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Evil Odor

Posted by tazprncess (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 27, 05 at 22:07

I live on the 2nd floor of a 3 floor co-op. Periodically (and twice in the last 2 weeks) there is a vile, "low tide" smell that eminates from my bathroom area. My bathroom is cleaned once a week, as it has been since I moved in a year and a half ago. I have only experienced this 3 times, 2 of which were very recent.

Not to be gross, but I literally smelled every surface, but can't find from where it is coming. Could it be a leak in the walls or ceiling? From the fan vent? Any suggestions? I am going to call my super, but I don't know if it is from me or elsewhere. Thanks.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Evil Odor

could it be coming from the drains of your sink and tub? I live in a high rise in nyc and I have also experienced an "evil odor" which I localized to the drains. It is indeed evil and beyond the realm of any smell that any of the organisms in my household could possibly emit. I found that running water in both usually tamped it back down. But I don't know why it happens. The only pattern to it is that I notice it upon coming home (when no one has been around to run water in the bathroom for a while). It has happened at such infrequent intervals over the three years I've lived here that I haven't complained about it yet. Curious to know if you figure out what it is, but maybe in the meantime, you could try running the water for a temporary fix.


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RE: Evil Odor

There are several possibilities, some of which are:
1) Seal ring around toilet is going and needs to be replaced.
2) Traps are drying out allowing vent gas to enter bathroom. Not likely unless the bathroom has not been used in a while.
3) Vent line may have a plug in it and need to be cleared. Generally done from the roof.
Good Luck on getting it solved.


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RE: Evil Odor

You might want to post this question over on the plumbing forum. My guess is that you've got some sewer gas backing up into your bathroom from a leak or a loose seal somewhere. I sincerely doubt you are causing this, especially since you've been cleaning and sniffing everywhere! Call the super.


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RE: Evil Odor

I'd bet on a partially clogged ventline

(the pipe that runs to the outside and vents the gases )

its a cheap fix


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RE: Evil Odor

I am the property manager to a large apartment community. Every month I deal with odor problems some more severe than others. One of my maintenance guys brought me a product called Room Shocker. This product works like no other product I've ever tried it's simple to use and relatively inexpensive. It's not a masking agent and gets rid of the odor at the source by destroying the source at the molecular level. That includes heavy smoke smell pet urine, mold and mildew smells. It not only gets rid of the smell but it completely Decontaminates and disinfects the whole room. The product is fairly new. It's only been around for less than a year so it’s a bit hard to find but you can get it from a website called BiocideSystems.com I swear by it and highly recommend it to all the realtors and apartment managers.

Here is a link that might be useful: BiocideSytems.com


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