Smoke/dirty dog smell seeping in/dog doo... (recommendation, plumber, condo)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'll keep this short. I own a town home. One wall on the "left" side shares a wall with another unit. This unit is rented. When I moved in the renter in the other unit smoked inside and the odor/smoke was finding it's way into my home. It was annoying but she was on her way out (took about six months) so I didn't make a deal of it. Plus, I had the interior of the entire town home painted so I had the "new paint" smell for a while. When she left the owner began doing repairs/maintenance, largely done by one of his friends. Since it was primarily just the one guy doing it, it took a really long time.
Now there is a new renter in that unit, and she smokes, too. So once again the smoke is finding its way into my unit. She also has two dogs and I am certain that dirty dog smell is coming in, too, unless she is just smoking some funky (not weed) stuff.
On my side of the shared wall, from left to right, is the staircase to the upstairs, a small 1/2 bath, and then the kitchen. The area underneath the stairs is a finished "cubby hole" type of storage space and the only appliance on the shared portion of the wall in the kitchen is the fridge. The missus says the smell is most prevalent in the kitchen and I think it is most prevalent "in" the stairs and the storage space underneath. It's impossible to tell and I cannot rip out the stairs, bathroom, and half the kitchen just to seal up the wall.
On "her" side of the wall is the dining room and kitchen with her kitchen abutting my kitchen. Along her side of the wall is the sink, dishwasher, and stove; pipping and heavy duty wiring must be going into the wall. I am thinking this must be the location of leak, or one of them anyways. Also, about 8 inches of brick separate the units.
I am not sure, but it seems to me that it would be far easier to seal up the leaks on her side of the wall.
To add, her two dogs pee and poop in what can best be described as her portion of a front yard. She does not clean up the dog poop and the pee is bleaching the grass and some plants alongside the fence of her patio.
I am looking to put my home on the market within a year and am not sure what I can do about this stuff. We have a HOA and a property management group. Neither seem too concerned about it.
I do not want to show my home if it smells like cigarette smoke and I do not want to mask odor, as it might seem obvious I am trying to cover something up. Plus, the scent I use may also be annoying to potential buyers.
And the dog poo....any potential buyer walking up to my unit will walk past it.
What can I do here? Local and State laws allow for smoking indoors, but can I legally press the owner of that unit to seal the holes in his unit if need be? Can he be legally responsible for at least half the costs of sealing up the wall? My CCR does mention "party walls", but in the context of shared patio fences only. He is a nice guy and I don't want to use the law, but if I have too it is an option I would consider.
I also do not want to dupe new buyers by covering up the smell with the odor of fresh paint.
I would think it's not coming through the walls, at least not directly.
I think you share a common vent pipe which vents both of your stoves.
This pipe goes up through your common wall.
There is a Y (picture it upside down) connection inside the wall.
You are getting bad-air backwash.
Try leaving the vent fan on and see what happens.
If your stove fan does not actually vent outside (probably to the roof), then think bathroom vents, which almost always do, and could also share a common pipe.
Solution? Maybe ask a plumber about an air-valve-flap?
Otherwise, possibly you have a shared attic and the bad air is going from there, down inside the wall (even inside cement blocks) to the first floor and coming out into your cubby through (an outlet?) .
In the interest of time, I won't wait for your response. Let me add you need to address this asap. Either way, it' s an emergency.
In my experience that smell has been a sewer fumes leak (or sewer gas leak). It comes from under the sink..that pipe, or another pipe that may be lose. And a vacant house, lack of use of the pipe can cause it, fyi. As can a bird's nest on top of and blocking the gas vent pipe going out your roof. Sewer gas is disgusting but it can also make you very sick and, I understand, even be life threatening. Nausea? Headaches? You've got to get this looked at. Call a plumber ASAP.
Some could say it's a natural gas leak smell from the sulfur they put in it as a leak indicator. All areas I'm familiar with you can call the gas co for a smell and they come out fast and free. We've had them in hawaiian shirt and flip flops from their cookout. And they don't mind because they get paid double and really late or on Sundays they can get triple pay. So go for it. They are educated on alternatives. They will say, "hey, did you have anything painted with oil based paint" (which smells like gas when a toaster or dryer heats up) Or they will likely know if it's sewer gas.
In the interest of time, I won't wait for your response. Let me add you need to address this asap. Either way, it' s an emergency.
In my experience that smell has been a sewer fumes leak (or sewer gas leak). It comes from under the sink..that pipe, or another pipe that may be lose. And a vacant house, lack of use of the pipe can cause it, fyi. As can a bird's nest on top of and blocking the gas vent pipe going out your roof. Sewer gas is disgusting but it can also make you very sick and, I understand, even be life threatening. Nausea? Headaches? You've got to get this looked at. Call a plumber ASAP.
Some could say it's a natural gas leak smell from the sulfur they put in it as a leak indicator. All areas I'm familiar with you can call the gas co for a smell and they come out fast and free. We've had them in hawaiian shirt and flip flops from their cookout. And they don't mind because they get paid double and really late or on Sundays they can get triple pay. So go for it. They are educated on alternatives. They will say, "hey, did you have anything painted with oil based paint" (which smells like gas when a toaster or dryer heats up) Or they will likely know if it's sewer gas.
That's a good point, it could be sewer gas. OP - do you have a sink or shower that you haven't used in many months? If yes, pour a few cups of water down the drain of the unused sink or shower. There can be a J shaped drain pipe. A cup or two of water normally would stay in the J part of the pipe. This water prevents sewer gas smell from entering the home. If you don't use a sink/shower for a long time, then that cup of water (that normally sits in the drain pipe) will evaporate. Eventually that room starts smelling funky. Just pour water down the drain and you are good for a couple months.
That's a good point, it could be sewer gas. OP - do you have a sink or shower that you haven't used in many months? If yes, pour a few cups of water down the drain of the unused sink or shower. There can be a J shaped drain pipe. A cup or two of water normally would stay in the J part of the pipe. This water prevents sewer gas smell from entering the home. If you don't use a sink/shower for a long time, then that cup of water (that normally sits in the drain pipe) will evaporate. Eventually that room starts smelling funky. Just pour water down the drain and you are good for a couple months.
And I might add that is a great idea and is a temporary fix and still needs to be looked at. We have somehow encountered this a few places. A grocer 2 or 3 times...same one. An office where they claimed the boss liked hard boiled eggs cooked back in the kitchen every morning (nothing cooking, of course). A fast food place. Another cause can be snow really backed on the roof vents too but not this time of year.
I would think it's not coming through the walls, at least not directly.
I think you share a common vent pipe which vents both of your stoves.
This pipe goes up through your common wall.
There is a Y (picture it upside down) connection inside the wall.
You are getting bad-air backwash.
Try leaving the vent fan on and see what happens.
If your stove fan does not actually vent outside (probably to the roof), then think bathroom vents, which almost always do, and could also share a common pipe.
Solution? Maybe ask a plumber about an air-valve-flap?
Otherwise, possibly you have a shared attic and the bad air is going from there, down inside the wall (even inside cement blocks) to the first floor and coming out into your cubby through (an outlet?) .
In terms of the vent above stove the previous owner had it rigged to connect to the outgoing dryer vent. I am not sure why he did it this way since there is a second vent that could have been used. I had a new HVAC put in, that is when it was discovered that the vent above the stove was connected to the dryer vent and the second vent was going unused. Both vents originate from within the unit and exit through an opposite wall (from the offending unit). There is no reason for the vents from adjoining units to connect to each other and if they did it would make zero sense considering the layout of the units. The half bath on the main floor now connects to the second vent, but as I wrote, these vents are individual to my unit.
The attic space is not shared; the brick wall goes all the way up to the roof.
At the moment the odor is most prominent in the downstairs half bath, and it is most definitely a stale cigarette smell. I turned on the exhaust fan, but it does not seem to be helping...been running for a bout a half hour now with no change in smell.
I have read that cigarette smoke can travel though wall sockets, pipes, floorboards, etc., hence why I say it is coming through the walls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas
Can't believe the HOA won't do anything about the dog poop.
Yeah, they are very hands off. I am not sure why the property management company has not done anything. They are the ones who take care of mowing the lawns and I know for a fact that one of their gardeners stepped in it at least once. They see it every time they mow the lawn (weekly).
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah
Call your town's Board of Health about the dog poop. Fines will get her attention fast.
That is a good idea. Will look into it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cully
Call the health dept.
Is this smell like rotten eggs or the very long ago women's hair parlor hair perm smell?
Nope.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cully
In the interest of time, I won't wait for your response. Let me add you need to address this asap. Either way, it' s an emergency.
In my experience that smell has been a sewer fumes leak (or sewer gas leak). It comes from under the sink..that pipe, or another pipe that may be lose. And a vacant house, lack of use of the pipe can cause it, fyi. As can a bird's nest on top of and blocking the gas vent pipe going out your roof. Sewer gas is disgusting but it can also make you very sick and, I understand, even be life threatening. Nausea? Headaches? You've got to get this looked at. Call a plumber ASAP.
Some could say it's a natural gas leak smell from the sulfur they put in it as a leak indicator. All areas I'm familiar with you can call the gas co for a smell and they come out fast and free. We've had them in hawaiian shirt and flip flops from their cookout. And they don't mind because they get paid double and really late or on Sundays they can get triple pay. So go for it. They are educated on alternatives. They will say, "hey, did you have anything painted with oil based paint" (which smells like gas when a toaster or dryer heats up) Or they will likely know if it's sewer gas.
My entire development is electric. I don't think there is even a gas line anywhere near where I live.
A few things to try....Hope they help
Put a lit candle in your small bathroom, scented is nice, but not necessary. Make sure it is in a safe area..leave it lit for a couple hours this evening. See if that helps.
I've seen a recommendation for this appliance.Ionic Breeze Ionizer from Sharper Image
I've used a product called ozumYou can buy small or large spray cans in the automotive department at Walmart....or any automotive parts store. It kills the bacteria that cause the odor.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
