2

Condo is in Florida. The building is 32 years old. 8 Units in a 2story building. Mine is on the 2nd floor. Brand new HVAC system including ducts-2018.

Attic insulation was fine according to a home inspector in 2018, but some "bare" spots were remediated in 2019 through weatherization assistance program. Humidity is maintained 50-60. Temp is set 74-77F.

No leaks, no visible mold anywhere. Walls are clean and painted in 2017 before selling. No old furniture. No carpet. Large windows, plenty of day light. Mix of cathedral ceiling and normal ceiling in bedrooms. Washer and Dryer are on Lanai (outside). No pets.

I live there year around. I am very sensitive to odors. When I walk in from outside, the old house odor is clearly felt. It is not very strong, but I sense it.

Any ideas on where it may be coming from?

Anna Smith
  • 21
  • 3
  • Is it empty or are you living there? Did you move in recently? – JPhi1618 Mar 24 '20 at 16:00
  • @ JPhi1618 I live there year around – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:02
  • what type of flooring? is it old? – depperm Mar 24 '20 at 16:08
  • depperm The flooring is mix of hard wood (2017 and laminate(2018). – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:10
  • 2
    "Old house odor in a condo" Hmmm. perhaps your condo was an old house in a previous lifetime OR there is ghost of a person in your condo who used to live in an old house. – Alaska Man Mar 24 '20 at 16:13
  • Alaska Man Perhaps, but she is 90 years old, alive and was the only unit owner. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:15
  • 1
    Check your bathroom vents. Sometimes they are in wall vents and can be shared with neighbors. – JACK Mar 24 '20 at 16:17
  • @JACK The bathroom vents are in the ceiling. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:22
  • You have the humidity controlled but is there any type of air circulation? In my area cable ceiling heat and base boards are common, even with hard wood and laminate flooring some of these homes smell slightly stale. If on a ground floor I would verify a vapor barrier on the ground in a crawl space if any. I have added small positive pressure fan units in the past these small fan / filter units bring in a small amount of air and maintain a positive pressure. These have worked well for my customers. – Ed Beal Mar 24 '20 at 16:22
  • They can still be share the space between the joists. See if there are separate ducts. – JACK Mar 24 '20 at 16:28
  • @Ed Beal I manually adjust thermostat when humidity rises. It is not done automatically. No crawl space, 2nd floor. I have mini-dehumidifier in a large closet which fills up fast, even though humidity in the closet no different than throughout the condo. The door to the attic is on this large closet ceiling. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:30
  • @JACK I plan on replacing the bathrooms vents, they are original. I will have to ask the contractor about it. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:33
  • @AnnaSmith "I will have to ask the contractor about it" Has work started already, meaning has walls or floors been opened up yet etc .? – Alaska Man Mar 24 '20 at 16:41
  • @Alaska Man No work needs to be done other than replace bathroom vents and possible ceiling fans. I'll have to hire someone for that. A contractor. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:44
  • @Ed Beal I just checked humidity in the closet. it is 51. So it is probably not coming from the attic. New roof 2017. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 16:46
  • 1
    @Alaska Man My nose is pretty accurate. It detected a hidden leak in my friend's house in Oregon the moment I stepped in. He denied it saying he has the driest crawl space in Oregon. But a tiny nail to hang a picture on the 1st floor wall had punctured a pipe from the second floor bathroom where a person was taking 1 hour long shower every day. The mold was inside the wall but also outside (that wall), hidden behind a couch against that wall. It continued for at least couple of months. Remediation cost was huge. – Anna Smith Mar 24 '20 at 17:07
  • Have you done a mold test? It may not be visible, but still present. And why is the dehumidifier in a closet? Wouldn't it be better out in the open where it could get better circulation? – George Anderson Mar 24 '20 at 18:56
  • 2
    I’m voting to close this question because it's been abandoned. – FreeMan Dec 22 '20 at 14:10
  • I’m voting to close this question because finding odors is explicitly off-topic. – Daniel Griscom Dec 22 '20 at 18:02

2 Answers2

0

If you can not find the source of the odor or want a temporary/permanent fix try using a charcoal filter in the cold air return of the furnace. I use a filter from Home Depot or Lowes called a "web absorber" model#FPR-5 at about $12.00. It is a 20"X25" cut to size filter that I used to replace the pre-filter in my electronic air cleaner. My wife is like you in that she can smell a "flies fart" at 10 miles. I have been using them for about 15 years and she is happy and so am I .

d.george
  • 12,410
  • 2
  • 15
  • 23
-1

You note the power of your nose in the original question and in at least one of the comments so you are going to smell even the smallest issue. And Florida is very humid allowing for the mold and mildew to grow. I believe that the smell is mildew (this from my childhood spending time with my Grandmother in Stuart). One way to deal with it is to reduce the humidity which it needs to flourish. I suggest getting a dedicated dehumidifier and reduce the humidity down at least to 65 if not 50 or lower. I use one here in Seattle, it's a must have for me or there will be similar issues.

Ack
  • 5,719
  • 4
  • 19
  • 32