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Beckybmez · Oct 30, 2006, 07:29 AM

We recently had our furnaces replaced due to a recent flood. Fuel spilled onto our dirt basement floor... and the fumes are horrible. I have had a migrane for weeks.
Recently I started vomiting because of the stench. I bought some deoderizer and I have continually put it downstaires.. but it isn't helping... Is there anything else that I can do?

I don't want to come home when I go out...
Thank you!

labman · Oct 30, 2006, 07:50 AM

The deodorizer only covers up the odor. This is a serious problem you need to fix. The most quick thing might be to dig down and remove the contaminated dirt. Rig up a fan or something to push fresh air in to breath while you work Depending on how far it has soaked in, that may work fairly well. You could buy some oil dry at a home center and spread it on the contaminated soil. Then cover it with a tarp. After a few days, remove the oil dry.

You could also try blowing fresh air into the area. That would slowly carry the fumes away. Are your foundation vents open? Note, too much too cold air can freeze pipes.

If the fumes are making it into your living space from an unconditioned crawl space, so is cold ar and moisture in the summer time. You might cut your heating bills by carefully sealing up cracks in the floor

labman · Oct 30, 2006, 10:01 AM

I didn't address some safety issues in my first post. This is ordinary fuel oil? If so, it isn't real volatile, but concentrated fumes can make a big bang. The contaminated soil will be considered hazardous waste. If you work at blowing the fumes away, you are putting unburned hydrocarbons into the air. If you have used the furnace since, the fumes would have been drawn into the furnace, and flashed back if concentrated enough. If that happened, you might not be around to post the problem. The sooner you are rid of the problem, the better. As a home owner, you can put small amounts of such stuff in the trash or just let it slowly evaporate. The odds of any real problem are slight.

NorthernHeat · Oct 30, 2006, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by labman

I didn't address some safety issues in my first post. This is ordinary fuel oil? If so, it isn't real volatile, but concentrated fumes can make a big bang. The contaminated soil will be considered hazardous waste. If you work at blowing the fumes away, you are putting unburned hydrocarbons into the air. If you have used the furnace since, the fumes would have been drawn into the furnace, and flashed back if concentrated enough. If that happened, you might not be around to post the problem. The sooner you are rid of the problem, the better. As a home owner, you can put small amounts of such stuff in the trash or just let it slowly evaporate. The odds of any real problem are slight.

Labman has said it all.