Bad smell in house

[JonR]

We recently bought a farm with a 2 yr old house, it has a propane tank for gas to the house. When we come in to the house the first time each Friday night, the smell in the house, which has been shut up all week, is pretty strong. Friends have told us its the propane. Anyone ever heard of this? Can anything be done about it?

 

[scott_vt]

We recently bought a farm with a 2 yr old house, it has a propane tank for gas to the house. When we come in to the house the first time each Friday night, the smell in the house, which has been shut up all week, is pretty strong. Friends have told us its the propane. Anyone ever heard of this? Can anything be done about it?

Good Evenin JonR,
Whats it smell like ? If it smells like rotten eggs, mercadum sp?, get the heck out of that house immediately ! That indicates a propane leak and is about as serious as it gets !

Call your propane supplier before rentering that home for your own safety, and have it professionally checked out !

 

[ray66v]

I hope your not actually smelling propane.

Propane is heavier than air and settles to the lowest point. if you can smell it everywhere, its either a bomb ready to blow, or more than likely, something else.

My home uses propane and there is no residual odors if that's what their suggesting.

Call the supplier you intend to use, and as for an inspection.

 

[tawilson]

Do you turn off the propane when you leave? Is there a pilot light on a stove that isn't lit? Perhaps there's drain that needs some water in the trap? Just some thoughts off the front of my head.

 

[JonR]

Its not a sulphur smell and doesn't really smell like hydrocarbons or mercaptans, more of a highly stale odor, as a house thats been closed up too long. Another farm house we started to buy had the same smell and we were told it was the propane residue.

 

[SnowRidge]

I'll repeat what the others said. A propane leak inside a house is extremely dangerous. Any sort of spark can level the house, if enough propane collects inside.

If you are not using the propane, shut it off at the tank. It should never be on unless you are using it for something.

In my opinion, propane inside any structure is just an explosion waiting to happen. Get rid of the stuff, if you can.

 

[texasjohn]

1) Agree with all warnings re propane danger and needed action.
2) Turn off propane at tank, air out the house, and wait a week. If same smell exists, it isn't propane.
3) Mold, mildew from leaky plumbing, 1 week old garbage, dead critter stuck in the walls or attic?
4) house is only 2 years old.... should not have this problem... could it be that some form of insulation was used that is still outgassing??

There is no such thing as propane residue... or a propane smell in a house that is properly plumbed, shut or not.... if you have a gas water heater which has a faulty exhaust, this might cause a smell.

I'm out of ideas...

 

[skipro3]

Mentioned once already but....

Add water to all your drains. Every drain has a trap in it. The trap holds water to keep sewer gas from coming back up the drain. If it's not coming from a drain, then check the vents. These should be on the roof as small tubes and vent the gas from the drains to the roof. If clogged with something, bird nest, etc. it could be coming out somewhere else.

Propane will not taint anything with it's stink, so if you are smelling propane, it will leave once vented. If the stink hangs after venting, then it's something else. I have a hand held explosive gas detector. It's like a geiger counter for explosive gases instead of radiation. It even can detect my burps and farts! Ha!! Anyway, you can use that to see if it's a hazardous gas and then dial in the sensitivity to see where it's stronger. The clicking noise gets faster the stronger to gas is detected. I would imagine any propane company would have them with their techs or you might get a loaner from a propane or plumbing supply house. If interested, I'll check the brand and model of mine and pass it along.

 

[heehaw]

do a high pressure test of your propane lines: i usually air gas lines to at least 80+ psi and make sure it will hold for a day or two with absolutely no drop: then your assured you don't have a leak...
heehaw

 

[Egon]

The pressure test is a very good idea. It probably would not hurt to do this on a scheduled maintenance program.

The sulfur compounds in mercaptan will stick around a while before they dissipate.

 

[coachgrd]

Has your diet been OK?

 

[DocHeb]

Mentioned once already but....

Add water to all your drains. Every drain has a trap in it. The trap holds water to keep sewer gas from coming back up the drain. If it's not coming from a drain, then check the vents. These should be on the roof as small tubes and vent the gas from the drains to the roof. If clogged with something, bird nest, etc. it could be coming out somewhere else.

And don't forget to fill the traps in any floor drains.

 

[jinman]

Jon, I have a small chest-of-drawers that I bought unpainted many years ago. I stained and finished the chest myself. Problem is, it stinks. It's not a strong odor, but when you close up a room with it in it, the odor of the wood or the finish is very evident when you enter the room. With a 2-yr old house, you could still have paint, adhesives, or putty causing the odor. I doubt it is propane.

 

[CurlyDave]

There is one other thing to check in your propane system.

I recently bought a used trailer for use as a hunting camper (Redneck hunting lodge). Anyway, my plan was was to use the indoor-safe Mr. Buddy propane heater I have with it. I put the heater (no propane cylinder) in the camper and soon started smelling gas. Thought I had a leak, until I traced it to the rubber propane hose the heater uses. These rubber hoses are very slightly permeable to propane and the odor they add to it. Now, I store the heater and hose outside, and only run the hose into the trailer when I actually am camping and using the heater on a regular basis.

Anyway, if you have any rubber propane hoses in your house, replace them with metal and the propane smell will go away.

 

[bigtiller]

With a 2-yr old house, you could still have paint, adhesives, or putty causing the odor. I doubt it is propane.

I agree with jinman.

Also, check the name plate on the propane tank for the year that it was built. If it is an old one, say, 30 years or more then there is an oil residue that will collect on the bottom of the tank and that smell will enter the house when burning propane. The less the tank is used over the years the more oily residue will be in the tank.

 

[MossRoad]

Jon, I have a small chest-of-drawers that I bought unpainted many years ago. I stained and finished the chest myself. Problem is, it stinks. It's not a strong odor, but when you close up a room with it in it, the odor of the wood or the finish is very evident when you enter the room. With a 2-yr old house, you could still have paint, adhesives, or putty causing the odor. I doubt it is propane.

We had a very unusual odor in our house that I thought was somewhat like natural gas, so I called the gas company. They come out and check for free. The first thing the guy asked after he poked his nose into the house was "Have you stained some wood recently?" Yes, I had. Apparently the fumes from the drying stain is burned off by pilot lights in the stove, furnace, etc.... and makes a smell similar to the stuff they put in natural gas to make it stink for leak detection.

Anyhow, if it were my house, I'd stay out until the gas company inspects it and gives it an all clear.

 

[riptides]

Check and find out where your drains on your HVAC go too.

 

[Travelover]

Mentioned once already but....

Add water to all your drains. Every drain has a trap in it. The trap holds water to keep sewer gas from coming back up the drain. If it's not coming from a drain, then check the vents. These should be on the roof as small tubes and vent the gas from the drains to the roof. If clogged with something, bird nest, etc. it could be coming out somewhere else.

.....................

A loose toilet will also let out sewer gas.

 

[schmism]

propane needs a 11% concentration to ignite. During my hazmat training for the FD im on, i was told that at that concentration you have a hard time breathing and most people start gagging.

A few months ago we had a 36" oak tree hit a 500 gal tank sq on the valve cover. knocked the shutoff valve loose. You could see the propane venting out the side and the propane guys walked right up to the tank no worries. We were staged about 100 yards back because thats were we got a "strong smell".

My guess is its unlikely to be the propane and likely to be a septic tank sewer smell from a leaky pipe or a trap that has gone dry.

 

[JonR]

Many thanks to all of you. I feel well armed for evaluating the smell this weekend.
Jon