# Musty smell



## dusty_ (Jan 11, 2010)

Listen, I know this is off topic here but I'm wondering if anyone might know of a forum I could join where I could get advice on how to resolve a recurring musty smell in my house?


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## begreen (Jan 11, 2010)

Do your best to isolate the area or room where it is coming from. One possible source could be via the ductwork if this house has a forced air system. Another possibility would be mold. If in the walls, get it dealt with. The spores can seriously affect one's health over time.


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## andybaker (Jan 11, 2010)

Another source could be, if you have one, the basement.  Get a reading on the humidity down there or even the crawl space.  My last house had a half basement and half crawl space.  The crawl was never properly sealed up and it had an awful musty smell.  I put in new vents, they were blocked off.  That helped out a lot.


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## pyper (Jan 12, 2010)

I started noticing a musty smell and it ended up being one of the ducts had come loose from the register. 

Try closing doors to try to isolate the smell. Also take note if it's always present, or comes and goes.


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## dusty_ (Jan 12, 2010)

Thanks for responding.  I am worried about our health and I'm hoping I can get some advice that will help me solve the problem.  I have two different problems really - this is my situation:

Last summer there was a strong odor in the basement (underneath the two basement windows that are flush with the ground and have no window wells) - like a strong cat urine smell - but we don't have a cat.  It only came when it was raining outside or very humid.  The problem disappeared as soon as it got cold outside in the fall.  If I smelled close to the light switches and wall plugs on that wall it was quite strong.  My gut feeling was that it must have been water seeping in somewhere along that wall wetting the insulation and perhaps there was mouse dirt or urine there that would get wet and smell.  I can't think of anything else that could be the cause.  We had a landscaper in and he noticed the grade of the land outside that wall over time was now sloping towards the house instead of away from it.  I'm thinking that water is probably seeping down along the edge of those window openings when it rains and if we have someone come with a backhoe to slope the land away from the house it will solve the problem.  I have to admit I'm a bit puzzled that the smell was like cat urine instead of mold though?

The second problem has just started.  We replaced the siding on the house this summer and at the same time we had the contractor replace a few windows, including a small patio door to replace a very large one.  We also had a wall light and wall plug installed beside it.  The original patio door had leaked the year before but we put a lot of caulking in the area of the leak and it stopped until we could replace it.  Now when it rains there is a strong musty odor coming from that wall.  It's especially strong if you smell near the light fixture and wall plug.  I called the contractor and asked if there could be a leak somewhere along the siding that was put on.  He said no, the drywall would be stained if there was a leak so it couldn't be that.  Now what?  I don't know if it could be old insulation that was wet before and now that there are openings in the wall (light fixture and wall plug) the smell is entering the house - or if the contractor is feeding me a line and there could be an area where the siding wasn't sealed properly and water is getting in behind it and wetting the insulation?  If anyone has any ideas I'd be more than grateful if you'd share them with me.


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## dusty_ (Jan 12, 2010)

I should have mentioned that we don't have forced air.  We heat with hot water radiators and have an oil furnace.


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## Cutter (Jan 12, 2010)

Attic and roof condensation can allow moisture into stud cavities.  The may moisture finds its way down electrical wireing around switches and outlet boxes


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## dusty_ (Jan 12, 2010)

Thanks for the post.  Hmmm, condensation in the roof or attic?  That's interesting but kind of depressing too.  I'm afraid I'm not much of a handyman.  What type of contractor do you think I'd need to hire to check into that?

If that turned out to be the case and the moisture is getting in along the stud cavities what do you suppose that would mean?  Mold on the studs?  Wet, moldy insulation?  Groan....if the situation is corrected would you have any idea if it would simply dry out and stop smelling or would I have to replace the studs/and/or insulation?


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## woodsman23 (Jan 12, 2010)

If it is a roof attic issue then a exhaust fan in there would make a huge difference. If you have a big heat loos going tino the attic area then condensation will happen and moisture will occur. You could have a contractor come out and check for heat loss using a inferred meter. Call your local gas/electric company they may offer a free in home check for heat loss.


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## dusty_ (Jan 13, 2010)

Very good suggestion.  I'll definitely look into that.  Thanks for the info.


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## Gooserider (Jan 13, 2010)

smokestack said:
			
		

> Listen, I know this is off topic here but I'm wondering if anyone might know of a forum I could join where I could get advice on how to resolve a recurring musty smell in my house?


  It isn't all that "off-topic" in this area - This area was specifically created for this kind of non-hearth related question - we used to get them a lot in the Hearth room, and decided that it was better to have a separate space to ask them...  We have a lot of very talented people with skills in many different trades as members, so this area has been very successful at helping folks find solutions to all sorts of non-hearth questions, or get pointers to them...

Sounds like you've gotten some good advice so far, although I'm a bit dubious about your contractors response - a small enough leak might let in enough water to cause problems, but not cause any visible symptoms on the interior of the house...

Gooserider


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## dusty_ (Jan 13, 2010)

Hi Gooserider.  I'm discovering you're absolutely right about a lot of very talented people contributing to this site.  My head is spinning over all the information I've learned about my wood stove in just two days  It's crazy!  I've been telling everyone about this site!  Now I'm also getting some very informative leads and insight into these weird smells I've had in this house the last while.

I have to agree with you about the contractors response.  It just doesn't make sense to me that I never had a problem with a musty odor from that wall until they replaced the siding (and the patio door).  I'm hoping that he'll at least open the wall again to find out what the problem is.  I'm not a handyman so I don't know if there could have been a previous leak on that wall that caused the insulation to get wet....and now that there are openings in that wall (light fixture and wall plugs) it's seeping out into the room???....or maybe it could be condensation in the attic and it's seeping down the stud cavities.  Man, owning your own home is great but after 25 years.....it get's kind of messy. 

I was hoping someone would have had the similar problem I mentioned earlier with the very strong cat urine smell ocurring when there is humidity outside but I guess not.  I'll just have to plug away at that one I guess.

Thanks so much for all the information.


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## Gooserider (Jan 13, 2010)

Don't know why it would smell like cat whiz rather than something else, but I think the ground slope diagnosis did sound about right - do a search on drainage issues, and you will find a lot of discussion about problems of this sort - bottom line being it is generally a good thing to get the water away from your walls...  

Make sure your gutters and downspouts are working, and that the ground is properly sloped - if you need to build it up, use clay or other impervious material that will make surface water run off rather than soak in... and so forth...

Gooserider


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## 'bert (Jan 13, 2010)

might want to go this route.

http://www.mikeholmesinspections.com/ 

Looks like Mike serves allot of places in ONT.


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## dusty_ (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks again!  I appreciate your time and knowledge.


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## dougstove (Jan 18, 2010)

On the cat pee smell, some less obvious possibilities:
-maybe, it was cat pee?  Some cats get a habit of peeing in a particular spot?
-White spruce (Picea alba) is called 'cat spruce' because the wood smells like cat pee.  If you had some wet, white spruce you might get a smell?


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## dusty_ (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks dougstove.  If we had a cat I"d think it definitely was that but we have no cat and we're the original owners of the house.  I suppose there's a chance it could be a cat peeing outside but it just seems too coincidental that it's underneath both windows and seems to be coming from the entire wall underneaath the windows - stronger at the wall plugs.  It seems that it must be behind the drywall.  I'm really puzzled.  I'm keeping the snow shovelled away from that wall so when the thaw comes in the spring there won't be alot of water to possibly seep down the edges of the windows wetting the insulation (& wetting any mouse droppings & urine that could be in the insulation too?).  It's a long shot but if the cat pee smell is still there after doing that - well, I'll have eliminated that theory and I'll have to - well, I'm not sure what I'll do.  I'll know in a couple of months I guess.  
Interesting thought on the Spruce trees - you're right they do smell like cat pee!  When we put up our spruce Xmas tree this year I smelled exactly the same thing!  We don't have any trees close to the house though so that can't be the culprit.  Thanks for your input - I really appreciate any suggestions.  It's such a bizarre thing - no one I know has ever had this problem - although one carpenter told me when he'd do renovations sometimes there would be a terrible smell from pests that had made nests in the insulation.  That got me started on this whole idea of possible mouse urine & droppings being the cause.
Then I have to solve the musty odor on the other wall too!  Same thing - stronger at the wall plugs.  I think I'll follow someone's advice on this forum and have someone in to do a moisture reading.  I want to sell my house in the spring and I have to fix these problems before I put it on the market.  Thanks again!


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