How to Find & Remove Odors, Gases & Smells in Buildings
InspectAPedia® -
How to identify odors or gases by type, source, and toxicity. Noxious odors or smells in buildings can be diagnosed and cured
How to identify and remove odors from drinking water
How to identify, diagnose, and cure septic gas or sewer gas odors in basements, bathrooms, kitchens, or other areas
How to find and remove heating oil tank odors, oil tank leak odors
How to identify and remove animal or pet odors in buildings
Advice on use of ozone generators & ozone gas for building odor removal
How to use gas detectors, gas sniffers, various gas testing devices
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.
This website provides articles on to diagnose, test, identify, and cure or remove a wide range of obnoxious or even toxic
odors in buildings and in building water supply. We discuss odors from a variety of sources including
animals including pets, dogs, cats, or unwanted animals or dead animals, formaldehyde odors in buildings from building products or furnishings, plumbing drains, plastic or vinyl odors from building products, flue gases, oil tanks or oil spills, pesticides,
septic odors, sewer gases, and even abandoned chemicals at properties.
The photo above shows steel chemical drums that we discovered on a residential property during a home inspection.
Not only did these steel drums raise a question of possible environmental contamination of this site, even worse,
they were uphill and close to a stream, raising a still more broad question of area contamination.
Building Odor Guide: How to Find, Test, & Remove Odors, Odor Detection, Smells, & Gases in Buildings
ODOR DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST provides a checklist of places to look and things to do to track down the source of an odor or smell in building air, water, mechanical systems, heating, cooling, or other locations.
Animal Smells may be due to current or prior pets in a building, pet urine or fecal waste, cat boxes, animal hair, dog dander, cat dander (are allergens and are indicators of the level of prior pet activity), dust tracked in by dogs. But animal odors in buildings can also occur
when an animal such as a mouse or rat has died in a building cavity.
A dead animal smell has been described by our clients with a wide variety of terms ranging from a vague noxious stink that seemed to vary with humidity to a sweet sickly smell. Dead animals or even insect nests
in building plumbing, especially building vents, can also produce unexpected sewer odors - see Septic and Sewer gas odor links discussed below.
BOAT & CAR SMELLS & ODORS discusses the cause and removal of common smells that are found in cars and similar vehicles.
Car Odors - Mold Contamination discusses in detail the problem of finding and removing a moldy, musty, or mildew smell from cars, trucks, campers, and boats.
Carbon Dioxide Gas Toxicity hazard level, poisoning symptoms, & testing - you won't smell CO2 (carbon dioxide) in a building, but if combustion gases from a heating or hot water system or possibly a wood stove or coal stove are not being safely vented to outdoors you may smell other telltale products of combustion.
Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity hazard levels, poisoning symptoms, & testing - you won't smell CO (carbon monoxide) in a building, but if combustion gases from a heating or hot water system or possibly a wood stove or coal stove are not being safely vented to outdoors you may smell other telltale products of combustion. Be certain that you have working CO detectors as well as smoke detectors in your building.
Drain Odors: Plumbing Drain Noises - Diagnosis & Repair guide. This article discusses the cause, diagnosis, and cure of plumbing drain noises. A drain noise can also be a clue to plumbing drain odor sources.
That "blub blub" or "glug glug" noise you hear from a building drain might mean that there is a problem with the drain system itself, such as a partial drain blockage, a drain venting problem, a drain odor problem, or even a failing septic system. Here we discuss the causes and cures for plumbing drain noises, and we refer to key companion articles that assist in that diagnosis.
Formaldehyde: US EPA. UFFI (Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation) was previously considered a hazard (formaldehyde outgassing). Subsequent research virtually closed concern regarding this material; however formaldehyde appears to remain a health concern for sensitive individuals.
Gas Odors: A Toxic Gas Testing Sampling Plan for Residential Indoor Air Investigations. This document outlines gas toxicity levels and gas testing procedures we use in field IAQ and environmental health investigations for a range of indoor gases which may be produced by building product outgassing, mold and MVOCs, mechanical systems, fire damage, or contamination from nearby industrial, beauty parlor, dry cleaning, or other activities which often produce noxious or toxic odors and gases.
Gas Exposure Hazard Levels: for Toxic Gas Exposure to Ammonia, Arsine, Arsenic, Bromine, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Hydride, Ozone - allowable exposure levels and hazard levels
Gas Measurement Tools recommendations for selection and use of gas detection equipment and descriptions of how gas testing equipment is used
Gas Testing methods of screening for various odors, gases, and chemicals in the indoor environment
Hazardous Material Waste Site Maps from ATSDR - U.S. CDC Gather - "Geographic Analysis Tool for Health and Environmental Research" online public access to data pertinent to public health
Heating System Odors: odors of combustion gases or heating oil or natural or LP gas can all be indicators of serious safety hazards as well as malfunctioning building heating or water heating equipment. See these detailed articles:
Mold Odors - MVOCs: If we smell mold, is mold present and is that a problem? Most people have a pretty good idea of moldy or musty smell as associated with mold. If you smell mold or find it at important levels in screening samples of air, dust, or vacuumed surfaces, (by quantity or by particle type in samples) it is probably there. Testing and ASTM Test Standards for MVOCs are also cited below.
Mold Odors FAQs: Why do mold odors occur in our home following rain? Odors at exterior outlets sure sound as if there has been leakage into the wall and a probable mold colony. We need an expert visual inspection and possibly invasive sampling, combined with building history, to find and follow leak paths and high humidity cavities in order to inspect the most-likely mold reservoir targets in a building. The odors may be MVOC's which may be produced by some mold genera/species at varying levels as humidity, temperature, air pressure, and other variables change.
Mold Information Website: This website provides information and procedures for finding, testing, cleaning and preventing indoor mold, toxic black mold, green mold, testing building indoor air quality, and other sick house / sick building investigations. Here are research articles, inspection and testing procedures, and contact information for expert services.
We give in-depth information about indoor air quality problems: causes of respiratory illness, asthma, or other symptoms such as neurological or psychological problems, air quality investigation methods, and remediation procedures such as mold cleanup, handling toxic mold contamination, and building or mechanical system repairs. We offer advice on mold prevention and mold-resistant construction resistant to indoor problem molds such as the Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Stachybotrys chartarum groups.
Oil Tank Leaks and Smells are discussed at our website on handling above ground or buried heating oil storage tanks.
These online articles answer most questions about above ground or buried oil storage tanks. Extensive free un-biased oil storage tank inspection and testing advice for property buyers and owners.
This document lets you know what to ask about oil storage tanks, what oil tank leak tests to order, how to interpret oil tank testing results, what to do if there is a buried fuel or petroleum storage tank at a property, what to do if there is or was a leaky oil storage tank or petroleum storage tank, and how to reduce the chances of an oil leak or oil spill in the future.
We include detailed information about underground (buried) oil storage tanks (USTs), aboveground oil storage tanks (ASTs), above ground fuel storage tanks, reporting and cleaning up oil tank leaks, and choosing among oil tank leak testing methods. We discuss how to find buried oil tanks, how to remove or abandon oil tanks and how to recognize evidence that there was a previous oil tank at a property even if the oil tank may have been removed (or
perhaps left buried in place). We discuss what to do if an oil tank has already been removed or abandoned. We provide links to every U.S. state regulatory agency concerned with oil and other storage tanks and to regulatory agencies in Canada and other countries.
Environmental damage from oil leaks, oil spill cleanup, are also discussed. We discuss oil spill cleanup, oil spill and odor remediation, and bioremediation, for fuel oil or heating oil. LP Gas tanks are also addressed. Home heating oil tank leak and environmental contamination risks are important concerns for building owners and home buyers as major cleanup and tank replacement costs can be involved.
Ozone Odors & Ozone "deodorizers": The Use of Ozone Generators Indoors for Control of Odors and Mold Removal in Buildings: A Summary of Hazards and False Claims.
Ozone is widely promoted by ozone generating equipment companies and cleaning services for use in indoor building environments to deodorize, disinfect, "kill" mold, and for "general health".
Ozone generators are also promoted for use to reduce the level of airborne particles, pollen, animal dander, and allergens, ostensibly to improve indoor air quality for asthmatics and people with allergies. While there are some important uses of ozone (such as for medical disinfection under controlled conditions), in general this is an idea which ranges from bad to dangerous in the home. This article explains the effects of using ozone in buildings for these purposes and warns consumers about misapplication of and health risks from ozone in buildings. Because at least some of these claims are based on marketing desire, not good science, and because ozone exposure can be both dangerous and ineffective indoors, we have collected some information and references on this topic.
Ozone generators: The Hazards of Ozone & Ozone Gas Generators. This article gives an overview of the hazards associated with use of ozone indoors as a "mold remedy" or as an "air purifier". Ozone is widely promoted by ozone generating equipment companies and cleaning services for use in indoor building environments to deodorize, disinfect, "kill" mold, and for "general health".
Ozone Toxicity & Ozone Gas Exposure Hazards This article discusses Ozone Toxicity in Buildings - A Summary of Hazards of Indoor Ozone, Ozone Generators, and Use of Ozone for Mold Remediation. While there are some important uses of ozone (such as for medical disinfection under controlled conditions), in general this is an idea which ranges from bad to dangerous in the home. This article explains the effects of using ozone in buildings for these purposes and warns consumers about misapplication of and health risks from ozone in buildings. Because at least some of these claims are based on marketing desire, not good science, and because ozone exposure can be both dangerous and ineffective indoors, we have collected some information and references on this topic.
Paint Failures & Odors: How to Diagnose, Correct, & Prevent Paint Failure on Buildings. Paint odors: solvents and other chemicals in building paints or coatings are often a source of odor or paint smell complaints, even where low-VOC paints are in use.
Pesticide Odors U.S. EPA advice on pesticides and possible pesticide contamination
Pet Odors: from dogs, cats, or other pets, source identification, testing, removal, are discussed in detail at ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS, with special focus on cat odors and allergens beginning at Cat Dander: how to inspect and test a building for past or current presence of cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat allergens" . Also see Pet Allergens.
Plastic odors: Plastic Odors, including Siding Odors. This discussion also pertains to other vinyl or plastic materials used in buildings such as diagnosing odors from plastic trim, plastic or vinyl windows, window screens, doors, or similar materials. This article includes a plastic odor diagnosis checklist and it lists common sources of plastic-like smells in buildings.
Plumbing System Odors: problems with open sewer lines, plumbing vent systems, plumbing fixtures, plumbing drain traps, and septic systems can produce troublesome indoor or outdoor sewage smells that are sometimes dangerous or unhealthy. Here is our guide to tracking down and curing building odors due to plumbing drain, waste, vent, fixture, or septic systems: ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER
Sampling for gases in air such as VOC's, MVOC's, toxic chemicals, and combustion products.
Unfortunately no single test or tool can detect all possible building contaminants. We use methods and equipment which can test for common contaminants.
MVOC Testing Standard: As of 3 March 2009 the ASTM Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and
Corrective Action
released ASTM E2600-08 Standard Practice for Assessment of
Vapor Intrusion into Structures on Property Involved in Real Estate
Transactions.
If the identity of a specific contaminant is known in advance we can also test for a very large number of specific contaminant gases in buildings. We use gas sampling equipment provided by the two most reliable companies in the world, Draeger-Safety's detector-tubes and Drager accuro™ bellows pump, the Gastec™ cylinder pump and detector-tube system produced by Gastec or Sensidyne, and we also use Sensidyne's Gilian air pump. For broad screening for combustibles and a number of other
toxic gases and for leak tracing we also use Amprobe's TIF 8850 and TIF 8800.
All of these gas testing instruments, their applications, and their sensitivities (minimum detectable limits) for specific gases are described in our Gas Sampling Plan online document.
Septic or Sewer Odors: Diagnosing and Curing Sewer Gas Smells and Septic Tank Odors. This series of detailed diagnostic procedure articles describes how to diagnose, find, and cure odors in buildings including septic or sewage or sewer gas smells or "gas odors" in buildings with a focus on homes with a private onsite septic tank but including tips for owners whose home is connected to a sewer system as well.
Sewer gases are more than an obnoxious odor. Because sewer gas contains
methane gas (CH4) there is a risk of an explosion hazard or even fatal asphyxiation.
Sewer gases also probably contain hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) In addition some writers opine that there are possible
health hazards from sewer gas exposure, such as a bacterial infection of the sinuses (which can occur due to any sinus irritation).
Septic or Sewer Odors: Wet Weather or Cold Weather Sewage or Septic Odors: Diagnosis and Repair Guide. This article discusses the diagnosis and correction of sewer gas or septic odors with focus on diagnosing odor sources and causes in cold weather. Some of the diagnostic steps pertain to all seasons.
Sewer Gas Odors from drains: Diagnosing Clogged Drains & Septic System Backups: Is it a blocked drain or the septic system? - A First Step for Homeowners. This website explains how to investigate slow or blocked drains and septic system backups to distinguish between a probable septic system failure versus a probable blocked building drain. When a building drain is clogged or slow, or when there is a septic system backup, it's important to determine where the problem lies, since the repair steps can be quite different and costs can vary widely.
Siding Odors: Vinyl Siding Failures, Diagnosis, Repair, Proper Installation: Siding, window, screen, & other "plastic" odors: We've investigated a number of reports of strange odors in residential buildings that were ultimately traced to vinyl or plastic which was outgassing. we have observed this
phenomenon with vinyl siding, plastic or vinyl window or door screens, and plastic or vinyl windows. A key diagnostic step was the observation that the odors
were strongest when the material under investigation was exposed to sunlight or other sources of heat. [This article is under development, September 2007, and we welcome content suggestions or questions].\
SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors - a simple procedure using paper towels and aluminum foil can help track down a building odor to a specific surface indoors.
Home Buyer's Detailed Guide to Septic Systems - Buying a Home With a Septic Tank. This article discusses septic tank care and maintenance and addresses some causes and cures of septic odors indoors or outside.
Water Odors: How to Identify Odors in Drinking Water. This article discusses how to identify, diagnose, and cure common odors that may be present in drinking water. We also discuss which of these odors may warn of unsanitary conditions.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
ASTM E2600 - 08 Standard Practice for Assessment of Vapor Intrusion into Structures on Property Involved in Real Estate Transactions is available from the ASTM at astm.org/Standards/E2600.htm .
"This practice is intended for use on a voluntary basis by parties who wish to conduct a VIA on a parcel of real estate, or more specifically conduct a screening evaluation to determine whether or not there is potential for a VIC, and if so, identify alternatives for further investigation."
The standard goes on to emphasize the uncertainty in testing any site for gases and vapor intrusion.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
...
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.
The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.
Mobile View 
InspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map 
InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map
