your dog is guilty of not always using the yard. In one case, a home inspector discovered that the family cat had been using the warm air register in the dining room floor as a urinal. Whenever the forced air heat was being used, the odor in the house was horrendous.

Potential odor sources are many. For help in narrowing this list, you may be able to find a home inspector who does specialty inspections. Investigations of this kind are usually done on a "best effort" basis. This means that the inspector would charge you for an attempt to determine the problem, with no guarantee of successful discovery. However, you might be able to persuade an inspector to make the fee contingent upon actually locating the source of the problem.

One final suggestion: Now that you've cleaned up the dog run, you might want to treat the ground surface with lime to eliminate residual odors in the soil.

• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.

© 2017, Action Coast Publishing

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