Smell in house; septic, furnace, other?

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We bought am old farm house in April. The city water inspector didn't like the washer draining to what I now believe, after reading some older postings, is a "grey water" system. They had us reroute the water to the septic. Shortly after moving in we noticed a slight smell that seemed to occur when the furnace(couple year old propane system) kicked on. It was not a very strong smell and was only noticable for a few minutes when first entering the house. Over the summer we almost forgot about it. Don't seem to recall it even being an issue until colder weather started up again. Now that it's back we can't determine if it's the furnace or the washer running that starts the smell back up. It is strongest and most noticeable when washer is running. I rerouted the waste water back into the grey water system and plugged the route to the septic. Smell is still there. Could there be a leak in the furnace somewhere? The smell might be the additive in the propane. I just don't know. Without paying for too many service calls, who should I call first to find out what this smell is?

-- Gary Morstadt (gmorstadt@cs.com), December 31, 2001

Answers

What kind of smell is it? Rotten? Gagging? Do you have a CM detector? After moving into this cottage 3 yrs ago we had a horrific gagging,chemical smell and it turned out the vent pipe for the toilet etc., was clogged. We had methane gas building up in the house, not a good thing! Keep a window open for ventalation-regardless of the temperture, and have it looked into right away!

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

It does sound as if it could be propane. The mystery would be why worse when the washer runs. I use propane cook stoves - have had three in my life. I always know when the propane tank is getting low because I walk near the stove and smell propane. Smell is a little like rotting eggs. Perhaps you already know that smell is added to the gas so people will notice when there is a leak. I've never been able to adequately explain why we can smell propane just because our tank is about to run out.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), December 31, 2001.

Gary, I too have heard that propane smells when it gets low. To narrow it down, troubleshoot. Turn the furnace down and see if the smell goes away then run the washer when the furnace is down. (Not actually shut off as the pilot light would have to be re-lit) Then try the reverse. Do not run the washing machine and turn up the furnace. I would not let it go on long, as smells can be an indicator of something bigger. We do have a grey water system and do not have this, but we have electric heat. I have noticed when there is a problem with clogs there can be a smell. If you can figure out which side is doing it, then get someone out right away. :o) Good luck.

-- notnow (notnow@blabla.com), December 31, 2001.

check the vent for the furnace and make sure it's clear and adequate. If it is, start looking for propane leaks. I don't see why there'd be any relation between the furnace and the grey water, probably just a coincidence.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 31, 2001.

Check your propane connections with soapsuds looking for a leak, might be a dead critter in the air ducts also. Does the washer cause vibration that could be linked to the propane tubing or fixtures? Is the smell present at the grey water discharge area?

The odor agent in propane is a hydro carbon that settles to the bottom of the tank so the last bit of the propane has a much denser dose of it.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 31, 2001.



We used to have a washer that would smell, kind of bad, when the washing machine drain pump ran for the first time after the washer had not been used for a few days. Just out of curiosity stay by your washer when it hits the drain cycle and smell the stand pipe behind the washer when this happens. If it smells bad, probably the problenm is the washer, if not I would agree with the others about propane. We also could smell propane when the tank was low. Good luck.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.


Kathy- the smell is very faint, like rotten eggs. I don't have a CM detector.

mitch hearn- I had the propane guy inspect for leaks outside when he filled us up...nothing. We did have a bunny dissapear and suspected he went in a cold air return, but that was months ago and the smell went away. This is a different smell, plus we smelled it before the bunny. We are getting low, maybe thats the ticket. The tank was low when we moved in...Good one!

I'll update on the smell after we fill-up the tank in a week or so. Thanks

-- Gary Morstadt (gmorstadt@cs.com), December 31, 2001.


Gary

I recently (8/29/01)purchased a house on 6 acres, on which the washer water ran into the ground under the house and caused the ground to be saturated and have a offensive odor.

Before closing the deal, the seller was required to pass the health department inspection, by tying the washer drain into the septic tank and to spread lime on the saturated area, to assure the removal of any offensive odors.

I soon discovered that the washer drain water backed up and caused a sewage odor in my kitchen sink. Appearantly, the untreated drain pipes were not accustomed to the surge, caused by the washer.

I flushed a full box of Rid-X (Septic System Treatment)down the comode, before retiring, for the night, and I no longer have back-up or odor problems. As an assurance I treat the system, once a month, which for me is over-kill, because I am a single person, and spend most of my time on the road. (Trucking)

Drive Safely.....Joe

-- Joe, in West TN (expeditor@earthlink.net), December 31, 2001.


We bought an old farm house several years ago too. It had a more modern furnace. We lived in it for 2 winters in Minnesota. To make a very long story short, we almost all died. After 4 different furnace companies and the first marshall testing our furnace and telling us that all was well we moved out and a professional company came to inspect. 2 of the men got ill while inspecting it. The chimney was too large for the furnace and no one had ever shut it off and tested it cold before. We were filling our whole house with poison (CMonoxide) while the chimney was taking far too long to heat up. Once it heated up all was great but by that time we all had been exposed. We came about a week away from all being dead they tell us. Do not wait too long before testing your furnace from a cold position with a carbon monoxide tested. Test all your flues, check your chimney for any leaks i.e. holes etc. Better safe than sorry. The Lord protect you!! Pilgrim South

-- Nancy Moline (PilgrimSouth) (mtexas@fbtc.net), January 01, 2002.

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