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Odor in a 70s house (LB), pentachlorophenol…
Hello,
We are new homeowners of a single-story LB house with a crawl space from 1971. The previous owners replaced pressure-treated studs, the subfloor, and insulation about 10 years ago. They also drained, covered the ground with plastic, and installed a dehumidifier from Corroventa. All this was done as there had been a smell in the house before.
We have now experienced that the smell remains in the house and gets into EVERYTHING, i.e. clothes, hair, tools, etc... Fortunately, we haven't moved into the house yet and can therefore undertake the extensive renovation needed to hopefully get rid of the smell. We have, with the help of an inspector, identified sources of odor in the house, including pressure-treated support beams. There is also a lot of material in the house that has been contaminated by the smell.
The inspector wrote the following in his report: In this case, we have treated wood beams in the crawl space which are considered a source of odor. We also have smell-contaminated materials in the edge and center beams in concrete, base flashing, floor joists, floor and wall insulation, and subfloor boards. All parts contribute to the odor felt in the house.
We have torn down all interior walls and removed all drywall on the exterior walls. We will also replace the insulation in the exterior walls. We removed the beams about 1 month ago and they smelled TERRIBLE. We are now in the process of replacing the base flashing, joists, insulation, and subfloor boards. We will also install FTX. Today, we have mechanical ventilation with supply air via supply air vents in the exterior wall.
However, we are afraid that we won't be able to get rid of the smell... Has anyone of you done a similar renovation and how have you gone about getting rid of the smell? For example, we won't be able to replace the concrete edge beams, is there anything we can do to get rid of the smell on these? They are "only" contaminated and not a source themselves. We will flex the concrete center beam. We are also considering enclosing the center beam in new concrete, what do you think of that? Has anyone of you replaced the wooden edge beam? Ours are partially coated with impregnation (probably Cuprinol as they are green underneath) and would therefore need to be replaced in conjunction with the replacement of the floor joists. Is it done in a similar way as with base flashing replacement, i.e., lifting the house and replacing one piece at a time? We have a brick house, and it might be difficult to do it from the outside unless we change the facade.
/ Desperate homeowners
We are new homeowners of a single-story LB house with a crawl space from 1971. The previous owners replaced pressure-treated studs, the subfloor, and insulation about 10 years ago. They also drained, covered the ground with plastic, and installed a dehumidifier from Corroventa. All this was done as there had been a smell in the house before.
We have now experienced that the smell remains in the house and gets into EVERYTHING, i.e. clothes, hair, tools, etc... Fortunately, we haven't moved into the house yet and can therefore undertake the extensive renovation needed to hopefully get rid of the smell. We have, with the help of an inspector, identified sources of odor in the house, including pressure-treated support beams. There is also a lot of material in the house that has been contaminated by the smell.
The inspector wrote the following in his report: In this case, we have treated wood beams in the crawl space which are considered a source of odor. We also have smell-contaminated materials in the edge and center beams in concrete, base flashing, floor joists, floor and wall insulation, and subfloor boards. All parts contribute to the odor felt in the house.
We have torn down all interior walls and removed all drywall on the exterior walls. We will also replace the insulation in the exterior walls. We removed the beams about 1 month ago and they smelled TERRIBLE. We are now in the process of replacing the base flashing, joists, insulation, and subfloor boards. We will also install FTX. Today, we have mechanical ventilation with supply air via supply air vents in the exterior wall.
However, we are afraid that we won't be able to get rid of the smell... Has anyone of you done a similar renovation and how have you gone about getting rid of the smell? For example, we won't be able to replace the concrete edge beams, is there anything we can do to get rid of the smell on these? They are "only" contaminated and not a source themselves. We will flex the concrete center beam. We are also considering enclosing the center beam in new concrete, what do you think of that? Has anyone of you replaced the wooden edge beam? Ours are partially coated with impregnation (probably Cuprinol as they are green underneath) and would therefore need to be replaced in conjunction with the replacement of the floor joists. Is it done in a similar way as with base flashing replacement, i.e., lifting the house and replacing one piece at a time? We have a brick house, and it might be difficult to do it from the outside unless we change the facade.
/ Desperate homeowners
If the odor problem is in the crawl space, the easiest solution would be to ventilate it directly out through the crawl space wall with a duct fan. Mechanical exhaust air in the house also draws up odor from the foundation. The dehumidifier also seems to create a positive pressure in the foundation that helps transfer it to the house.
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