Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 05, 1999 09:19pm | #1

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   If there is natural gas pipes in your neighborhood and it smells like gas, get everyone out of the house and go next door and call the gas company.

2. 
   Kara_K | Feb 05, 1999 10:00pm | #2

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   Thanks Fred for the input. I think I need to give more details. This is a brand new house built on a 6 acre lot in a very rural area. There are no underground gas lines here. This lot was totally wooded before we cleared it to build the house, so I'd be surprised if there have been any fuel spills or pesticides nearby - certainly no old fuel tanks. Could it be this "sulfury soil" you mentioned? If so, wouldn't I smell the gas smell all over the place, rather than in just one corner? I'll check the corner & see if there's any fungi growing there.

   Thanks again for your help!

3. 
   Guest_ | Feb 05, 1999 10:53pm | #3

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   The oil tank and lines are secure, right?

   I heard on one occasion an excavator showed up to backfill the foundation. He saw the foundation had been sealed, so he started pushing earth. Foundation guys showed up the next day wondering where their forty gallons of sealer were. Eight cans, at 5 gallons each, buried alive. Nice little private love canal, eh? That could possibly produce a nice little odor if the containers are breached and the petroleum-based sealing product gets near a basement penetration.

   I believe natural gas (or am I thinking LP) on it's own has no odor. It's added at the plant as an identifier in case there is a leak.

   Any construction debris backfilled against the foundation could break down, usually producing methane and byproducts. Often, but not always, it is a "wet" decomposition. Any moisture stains on the walls?

   Do you have radon tubing running under the slab? If so, are the stubs that penetrate the basement floor open or capped?

   From the lot description it sounds like you're on your own septic system. Check the cleanout plugs on the lines in your basement and ensure they are tight. Also check the pipe itself to ensure the installer didn't miss out glueing any connections.

   Lots of different odors involved, none of them pleasant.

   Good luck in the search.

4. 
   stan_ | Feb 05, 1999 11:19pm | #4

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   check out your sump, if the lids not on tight mice will fall in and drown and produce some wicked odors

1. 
   simon | Feb 06, 1999 04:46am | #5

   *A good place to look! Construction debris in the bottom of the sump can also give you some ripe odors and some bleach in the sump will fix those pretty fast. Of course, they will return if you don't remove the offending deposits.One can only assume also that the sump is not connected to the septic system - if someone did this by mistake you could be getting gas back from the system.

5. 
   Guest_ | Feb 06, 1999 06:18am | #6

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   Both natural gas and LP gas are basically odorless. The smell is added as a safety feature. The smell of LP gas is distinctly that of a dead animal. Did some thing die in this vacinity? Is it still there? In a wall or concealed space?

6. 
   stan_ | Feb 06, 1999 06:55am | #7

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   not to digress from the original post, but natural gas does have distinct odor straight from the well. I get free gas from my oil wells, and it smells the same as it did in my old city house

7. 
   Guest_ | Feb 14, 1999 03:06am | #8

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   Natural gas distributed by to residencies has mercaptans added to give it a "skunky" or "sulphury" smell that we associate with natural gas. Humans can't smell pure methane, but natural gas isn't pure methane and, as Stan points out, there are lots of volatile and stinky compounds in a petroelum deposit. Mike is right, NG and LPG smell like dead animals. Gas company workers will look for circling vultures to find a big leak. So check for some dead mouse in the sump or drain pipe. Also check any floor and unused sink drains. If the p-trap dried out (they always do), you could be smelling septic or dead animals down the pipe. Just top if off with a quart of water each month. Other possibilities: propane stove/torch, backpacking equipment running on propane or butane, cigarette lighters, rotting food.

   Yes, gas can come up out of the ground. I live on top of a natural gas and oil field (Kenai Peninaula, Alaska). We don't get any gas, but several of the groundwater aquifers taste and smell of sulphur. It's most noticeable when running hot water. I could imagine that some is liberated when heated in the hot water heater, but I don't see how it would be released anywhere but at a faucet or shower.

   I'd bet on the furnace back drafting a bit. Adjust, or have it adjusted, for more air into the flue to check. -David

8. 
   Kara_K | Feb 14, 1999 03:11am | #9

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   I have a new home powered by electricity only, except with an oil furnace for heat. In one corner of the basement (where the hot water heater & well pump are) I sometimes smell a faint smell of gas. What could be causing this? Is it possible there is natural gas coming into the basement from the ground? I know that sounds crazy, but I have no other clue! Any thoughts?