Just like the thread title says, one room, a bedroom, just started smelling all of the sudden. A smell very much so, if not identical to the odorant used in natural gas. It makes no sense. Compilation of the facts below:
-Bedroom in question is adjacent to the kitchen. The only gas plumbed into this apartment is a black iron pipe that stubs out of the wall behind the cooking range connected with a flexible appliance connector. Havent run a leak test on the exposed piping but we've smelled all around the stove, stuck our heads inside the oven, and sniffed each burner. Sniffed all around the range extensively and pretty certain no gas is coming from the piping or stove.
-Sniffed each and every plumbing trap in this apartment. Bath tub, kitchen, toilet etc... No odors.
-Opened all windows in the bedroom to ventilate once smell became apparent. Odor still present even with windows open for several hours.
-Just had electrical work done to this apartment. Actually we rewired entire apartment recently involving pulling old armored cable, cloth covered wire and replacing with romex. No old wiring exists anymore in this unit. My only reason for mentioning this is perhaps, just perhaps we may have disturbed some old gas lighting pipes in the walls when we were pulling and fishing new cable? House is old built in 1927. Not sure if it even has/had gas lighting or piping in the walls. Or if maybe a joint or piping let go after all these years... All walls are original hard plaster/lath and no patching can be seen perhaps indicating a wall sconce or former location for a gas powered light source. Existing lights do not show evidence of gas piping etc...
-Possible rodent or animal dead in the wall? I dunno. I have smelled death before and it doesnt just smell like mercaptan. It smells like rot, nasty flesh decomposition, way worse than gas odorant. I may be wrong? Maybe a small animal like a mouse doesnt smell that bad...
-After much troubleshooting and endless sniffing, I went to the gas meter supplying this apartment and with a wrench, turned the valve ending supply of gas to the unit. Verified the pilot in water heater died and tried running a burner on the range. No gas flow. Going to sleep and when I wake up next morning, will check the room. If still smells like gas, I know its not coming from the utility. Windows left open in this bedroom overnight. If smell of gas has dissipated I'll start worrying it is related to the utility. Will continue troubleshooting and perhaps buy a gas detection meter and call the utility to assist in investigation.
Anybody dealt with something strange like this? Any more suggestions of perhaps a possibility I did not think of or consider?
-Bedroom in question is adjacent to the kitchen. The only gas plumbed into this apartment is a black iron pipe that stubs out of the wall behind the cooking range connected with a flexible appliance connector. Havent run a leak test on the exposed piping but we've smelled all around the stove, stuck our heads inside the oven, and sniffed each burner. Sniffed all around the range extensively and pretty certain no gas is coming from the piping or stove.
-Sniffed each and every plumbing trap in this apartment. Bath tub, kitchen, toilet etc... No odors.
-Opened all windows in the bedroom to ventilate once smell became apparent. Odor still present even with windows open for several hours.
-Just had electrical work done to this apartment. Actually we rewired entire apartment recently involving pulling old armored cable, cloth covered wire and replacing with romex. No old wiring exists anymore in this unit. My only reason for mentioning this is perhaps, just perhaps we may have disturbed some old gas lighting pipes in the walls when we were pulling and fishing new cable? House is old built in 1927. Not sure if it even has/had gas lighting or piping in the walls. Or if maybe a joint or piping let go after all these years... All walls are original hard plaster/lath and no patching can be seen perhaps indicating a wall sconce or former location for a gas powered light source. Existing lights do not show evidence of gas piping etc...
-Possible rodent or animal dead in the wall? I dunno. I have smelled death before and it doesnt just smell like mercaptan. It smells like rot, nasty flesh decomposition, way worse than gas odorant. I may be wrong? Maybe a small animal like a mouse doesnt smell that bad...
-After much troubleshooting and endless sniffing, I went to the gas meter supplying this apartment and with a wrench, turned the valve ending supply of gas to the unit. Verified the pilot in water heater died and tried running a burner on the range. No gas flow. Going to sleep and when I wake up next morning, will check the room. If still smells like gas, I know its not coming from the utility. Windows left open in this bedroom overnight. If smell of gas has dissipated I'll start worrying it is related to the utility. Will continue troubleshooting and perhaps buy a gas detection meter and call the utility to assist in investigation.
Anybody dealt with something strange like this? Any more suggestions of perhaps a possibility I did not think of or consider?
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