Strange Smell

[Christine]

Hi,

This is my first ever post on a forum so please be gentle.

I have a strange smell coming from under my livingroom floor. It smells like stale water or an old mouldy washing machine. It comes and goes. It always happens after the dishwasher or wahsing machine have been on but will sometimes appear out of the blue when neither have been on all day.

There's no smell from any of the drains or appliances in the kitchen or bathroom.

A local plumber came out and checked. He didn't think that any of the drains ran under the livingroom. We pulled up a few floor boards where the smell was particulary strong but couldn't see anything. His only suggestion was to pull up all the floor boards until we source the problem but didn't reccommend that as it would ruin my polished floors.

I live on the second floor of a 100 year old tenement flat and have neighbours above and below. None of my neighbours are experiencing the same problem. I also checked with the local planning department and no one in the tenement has had permission to move a bathroom or kitchen in recent years.

I would really appreciate any advice or if somone could reccommend a good edinburgh plumber as it is getting so bad that I no longer invite friends round to visit.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post
Christine

 

[Steve001]

I take it this is a new thing and all was well before. Outside, can you see the soil stack where your washing machine, dishwasher and sink go into? This should make it clear whether any waste pipe will be going under floor boards or not.

If you cant see such pipework, more than likely your soil stack will be blended into the building or boxed in, close to the toilet usually, same thing this will give you an idea where your waste pipe runs.

Definately nothing leaking around your dishwasher etc? Any air vents in the wall? Neighbours normal? One's not been missing for a few weeks? Acting suspicious?

 

[Dannypipe]

Neighbours normal? One's not been missing for a few weeks? Acting suspicious?

HA!! LOL! Stranger things have happened.

 

[Spudhater]

Didnt that bloke Tobin live up in Scotland !

 

[dontknowitall]

Smells are not always due to plumbing/waste pipes. Sometimes the source can be the fabric of the building - e.g. a concrete floor not allowed to dry out properly or perhaps a roof leak seaping inside a wall.

Possibly an odd and perhaps an unhelpful post, but you did say "strange" smell!!

 

[Dannypipe]

It could also be a design fault with the waste pipework, a trap losing it's seal through siphonage, and smells coming up that way....I know you reckon it's coming from the floor, but smells do drift.

 

[tamz]

How long have you lived there ie have you just moved in and when did you notice the smell appearing?
This may have been an ongoing thing.
Most of the tenements had back vents from the waste pipes and unfortunately a lot of "plumbers"/builders thought they weren't necessary and cut them. Although the water will not come out of the cut pipe the smell will.
Get an experienced guy who knows these type of houses to have a look.
Try SNIPEF Home - Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation for a local registered firm

 

[Stuthewarrior]

Look around the outside of you building and check the air bricks are not blocked buy rubbish or flowers ect They will be below your floor board level on the Outside walls

 

[Bernie2]

Go the Chemists and get some aromatic eucalyptus oil.

Put it down your drain and see if you can smell anything?

Is not a wind up its a recognised test.

 

[Christine]

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll follow up and let you know what happens. Who knows, you might here about it on the 6 O'clock news.

Cheers
Christine

 

[dennyboy]

check its not a blocked gulley outside - I only know because it happened to me on my own house - with never going down the side of the house I didnt realise it was blocked and spilling back into the sub-floor - the smell used to change with the washing powder!

 

[dean4drains]

ive been to investigate a few smells im my day, not always the drains causing it, we had a dead mouse, dead bats, the best one was a drain....stack pipe coming down throu bend into a pipe running under suspended floor, pipe not secured properly and poped off, months if not years of waste in soulm of house (about 4ft deep). 2 tankers later and a few bags of lime good as new.