"Gas" smell coming up from floorboards

[danstevens]

Hi,

I have recently taken up an old carpet and painted the floorboards white in our bedroom. I have since noticed an intermitant gas smell coming up from the boards. It is not the paint as it has been some weeks since i decorated. I even called the emergency gas number as i was convinced the smell was gas - however the gas man found no trace what-so-ever.

Can anyone shed any light on this? Could it be rotting floorboards?

many thanks

Dan.

 

[big-all]

heeelllooo dan

my suggestion would be assuming the paint is water based

applying the paint or washing down has re-activated a dormant smell "trapped" in the floor

have you managed to localise the smell at all!!!

another idea airflow that was previously stopped by the carpet bringing in "smells "from somwhere else and possibly reliant on wind direction!!!

 

[JohnD]

have a look under the floorboards. builders like to hide rubbish under there. as the boards are painted you can easily touch up any damage or new bits. If you are taking up floorboards keep any cats chained up or they will climb down there.

Might be damp. In an upstairs room this could be a weeping pipe. It might also be coming from a waste pipe in a bathroom if near. could also be damp brickworks from loose pointing trapping rain, or a dripping gutter.

Might be a dead mouse or something.

Might be pet weeing on the floor.

Might be timber preservative fluid if it has been sprayed for woodworm or rot.

Might be damp-proofing chemicals.

Did the previous owner of the house claim that his wife left him suddenly?

 

[danstevens]

the paint isn't water based - it is dulux floor shield. There is an old water cylindar in an ajoining room which not longer works - perhaps there was a small leak from here.........

sounds like i need to lift up my nice newly painted floorboards in any event and see what lies beneath....

 

[trim67]

Is the outlet / exhaust / vent from your boiler under the window of the room with the painted floor? I know our vent smells of gas when the winds in the right direction - it may have something to do with that.

 

[joe-90]

My thoughts exactly. Is there an air brick anywhere that could let boiler fumes in?

 

[danstevens]

nope, boiler couldn't be further away at the back of the house - bedroom at the front.

 

[miffyR]

Have you discovered the source yet?

I also have an intermittent rotten egg smell and the gas man says there is no gas leak. I suspect some rotting floorboards, but I don't know if they are usually to smell like sulfur when they rot.

 

[danstevens]

we think the source is rotting floorboards - there was an old water cylindar that had a number of pin hole leaks in it that has now been removed. Underneath the cylindar were a number of rotting boards - just next to our bedroom where the smell was coming up through the floorboards. The area is now drying out - haven't smelt the smell since so fingers crossed.