House Smells That Come and Go: Causes + Fixes

Table Of Content

• Musty or Moldy Smell that Comes and Goes
• What to Do When the Entire House Smells Bad and You Still Don't Know Why
• What’s Causing That Burning Smell Coming from the Dryer? Solved!
• Gas Leak
• Do You Need to Hire a Plumber?
• Solved! This is the Best Time to Buy a TV
• Rotten Egg Smell in the House: Causes, Identification, and Solutions

Certain types of mold smell like cat urine, including dangerous toxic black mold, which should be remediated by a professional. When you leave your food in the oven for too long, you’ll be treated to an unpleasant lesson when a burning smell fills the air. But that’s not the only time when your nose can be offended by noxious odors.

Wastewater plant creates 'rotten' odor smell in Jefferson Parish - WWLTV.com

Wastewater plant creates 'rotten' odor smell in Jefferson Parish.

Posted: Tue, 21 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Musty or Moldy Smell that Comes and Goes

There are a few common sources of the rotten egg odor around your property. High levels of sulfur can cause your water to have a distinct rotten egg smell. Natural gas has an odorant called mercaptan, which gives off a sulfur-like smell to help identify leaks. If you have a natural gas line near your property, it’s important to stay alert for this odor.

What to Do When the Entire House Smells Bad and You Still Don't Know Why

Keep everyone safe by calling in a professional pest-control service to remove the interlopers. If the water in the sink has a distinct sulfur smell, it’s probably caused by hydrogen sulfide. Once called, the utility company or fire department will come right out and test your home. If they find a gas leak, they’ll shut off the gas and you’ll have to engage a licensed plumber that specializes in repairing gas lines to fix the problem before the gas can be turned on. Sometimes a rotten egg smell has a simple explanation…like actual rotting eggs. Check your fridge and pantry for expired or moldy food and toss it in the trash.

What’s Causing That Burning Smell Coming from the Dryer? Solved!

Furthermore, corrosion on copper wiring caused by off-gassing drywall could be the scent source. Experts can also test and analyze your water and offer plumbing recommendations. An excessive amount of Sulphur in drywall can cause a rotten egg smell. Furthermore, off-gassing can cause corrosion on copper wiring of HVAC systems and appliances in your home. To identify this cause, check your air conditioner's copper coils for a black substance appearing as an ash-like material. Black ash buildup occurs when there's a high level of sulfur being emitted.

Burnt-out electrical fixtures, mold, blocked drains, and gas leaks are common causes. Your first step to solving hydrogen sulfide smell problems in your home is finding the source. If you know where the smell is coming from, you can solve the problem. If you have issues with the gas line or drains, consider reaching out to plumbing professionals. Experts can fix your sewage, hot water tank, drains, and broken pipes to eradicate odors.

If you experience any symptoms related to the odor, don’t hesitate to get medical assistance. If your water heater is the rotten egg smell source, consider introducing 3% hydrogen peroxide into water. Add the chemical into 40 gallons of water and turn it into the heater.

Plumbers install U-shaped drainpipe “traps” beneath each fixture as part of the normal drainage system. If you have a shower, tub, or sink that gets minimal use, the odor could be caused by sewer gas filtering into your home through an empty plumbing trap. Because of the mix of gasses in the sewer, a leak can create a rotten egg aroma in the house. If you step outside and the sulfur smell is even stronger, there’s a good chance a sewer line is cracked or busted. If you live in the southern coastal United States and built a home or replaced drywall from 2005 to 2008, there’s a good chance you have toxic drywall. During this period, there was a drywall shortage, and contractors imported from China.

Solved! This is the Best Time to Buy a TV

Bacteria can thrive when wells and plumbing systems clog, and that eventually becomes unsafe. Purchase a new anode, put it in the old anode’s place, and secure the plug. However, the anode isn’t always the problem, and you may have to flush the water with chlorine. Run a chlorine and bleach solution through the water heater to kill the bacteria. Well contractors and plumbers are best suited to treat wells and systems that contain bacteria, sulfur, and iron.

The rotten egg smell can also come from unused shower and bathtub drains. If your whole house smells like rotten egg, your sewer or septic tank could be backed up. Disaster isn’t always imminent, but it’s worth a call to the relevant pros to get it checked out. But if it's just coming from a gas-powered furnace when you first turn it on, that's just the dust burning off. The best way to completely get rid of a rotten egg smell in your house is to solve the cause.

Please leave it in the water heater for a long period before flushing it out down the drain. The combination will eliminate hydrogen sulfide buildup in the water heater and eradicate the scent. Also, consider checking the anode rod to prevent water heater tank corrosion and explosion. The rotten egg odor persists in your outdoor space may be due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S can be released from various sources like decayed organic matter, sewer lines, stagnant water, or nearby industrial activities.

This is the first culprit to eliminate when there's a rotten egg smell in your house since it's the most harmful. A natural gas leak can lead to a potential house fire or gas poisoning to members of the home. One professional solution for dealing with the rotten egg smell outside your home is to hire a licensed plumber or septic system professional. They can inspect your septic system or sewer lines to identify the source of the smell and suggest appropriate solutions. You can tell that the water heater is the problem if your rotten egg smell only appears in hot water.

Once you're at a safe distance away from the area, call your gas company's emergency hotline or customer service number to report the leak and request immediate assistance. Test to see if this is the cause by filling your sink up with cold water and shutting off your supply for at least 6 hours. Sniff the water and if you smell a strong sulfur scent, you've identified the cause. Plumbers recommend installing a carbon filter on the faucets you drink out of along with a reverse osmosis unit underneath the sink. Additionally, a landscaping professional can help identify any potentially rotting plants or organic material in your yard that may be causing the smell. They can provide guidance on removing or treating the affected areas to eliminate the odor.