intermittent 'bad smell' from airing cupboard area

[usenet2012]

Our airing cupboard, (containing hot water tank, CH pump & shower pump),
occasionally develops a 'bad smell'.

I've always put the smell down to it being over-stuffed with towels &
bed linen & of something damp being added and allowed to fester.

In an attempt to prevent the problem by increasing air throughput I
fitted a ventilation vent in the bottom of the door and drilled some
large holes near the top. However it's recently done it again. :(

I've removed all the towels & stuff to another room but none of them
particularly smell so I no longer think it's that. The other thing I've
noticed this time is that the smell is evident near the ceiling of the
hall below.

I started to wonder if it was a dead animal as we can get mice between
floorboards occasionally but our (very active) cats have shown no
interest in the area. I also took a few photos through a gap with my
phone & could see nothing.

There is no sign of current dampness though the joists show tidemark
evidence of a previous episode of a leak.

I'm finally wondering whether a solution would be to increase the
ventilation in the space beneath the floorboards and wondering whether
to simply fit a simple low-powered fan such as the Xpelair DX100 Axial
12W Bathroom Fan (Screwfix Product Code: 32270) to run ?continuously.

Any other ideas?

--
Simon

12) The Second Rule of Expectations
An EXPECTATION is a Premeditated resentment.

[Brian Gaff]

Is this as mine is, right against the wall between your house and the one
next door. I get all sorts of smells through from next door in my airing
cupboard some nice some not so nice.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"usenet2012" <usene...@invalid2012.org.uk> wrote in message
news:0Lh8eLE5Rp$QF...@stejonda.org.uk...

[Jim K]

On Jan 22, 1:30 pm, usenet2012 <usenet2...@invalid2012.org.uk> wrote:
> Our airing cupboard, (containing hot water tank, CH pump & shower pump),
> occasionally develops a 'bad smell'.
>

is this a "funky" fishy smell? perhaps coinciding with heating /shower
use?

if so check the wiring - I was called to a mate's place where a right
bodge had been done wiring a shower - the white plastic iso switch in
the airing cupboard had charred so much (that's the source of tghe
fishy funky smell) the terminals fell out of it when I undid
it....eeek

Cheers
Jim K

[Brian Gaff]

Some of those electrical insulation materials smell terrible when they get
hot as you say, maybe its a design feature like the smell of gass.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active

"Jim K" <jk98...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f104a58-b4ab-44e5...@t5g2000vba.googlegroups.com...

[usenet2012]

In message <kdm730$5ea$1...@dont-email.me>, Brian Gaff
<Bri...@blueyonder.co.uk> writes

>Is this as mine is, right against the wall between your house and the one
>next door. I get all sorts of smells through from next door in my airing
>cupboard some nice some not so nice.
>

No. It's in the middle of the house.

(We used to get overpowering tobacco smoke smells through the cupboard
under the stairs until I emptied a can of expanding foam into the gaps.)

[usenet2012]

In message <am7n4l...@mid.individual.net>, Huge
<Hu...@nowhere.much.invalid> writes

>On 2013-01-22, usenet2012 <usene...@invalid2012.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>> Our airing cupboard, (containing hot water tank, CH pump & shower pump),
>> occasionally develops a 'bad smell'.
>

>Ours did the same. It turned out to be (after a *huge* amount of
>investigation) a failing joint where the spade connector was welded
>onto the wire tail of the immersion heater, which was high resistance,
>overheating and burning the plastic around it. I finally only found out
>because the spade connector fell off when I pulled the wire off it one
>day.
>
>Take the cover off your immersion heater and have a rummage round inside...
>
The wiring to our ancient immersion heater is indeed old & decayed and
I've put a sign on the cover shouting a warning to anyone unwary but we
it's permanently disconnected from the power supply.

Or could the heat from the tank be causing the emission of the smells
from the decaying plastic?

I will nose around with more precision.

[harryagain]

"usenet2012" <usene...@invalid2012.org.uk> wrote in message
news:0Lh8eLE5Rp$QF...@stejonda.org.uk...
>

Check out any electric switches and immersion heater, remove covers look for
signs of overheating /burning/loose connections..
Hot insulation smells pretty bad.
Could start a fire (especially in airing cupboard) so important to check
out.

[ss]

On 22/01/2013 19:17, harryagain wrote:
> "usenet2012"<usene...@invalid2012.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:0Lh8eLE5Rp$QF...@stejonda.org.uk...
>>

>> Our airing cupboard, (containing hot water tank, CH pump& shower pump),

>> occasionally develops a 'bad smell'.
>>
>> I've always put the smell down to it being over-stuffed with towels& bed

>> linen& of something damp being added and allowed to fester.

>>
>> In an attempt to prevent the problem by increasing air throughput I fitted
>> a ventilation vent in the bottom of the door and drilled some large holes
>> near the top. However it's recently done it again. :(
>>

>> I've removed all the towels& stuff to another room but none of them

>> particularly smell so I no longer think it's that. The other thing I've
>> noticed this time is that the smell is evident near the ceiling of the
>> hall below.
>>
>> I started to wonder if it was a dead animal as we can get mice between
>> floorboards occasionally but our (very active) cats have shown no interest

>> in the area. I also took a few photos through a gap with my phone& could

>> see nothing.
>>
>> There is no sign of current dampness though the joists show tidemark
>> evidence of a previous episode of a leak.
>>
>> I'm finally wondering whether a solution would be to increase the
>> ventilation in the space beneath the floorboards and wondering whether to
>> simply fit a simple low-powered fan such as the Xpelair DX100 Axial 12W
>> Bathroom Fan (Screwfix Product Code: 32270) to run ?continuously.
>>
>> Any other ideas?
>>
>> --
>> Simon
>>
>> 12) The Second Rule of Expectations
>> An EXPECTATION is a Premeditated resentment.
>
> Check out any electric switches and immersion heater, remove covers look for
> signs of overheating /burning/loose connections..
> Hot insulation smells pretty bad.
> Could start a fire (especially in airing cupboard) so important to check
> out.
>
>

"> but our (very active) cats" could they be leaving an intermittent
`present`