Smell in Newly built house?

Question

We moved into a brand new house 9 mo. ago, with a partially finished basement. The bedroom in the basement has a walk in closet which seems to be where this bad smell is the worst. The closet is unfinished, (concret floor & open ceiling) with all the pipes & stuff showing, not to mention it's directly underneath the master bath. We run a dehumidifier constantly, an ionic air purifier, and have plug in air fresheners down there. Sometimes the smell is hardly noticeable, but recently its flared up again. I feel bad for my step-daughter who has to sleep in there. Any clues on the problem or what to do?? I also smell it sometimes in master bedroom and located it to be strongest at the wall vent.

Our builder has checked and says traps are working okay.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

You don't say what it smells like...just "bad", although because you had the traps checked, it seems like maybe it's a sewer smell?
It could be a dry trap, like in a seldom used floor drain. The water seal can evaporate and let sewer gas in. Pouring water in those traps, then adding a few tablespoons of mineral oil will help, because the mineral oil will float on top of the water, keeping it from evaporating.
The other ways for sewer smell to get in would be if you have an air intake somewhere that is too close to the plumbing vent, a leak in a waste pipe or a leaky vent pipe.
You might be able to eliminate the waste system by pouring some peppermint oil into the toilet, flush it, and see if you get a peppermint smell coming from somewhere in the house. If the system is working right, there should be no smell in the house.
Any smell should be outside, on the roof where the vent pipe exits.
When you say it's strongest at the "wall vent" in the master bath...do you mean an exhaust fan? How close is the vent pipe exit to that fan?
Vent and waste pipes, installing in the walls while the house was framed DO sometimes get drilled or cut by accident when other things are done...like cutting in that wall vent! So if you can trace down where the vents/waste pipes run, and use the peppermint smell to guide you...you might find the culprit.

Answer 3

Sounds like sewer gas is escaping from your waste pipes. Have the plumbing checked to make sure the joints are sealed. It may require replacing some plumbing, but shouldn't cost much.

Also check to make sure no leakage has saturated the surrounding walls or other materials. It may help to simply clean the drains, but for it to smell like that, there must be a leak that lets the gas out, so cleaning would be a temporary solution.

You may also check to see that the traps in your master bath (the curved sections under the sink, tubs, and toilet, are holding water properly. The point of the trap is to trap water to block sewer gases from coming back up the drain. If it is not filling up properly, you will smell the sewer gases.

Answer 4

Sounds like maybe a leak or a dead mice somewhere.
Use hot clorox water and clean the area good.
U may need to burn more lights and use fans for venilation.
Try buying Fabree Allergen to keep from getting allergies from the smell. Check for holes for rodents to come in.
Could be moles under the ground dead too.
Put garlic cloves in corners of basement to keep out pests.
Lysol works wonders and get rid of carpets...they tend to smell

Answer 5

Did u purchase a home warranty and i would ask the builder to come out maybe a worker left something behind in the walls and is rotten.

Answer 6

The smell is a combination of things:
water, insulation,dryboard, and piping.once you finish the basement the smell should go away.

Answer 7

what does it smell like? water or mold dead animals what?