What's That Smell? Three Common Household Odors That Spell Trouble

April 20, 2010

Odors can alert homeowners that they have a problem. It helps to know what might be causing some of the more common household odors.

Damp

A stale, musty smell can be a sign of damp.

• Water leaking in from outside, such as a loose roof tile or a crack in a wall, or a small gap around a window can lead to a localized patch of damp. Look for any evidence of damage or wear and tear that could let in water.
• Water leaking from a burst pipe or a leaky joint in a water pipe also usually leads to a localized patch of damp.
• Water leaking through seals around sinks, baths, and showers can lead to localized damp or damp seeping through to the next room or room below. You should fix it as soon as possible.
• High humidity in the home usually results in mold or mildew across a large area of the walls and ceilings. Install ventilation fans in kitchens and bathrooms, dry clothes in a ventilated room, check the vent duct of your clothes dryer, and make sure the vents for your dryer and ventilation fans go directly outside and are unobstructed. Ventilation bricks can also reduce humidity.

Burning

• It should go without saying that the first thing to do is check for a fire!
• Turn off all electrical appliances and wait to find out if the smell fades. Then turn them back on one at a time to find out if one of them is causing the odor. Replace or repair any appliances that give off a burning odor.
• Check whether any of the electrical outlets or switches in your home is hot. If so, call an electrician to replace them.
• Have your home wiring checked if the burning smell persists and you can't identify the source of the problem.
• Check whether the smell is coming from your furnace. It could be due to a fault or simply because of a build up of dust. Clean or replace the filter then call an HVAC technician if the problem persists.

Gas

• A slight smell of gas could indicate a fault with a gas appliance or a pilot light that is out. Check your pilot lights, then turn off the gas supply to each appliance and turn each one back on in turn to try to identify the source. Do this only if the gas odor is very faint.
• If there is a strong smell of gas in your home, don't check anything--just open the windows, get out of the house, and call the gas company.

IMPORTANT: Carbon monoxide is odorless and can be deadly. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector and alarm is cheap, easy to install, and could save your life.

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