Odour Problem

A

ahickie

Guest
Hi

We recently noticed a strong odour in our kitchen and we are demented.

Using ones nose we cant locate the source of odour.

We have cleaned the fridge, checked the cupboards, pulled out the washing machine. We have doused the sink, bath and bathroom sink with domestic unblocking products all to no avail.

Its a sewer type smell but having lifted the covers of our manhole including the storm water drain cover there is no obvious signs of problems and all is clear.

The sinks and toliet drain normally (no odour in bathroom).

The smell sticks with you so we are either imagining it in other places (ie hall) or its our nose playing tricks. The kitchen though appears to be the epicentre.

Its a fitted kitchen so no food has got behind cupboards and rotted and we have a cat so doubt rodents either.

Going on holiday Friday and dreading the smell on return.

Any help really appreciated

A Hickie
 
have you old lamp fittings in your house,we had some old backalite type ones,and as they age you get a fishey type smell off them,and can go on fire if not changed for newer type ones.good luck with the hunt.
 
Could your kitchen waste u-bends be at fault? There will be one (or two) under the sink and another for dishwasher and washing machine. If not installed correctly (correct height of upstand, depth of u-bend, height above ground of trap etc, passage of water through some of the waste pipes may suck some or all of the water out of the u-bend trap, allowing foul odours in.

Pouring test water through will not necessarily reveal this as it will simply fill the bend at that moment but use of the appliances or a full sink emptying might create a partial vacuum again.
 
Make sure that if you have gas that it is checked. Have you painted the walls recently? We had terrible trouble with a particular brand of paint last year and it took a lot of effort to get rid of it.
 

We has this problem last year. Our U-bend has been fitted incorrect, but did not show any problems for a year or so. We got it refitted correctly and the problems disappeared.
 
we had a similar problem last year ,found a build up of smelly liquid on a small tray behind frost/free fridge,this tray is on the top of the fridge motor,''' eamo'''
 
My sister had a similar problem a year or two ago. It turned out that it was a dead bird that had got in under the floorboards (not sure how) but short of pulling up all the floor boards they could do nothing about it. If this is the problem the smell does eventually go of its own accord (takes about two weeks) so if you go away and come home and the smell is gone that is your problem.
 
Lived in a rented house at one stage and had a similar problem. The washing machine was the source. Liquid washing powders can leave residues in the machine and give rise to bad odours over time. Tried to wash it out (high temperature washes with no clothes) but with no success. Problem did not arise when washing machine was in daily use but only became apparent after a few days with no use. Had checked u-bend and there did not seem to be a problem there.
 
We had a similar problem. It turned out the waste pipe from the dishwasher had become disconnected, the waste water was flowing under the floor (vinyl on top of plywood, on top of cement) and rotting, hence the smell. There was no visible evidence until the vinyl was pulled up.
 
Could there be a dead mouse in the attic, it happened us before and the smell comes down through the ceiling.
 
Hello Ahickie,
About a year back i had a similar problem. In my kitchen every so often there would be a damp, Musky smell. I began to associate it with everything. Put your kitchen bin outside for a couple of days and see if that helps. i know it is obvious, but mine was the cause of the problem. Even if you put your nose to it there was no smell. But when I removed it the smell was gone. Hope this helps
 
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