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View Full Version : My loft smells and I can't figure out why


AtlantaLivin
Apr 8, 2007, 12:28 PM
Holy guacamole, does our loft smell. It smells like sewage and mold at times, so maybe this is what is causing the smell, but not 100% certain.

I live in a loft that I had redone and have lived here for 3 years. For the last 3-6 months there has been a smell that comes and goes. The smell is in the bedroom and is coming from where the wooden floor edges up to the brick walls. Basically the loft is a rectangle and there is a 1/4" to 1" separation between where the flooring meets the brick walls. If you lean down and take a whiff where the gap from the floor meets the wall... it's quite stinky... but it comes and goes.

The loft is in a two story building that also has a basement. I live on the second floor, which is the top floor. I share this floor with my neighbor, but they don't complain of a smell. The building is about 8000 sq ft, with 4000 sq ft of baseement. Basically there are 4 x 2000 sq ft units.

The smell is not coming from the sinks or shower or toilet though... makes me wonder why the smell might be sewage or not. The smell also comes from the back of the unit, not the front. I believe all vents etc would exit from the back of the unit, not the front, if that info helps.

Thanks for any help! Also who do you call to fix this kind of thing? Any help is appreciated!

Matt3046
Apr 8, 2007, 12:34 PM
This may not be of any help, but I once had a apart. That smelled and after living there for three months I found out (after he left) that the guy next door had allot of cats (10 or20) these were one bedroom apt. and all the cats lived inside all the time, ironically because pets weren't allowed.

AtlantaLivin
Apr 8, 2007, 12:40 PM
No cats next door... thanks though

ballengerb1
Apr 8, 2007, 01:02 PM
The sewer gas should vent above the roof line. If the temp and wind are right that gas can fall along the roof and reenter the building. Do you know where your vent is on the roof and can you get at it for inspection? Don't walk on a roof steeper than 6:12 unless you know what you are doing.

AtlantaLivin
Apr 8, 2007, 04:29 PM
Although, this is possible, I find it hardly likely. The fact that this happens on such a recurring basis, makes me think that there has to be something else that is causing this. I'll check the vent, if I can find it. I just don't think that fumes could reenter the building, it's solid brick and the smell is so strong at times that it would require every fume to go out of the building and brought back in...

cruzen7
Apr 21, 2007, 02:33 PM
What does stinky mean? Eggy? Moldy? Hard to asses without that info.