Went to a clients house to try to track down a bad mold smell. It gets worse after rain, but is usually present anyway. Smells worse in the garage, especially first thing in the morning, and it has now begun to be noticed in the adjacent laundry room. Later in the day when the garage door has been operated a couple of times, the smell is diminished, but still present, so we think the lack of circulation overnight is why it smells so bad in the morning.
Before I got the call, the HO and her maid went throuigh the garage thoroughly (wasn’t hard, they keep it neat and clean) but could not find anything. The maid also went up in the attic. When I arrived, I did the same things. Attic was easy to inspect due to high pitch roof, lots of walk boards, no clutter. I also checked the inside of the gatraage very thoroughly, as well as the entire outside if the house. Found nothing. absolutely no sign of leaks or water damage or anything either inside or outside. House is about 8 YO, expensive ($400k) and well cared for. Checked the drip pans and condensate drains for all 3 attic a/c units…drip pans are dry, condensate lines are clear.
What else can I look for? Here’s one idea: the a/c condensate drains do not dump to the outside like most houses, but instead turn down through the top plate in one of the bathroom walls. I can’t see what the do then. Am I right to assume that you can’t tie the condensate drain directly into the bathroom drain? I thought there had to be an air gap. My thought is that there is an air gap hidden in the wall, and the pipes have misaligned or partially blocked, causing the condensate to wet the inside of the wall.
Need some clues, guys and gals…I’m stumped.
Replies
So is the dryer exhaust clear to the exterior? And is there a crawlspace involved anywhere that is poorly vented/poorly drained, etc.? The condensate drains do sound suspicious.
I'm just guessing and besides, I didn't want you to feel ignored.
Dryer is on an outside wall, so the exhaust line is short. No sign of water damage aoubnd the washing machine connection. And the smell is less notible in the laundry room than the garage.
Slab on grade. If there had been a basement/crawlspace, I would have been in there.
We're in south Texas, and the a/c is still being used. In fact, the furnace pilot hasn't been lit yet. (That may change this week...we're expecting temps to dip into the 40's overnight, back to the 70's during the day.)
Weepholes exist in brick wall at base?
If not, you may have mold growing between brick and sheathing.
Excellence is its own reward!
Up until last night it was still warm enough here that the a/c runs at night. No snow here, but rain dripping off the parked car could be a factor. Brick weep holes are clear. All garages and the water heater closet are required to have vents to the outside, to prevent the build up of carbon monoxide. I pulled off one of the inside covers and looked at the framing...it's dry. Here's what we did and it seems to have helped. Power washed the driveway (the inside of the garage is very clean), cleaned up all the flower beds, and took out anything that looked like it was damp (dead leaves, etc). The a/c service company was called to inspect their equipment, as was the watersoftner contractor...nothing. I taped plastic over the wall vents with the theory that: if the smell was worse, the source was inside; if the smell was gone, either the source was outside or we otherwise eliminated it. Next morning the smell was very diminished, so it was apparently outside. it's raing now, so tomorrow we'll see if the rain makes it better or worse.
1 1/2 years ago, my father called me complaining he had a awful smell in the house and described it as a rotting wood smell. He worked for a saw mill for many years so I never doubted that he thought it was rotting wood. I searched the whole house top to bottom, in every nook and cranny and I could not find anything. The last thing I did was to ask when he cleaned the fridge last. He had said within the last one week. As I neared the fridge, I got a hint of the smell he was talking about. Eventually we pulled the fridge out and to our surprise a dead squirrel was found in the water evaporation tray. We figure the squirrel probably fell down the chimney and somehow made it to the fridge. It was probably killed by the fan.
Sometimes we step over the problem. Open all the boxes, move all piles. You might just find your ghost.
Does the garage have a floor drain? A dry P-trap can get a little nasty. Does one of the cars have a deceased bird in the grill? Is the house newer or older? Some DIY's add another vapor barrier to the interior garage wall before they drywall, a combination of Texas heat and air conditioning would have that wall in a sweat.
I wonder if a dog might center in on it
Edited 10/31/2002 5:45:34 AM ET by GORDSCO
I am going to guess that you already have more clues than you think.
My suspicion would center around the A/C. Follow your instinct about that drain line.
Also, how is the conditioned air moved about the house ? Have you checked inside the runs ? Maybe a very slight dip in a run, near the garage/laundry room ?
Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
No floor drain in the garage. Nice thoughts on the dird bird in the grill or dead animal under the fridge, but the odor doesn't have any apparent source. No piles of junk in the garage, no dog (two cats, but they are better treated than your kids, and it's not a poop smell). Brick ecterior.
Maybe a very slight dip in a run, near the garage/laundry room ? I don't follw you. What would I look for? All the a/c supply is in the attic, flex duct.
The fact that it is stronger in the morning before the garage door is opened is an important clue, I think, but I can't get it to work backwards to the source. The condenate drain in the wall could be a problem, but that wall does not back up to the garage, and the smell is not noticeable in either room that shares that wall.
I don't think it's an dead animal problem, becasue the smell is musty-moldy, not rotten.
Edited 10/31/2002 8:25:17 AM ET by ELCID72
Smell is strongest in the morning.
Is it cold enough now, that the A/C turns off at night ?
Right back to the duct. Next time you go over there in the am, get up close to the duct outlet, and get a good whiff.
Flex. Is it the type that is like a dryer vent ? Lots of little 'valleys' for stagnant water to sit in...
Don't bogart the Ghost
Quittin' Time
cats cats. cats have a nasty habit of marking their territory. I think I smell a #### cat.
Have you removed the cars from the garage overnight? Trying to remove them from the equation.
Could the smell be coming from the garage overhead door weather stripping? A number of them have a void which could hold water.
Not sure where you are located, but could rain/snow/moisture from the car have run under the garage walls creating the mold between the floor and the bottom plate?
Tried washing the garage floor? Leftovers from something on the car.