Home Page link

Inner-tube odor in cellar

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 1 of 3       1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Inner-tube odor in cellar Tantalust 05-14-2008
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Tantalust on May 14, 2008, 6:03 pm
Hi,
In my old house, over/near the basement sink, there is a distinct,
*unmistakable* odor of inner-tube air. It smells like there's old bicycle
tires jammed up inside the wall. :-)

There was a leak from the shower above this area years ago, which has
completely dried out now. It still concerns me, so I keep a small fan
blowing on this area. Also, there's a clothes dryer and main sewage drain
nearby, and the vent stack goes up inside the [outside] wall.

Any ideas?

--
"There's nothing on it worthwhile, we're not going to watch it in this
household, and I don't want it in your intellectual diet.".
-attributed to Philo T. Farnsworth, by his children



Posted by pipedown on May 14, 2008, 6:28 pm

> Hi,
> In my old house, over/near the basement sink, there is a distinct,
> *unmistakable* odor of inner-tube air. It smells like there's old bicycle
> tires jammed up inside the wall. :-)
>
> There was a leak from the shower above this area years ago, which has
> completely dried out now. It still concerns me, so I keep a small fan
> blowing on this area. Also, there's a clothes dryer and main sewage drain
> nearby, and the vent stack goes up inside the [outside] wall.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> --
> "There's nothing on it worthwhile, we're not going to watch it in this
> household, and I don't want it in your intellectual diet.".
> -attributed to Philo T. Farnsworth, by his children
>
>

You have identified three potentioal sources of smell and none of these I
would expect to smell like rubber. Assuming the drain stack is sealed then
its unlikly to be sewer gas. Check the trap on the sink, make sure a leak
is not allowing it to go dry. That bit of water in the bottom of the trap
is what keeps the smell out.

The dryer may contribute if you notice it getting worse when its running,
the dryer may be drawing air into the area over the source of smell. Unless
you are exhausting humid air into the basement the dryer is unlikly the
primary source.

That leaves residuual mold mildew odor. You can spray with bleach or mold
product and see if that helps. You can also seal the area with paint or
polyeurethane.

Fortunately it seems to be confined to the basement so you don't have to put
up with it in your living space



Posted by DerbyDad03 on May 14, 2008, 6:42 pm
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi,
> > =A0In my old house, over/near the basement sink, there is a distinct,
> > *unmistakable* odor of inner-tube air. It smells like there's old bicycl=
e
> > tires jammed up inside the wall. =A0 :-)
>
> > There was a leak from the shower above this area years ago, which has
> > completely dried out now. It still concerns me, so I keep a small fan
> > blowing on this area. Also, there's a clothes dryer and main sewage drai=
n
> > nearby, and the vent stack goes up inside the [outside] wall.
>
> > Any ideas?
>
> > --
> > "There's nothing on it worthwhile, we're not going to watch it in this
> > household, and I don't want it in your intellectual diet.".
> > -attributed to Philo T. Farnsworth, by his children
>
> You have identified three potentioal sources of smell and none of these I
> would expect to smell like rubber. =A0Assuming the drain stack is sealed t=
hen
> its unlikly to be sewer gas. =A0Check the trap on the sink, make sure a le=
ak
> is not allowing it to go dry. =A0That bit of water in the bottom of the tr=
ap
> is what keeps the smell out.
>
> The dryer may contribute if you notice it getting worse when its running,
> the dryer may be drawing air into the area over the source of smell. =A0Un=
less
> you are exhausting humid air into the basement the dryer is unlikly the
> primary source.
>
> That leaves residuual mold mildew odor. =A0You can spray with bleach or mo=
ld
> product and see if that helps. =A0You can also seal the area with paint or=

> polyeurethane.
>
> Fortunately it seems to be confined to the basement so you don't have to p=
ut
> up with it in your living space- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

re: Fortunately it seems to be confined to the basement so you don't
have to put up with it in your living space

Not yet, anyway.

Posted by aemeijers on May 14, 2008, 7:16 pm
Tantalust wrote:
> Hi,
> In my old house, over/near the basement sink, there is a distinct,
> *unmistakable* odor of inner-tube air. It smells like there's old bicycle
> tires jammed up inside the wall. :-)
>
> There was a leak from the shower above this area years ago, which has
> completely dried out now. It still concerns me, so I keep a small fan
> blowing on this area. Also, there's a clothes dryer and main sewage drain
> nearby, and the vent stack goes up inside the [outside] wall.
>
> Any ideas?
>
Rubber membrane under the shower pan? Maybe that leak isn't as gone as
you think it is, and the membrane is staying wet, but at such a low rate
you can't tell from looking at the wood. I'd do some poking around the
top of the joists and the subfloor, with an icepick. Some mushy (aka
mold-harboring) spots would not surprise me.

--
aem sends....

Posted by hallerb@aol.com on May 14, 2008, 9:21 pm
> Tantalust wrote:
> > Hi,
> > =EF=BF=BD In my old house, over/near the basement sink, there is a disti=
nct,
> > *unmistakable* odor of inner-tube air. It smells like there's old bicycl=
e
> > tires jammed up inside the wall. =EF=BF=BD :-)
>
> > There was a leak from the shower above this area years ago, which has
> > completely dried out now. It still concerns me, so I keep a small fan
> > blowing on this area. Also, there's a clothes dryer and main sewage drai=
n
> > nearby, and the vent stack goes up inside the [outside] wall.
>
> > Any ideas?
>
> Rubber membrane under the shower pan? Maybe that leak isn't as gone as
> you think it is, and the membrane is staying wet, but at such a low rate
> you can't tell from looking at the wood. I'd do some poking around the
> top of the joists and the subfloor, with an icepick. Some mushy (aka
> mold-harboring) spots would not surprise me.
>
> --
> aem sends....

overheated wiring,,,, espically the old rubber insulated type

Page 1 of 3       1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
Water with NO odor has an odor AFTER osmosis filtering... October 15, 2006, 11:36 am
Vent cellar? May 14, 2007, 4:29 pm
Tanking a cellar June 20, 2007, 12:10 pm
STEPS TO CELLAR October 1, 2007, 8:58 pm
STEPS TO CELLAR October 1, 2007, 8:59 pm
Cellar drain February 15, 2008, 10:52 am
Mildew Clothes in cellar October 26, 2005, 11:15 pm
Use of DeCon in a Dirt Cellar October 7, 2007, 11:47 pm
how to fix cellar entrance that had water damage May 9, 2007, 9:56 am
odor in house March 28, 2006, 11:17 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap