smell - Posted by Celeste-fl

Posted by michaela-CA on July 15, 2008 at 17:49:24:

Hm, not sure how someone full of gas smells. I woulld think the smell is only detectable when it comes out and that would depend on their diet ;-).

Have you noticed any holes in the siding? Maybe an animal fell in between the studs and died there? That would smell kind of sweet/sour (have had a rat die under the house, so I know). If that is the case, it would go away after a while. (But of course your tenant wouldn’t be happy)

Michaela

smell - Posted by Celeste-fl

Posted by Celeste-fl on July 15, 2008 at 17:18:43:

A rental that I have owned for 8 years all of the sudden has a bad smell in the bedroom next to the bathroom. I thought it was the septic tank and had it clean out early(we do it once a year) I also cleaned out the vents on the roof. The tenant called and said the smell is still there.It smells like someone full of gas. Any ideas?

Re: smell - Posted by Edwin

Posted by Edwin on July 17, 2008 at 09:27:11:

Do you have a raised foundation? If so, have someone check under the house for a broken or rusted out drain pipe.If you have one, that will allow raw sewage to leak out and cause a smell. I had it happen to me a few weeks ago. You should be able to find some adverturesome neighborhood kid to go under their with a flashlight for about $25, if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Re: smell - Posted by RichV(FL)

Posted by RichV(FL) on July 16, 2008 at 08:41:17:

Celeste-fl,

Also sometimes vermin can get into the attic and behind the walls and die there. Its happened to me several times. If it is a mouse or rat this time a year with the heat and humidity it will decompose rather quickly.

You may want to go out there and check around a bit.

Regards,

RichV(FL)

Re: smell - Posted by Paul

Posted by Paul on July 16, 2008 at 05:52:42:

Celeste,

If the property is on well water, have the water tested.

Re: smell - Posted by Eric in FL

Posted by Eric in FL on July 15, 2008 at 18:55:32:

Celeste,

If it is on a septic tank and it is an older structure it could be a bad vent. It may be sticking open and making a horrific smell. Call a plumber and they can help you.

Best Regards.
Eric

If its a dead mouse or similar - Posted by Rich-CA

Posted by Rich-CA on July 15, 2008 at 18:18:57:

between the walls, the ONLY thing you can do is wait a couple of weeks for the corpse to decompose and then treat for the smell. Short of ripping out drywall, there is no means for getting to the source of the smell. After a couple of weeks you can get an ionizer for a living area in excess of that of the unit in question and run it for a day or two to neutralize the odor.

Since its next to the bathroom, I would look for signs of water intrusion such as damp or soft drywall, spongy (assuming its not on a slab) sub floor and the like. The smell could be coming from something that got wet from a shower or other leak.