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I have a mid ’50’s built one story ranch house (3/1) that I bought last year from a lady who had lived there since the late ’50’s. Every once in a while we get a strange smell in the corner beadroom. Like a dead squirrel. It stays for a day or two and goes away. I have been under the house and not smelled anything and I stuck my head in the attic through the ceiling entry in the hallway (about ten feet from the smell) and didn’t smell anything. Could this strange smell be my insulation in the attic? There is newer blown in inslation covering the original blown in. I was installing an insulation wrap around my water heater and noticed a similar smell coming from the insulation. Any hints or suggestions would be appreciated.
Shawn
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It wasn't something you ate, was it? (my feeble attempt at humor) ...... Seriously, the smell could be the result of a number of things such as dead and decaying animals, feces and urine from live animals (porcupines are particulary bad), your vent stack from your waste water system or possibly the insulation itself. You need to poke around the attic, to make sure that are no critters, dead or alive. Make sure there are no openings where animals can get in. Check screens on gable and soffit vents. Eliminate the animal problem first. If it's not an animal, it could be the lack of a trap in your wastewater system is allowing you to get a whiff of sewer gases. You didn't say what type of insulation you have, it `could be the last possibility though I think the smell would be a consistent one.
*Did she own pets?You can not clean the smell of a cat's urine outof carpet padding. I had an elusive, occasionalsmell that drove me crazy (no amount of cleaningor deodorizers, chemical, organic or otherwise made a lick of good) until I pulled back the carpeting and replaced the padding.It was great after that.If you have a smell in your blown-in insulation on the attic floor, you can have it sucked out by a cleaning company (some have the giant vacuum machines, they charge by the 100 cu ft bag), if you are not able to remove enough of it by hand.Good luck. Nothing undermines you enjoyment of a home more than some bad smell.
*Whenever I smell something like a dead animal, the first thing that comes to mind is Propane. I have heard that this smell is added to propane as a safety feature and is not the natural smell. I don't know if there is any possibility of a gas leak, but if there is, check that out first. If not good luck, these problems are often tricky.
*sounds like my brother in law is coming in your house after a hard night of beer drinkin
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I have a mid '50's built one story ranch house (3/1) that I bought last year from a lady who had lived there since the late '50's. Every once in a while we get a strange smell in the corner beadroom. Like a dead squirrel. It stays for a day or two and goes away. I have been under the house and not smelled anything and I stuck my head in the attic through the ceiling entry in the hallway (about ten feet from the smell) and didn't smell anything. Could this strange smell be my insulation in the attic? There is newer blown in inslation covering the original blown in. I was installing an insulation wrap around my water heater and noticed a similar smell coming from the insulation. Any hints or suggestions would be appreciated.
Shawn