Jump to content

Recommended Posts

peterstorm1985 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Can anyone actually describe the chemical smell?

> Does it smell like cleaning fluid that you'd use

> on the floor, or in the loo. Or is it like a burnt

> electrical flex? Slightly fishy, or slightly

> sweet? Nail varnish remover or craft resin smell?

> The reason I ask is that you do sometimes get a

> whiff off water (and I might guess that it could

> with gas) when new pipes are installed or repair

> work done somewhere in the line. I presume it's

> the flushing liquid used to test for leaks and/or

> sterilise prior to use.


xxxxxxx


Can't easily describe it (only smelled it once in my neighbour's kitchen) but can say what it isn't.


Not that fishy plastic/electrical overheating smell.


Not acetone/nail varnish remover smell.


Not burning smell of any kind.


Not a sweet smell.


Nearest I could say is that it was like some kind of DIY stuff eg paint thinner but as my memory is crap don't hold me to this.


Question for those who have the smell - is it in just one room (and if so which one) or all over the house?


I think the suggestion above to contact Environmental Health is a good one - I'd do it myself if I was affected, but I don't know if I am as my whole house presently smells of paint so I can't be sure there's any other smell as well.

The smell was similar to white spirit or strong glue, I'd say. It seemed to be coming either from our kitchen or the cellar, which is on the same level as our kitchen but I couldn't pinpoint the source. Luckily for us, the smell has gone now but next call is definitely to Environmental Health if it returns.

Last year I had a faint gas type smell in my kitchen,and turning everything upside down and checking gas rings etc.I turned the wall plugs of in case, and I heard a low hissing noise just about audible.

It was coming from the freezer and closer inspection found, the smell was coming from there I called an electrician friend and he told me the freezer had been punctured and it was gas leaking from it .

I in my impatience couldnt wait for it to defrost and thought I would do a bit of scraping with the wrong tool.a screwdriver.

I had to buy a new freezer.

We had this very thing when we lived on Underhill Road. It turned out to be that a neighbours drain had been relined and the smell was the lining compound (which is like a flexible compound puumped along the drain line between a liner to form a new seal) which made it's way along the sewer connections between the adjoining properties and could be smelt for days afterwards until the compound fully dried. It smelt like very strong glue with a strong acetone smell.

A few weeks ago I had a strange "cleaner" type smell which was there every day and felt and I could not get rid of it or find where it was from. I had used an aerosol spray of the neutradol type and thought it was that. I do not usually use these and I was surprised that the smell seemed to remnain for so long. It seemed to get worse when the heating was on. I only occasionally get a faint smell now but it lasted for a couple of weeks and was quite distressing. I live in Ivanhoe Rd by the way.

Could it have been the spray?

Unlikely to have been the neutradol - I used some of that once but it was a bit intense/chokey so I didn't use it again - it doesn't linger for that long. You hadn't had the radiators repainted since you last had the heating on, had you, or recently purchased one of those oil filled electric rads? I had a duff one which stunk initially every time it was turned on.

BB100 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This is just a thought but have you considered the

> smell to be from someone paint spraying? Maybe

> spraying cars.


xxxxxx


I think the thing is, several people in different parts of ED have had the same issue over the same period of time.


I would say it would be a highly unlikely coincidence that paint spraying was taking place in different areas at the same time, especially at this time of year?


Just out of interest, is anybody still smelling the smell? Has anybody actually contacted the Environmental Health people? If not, we'll probably never find out what it is/was!


ETA: Ironjawcannon, I always thought Neutrodol was supposed to neutralise smells, not cause them!

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> BB100 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > This is just a thought but have you considered

> the

> > smell to be from someone paint spraying? Maybe

> > spraying cars.

>

> xxxxxx

>

> I think the thing is, several people in different

> parts of ED have had the same issue over the same

> period of time.

>

> I would say it would be a highly unlikely

> coincidence that paint spraying was taking place

> in different areas at the same time, especially at

> this time of year?


I only suggest it because half a mile down the road to me is a car paint sprayer and it's a strange thing but we get the smell at certain times of the year and you can smell it in some places and not others - and yes it does smell like it is coming from inside the house. It took me years to work out what it was until one day I walked past their yard and realised where it was coming from. At the time I couldn't believe I could smell it from so far away but I suppose it's how the wind blows. Hope you work it out.

peterstorm1985 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Can anyone actually describe the chemical smell?

> Does it smell like cleaning fluid that you'd use

> on the floor, or in the loo. Or is it like a burnt

> electrical flex? Slightly fishy, or slightly

> sweet? Nail varnish remover or craft resin smell?

> The reason I ask is that you do sometimes get a

> whiff off water (and I might guess that it could

> with gas) when new pipes are installed or repair

> work done somewhere in the line. I presume it's

> the flushing liquid used to test for leaks and/or

> sterilise prior to use.


When I came home yesterday after a few days away I could also smell a chemical, solvent type smell - reminded me of airfix glue.We have just had our gas piping done down the street which finished before christmas. It's gone now, but was quite noticeable and I remembered reading this thread. this is Choumert Rd.

A few days a go a man from Thames Water came to the house and asked us whether there was a chemical smell in our kitchen and I said there wasn't.


He told me that there had been a complaint about this (but obviosuly not from me) but because I had not seen this thread on the forum I knew nothing.


He explained that there had been work undertaken on water pipes and I think he said the wrong sealant had been used and the chemical was getting into the water.


He also said if this smell occurred that those affected would need to contact Thames Water and report it.

Borderlands Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> He also said if this smell occurred that those

> affected would need to contact Thames Water and

> report it.


xxxxxx


MrsMc (previous page) said that she'd contacted Thames Water and they knew nothing about it !!!


:-S

  • 2 weeks later...

Borderlands - just seen your post (had a baby in the interim(!)). Odd that Thames Water told me a different story, but

maybe they were unaware of the issue at the time?? Makes sense to me

that the smell came from the water supply, but it hasn't returned since the day of

my original post so pointless reporting now?

"He explained that there had been work undertaken on water pipes and I think he said the wrong sealant had been used and the chemical was getting into the water."


I'd be pressing for answers if this was the case. I'd want to know what the chemical was and whether it could be harmful if ingested. If it's true, then you'd think a fair amount was being released into the water if you were all able to smell it in your houses. Not good.

Minkey, I agree, I think this is really worrying, assuming it's true.


If any chemical is "getting into the water", let alone enough of it to cause this kind of smell in people's houses, I'd be wanting to know what the chemical was, what its potential effects on health were, and why the water company had not let people know about it.


As I (apparently) wasn't affected, it's not something I would want to take up, but maybe somebody else would?


I disagree that it's too late to report it (or to ask those questions) for those people who were affected.

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> If any chemical is "getting into the water", let

> alone enough of it to cause this kind of smell in

> people's houses, I'd be wanting to know what the

> chemical was, what its potential effects on health

> were, and why the water company had not let people

> know about it.


It's reasonable to be concerned about a smell but it's unlikely to be anything nasty if it is simply a pipe sealant as suggested. As an aside, don't forget that a vast number of chemicals are used in the potable water supply, many of them have the sole purpose of masking the smells (and taste) of other chemicals due to the fact that domestic consumers equate a smell with something bad even though it's often the odourless chemicals that are the most unpleasant.

The water company won't inform customers as a general rule if something inert has been used accidentally simply because the cost of informing everyone is so large and there are many people who see the word 'chemical' and panic unnecessarily.


If anyone was affected and is worried then they should still contact Thames Water. If it has been determined that a 'wrong sealant' was used then details of the chemical will be available.

  • 1 year later...

Had the same problem. I live on champion grove nearer to denmark hill station.


Returned from work yesterday to smell this solvent/varnish type smell as soon as I walked in the door and also in the bathroom.


Was worried it was gas but got the gas people out and they checked for a leak using a detector but couldn't find one. Might phone environmental health or an electrician next. Neighbours haven't poured any chemicals away but pipes might be interconnected along the street?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • OOOOooooOOOooohhhHHHHHH 👜 👜 👜 
    • That's actually why the Sherlock Holmes stories were so popular. There was so little crime people found it exciting to imagine robberies and murders happening in London.
    • Yes, because of course there were no violent robberies in the olden days. Pretty much no crime happened at all I believe through the entire Victorian era.
    • Hi all, Im a Southwark council leaseholder and live downstairs in a ground floor flat, there is one flat above me, it's a house with individual front doors leading from the street into the shared pathway. My neighbour told me he has had a ring doorbell installed, no discussion as to how I would feel being on camera everytime I go in and out or in my front garden. I was told it's only for deliveries and doesn't record and only activates when pressed, however I don't know this and I feel really uncomfortable everytime I'm out in garden or on doorstep talking to people. Everytime I walk in/out, it lights up and in the eve it has a  infra red  light. Now I've read up that as he said its only for deliveries, he could set it so it only activates when pressed, however it activates with its motion sensor. Had he said to me about getting it installed, I could have had the opportunity to ask about it recording etc but nothing except it's being installed and when I arrived home it was there. I don't like being horrible to people however I feel I have not been considered in his decision and I feel very uncomfortable as, some times I have to stand on doorstep to get signal for my mobile and I really don't like the idea of being watched and listened to. Has anyone got any advice as I'm beginning to get angry as I've asked about it once and was told it only activates when pressed. I believe this is not true. I know southwark council say you need to ask permission to make sure the neighbours are OK with it, I don't really want to go down that road but I don't know how to approach the subject again. They also put a shed approx 3 foot from my back room window, these places are built so my window faces their rear garden and there upstairs window  faces mine. They said it's there temporarily, that was over a year ago and it does affect the light, plus I'm hoping to sell up soon and the view from window is mainly a dark brown shed. When I've mentioned this, I was told they have no where else to put it, whereas originally they said its only temporary, Also the floorboards above are bare and I get woke early morning and at night, the thudding is so bad my light shakes and window rattles, so I mentioned this and asked if they have rugs, I was told when they get the boards re sanded they will get rugs, I should have asked if they could get rugs and just take them up when boards being done, which I would have done had it been me living above someone, their attitude was I can just put up with it until they are ready. so they had the floor boards done, and the workmen was hammering screws, yes screws, in the floorboards, I spoke to workmen to ask how much longer and they said yes, are using screws to make less noise! I could hear the cordless screwdriver, not an issue but for every screw there were at least 8 whacks, the owners had gone out to avoid the noise  so I  spoke to workmen as the noise was unbearable, the sanding, not an issue at all, people need to get things done to their home and I'm fine that on occasions there will be temporary noise. now I have a nice crack on my bedroom ceiling, I mentioned this to owner but no response, he said there were alot of loose floorboards and it will be much better now, not so noisy, as though I don't know the difference between squeaking floor boards and thudding, and nothing was mentioned re the crack or that they now have rugs, which if it were me, I'd be trying to resolve the issue so we can get on with feeling happy in our homes. so I'm feeling it's a total lack of consideration. these places are old and Edwardian and I've lived here over 40 years, had 4 different neighbours and it's only now the noise of thudding is really bad and the people before had floorboards but nothing like this. As you can probably tell I'm really wound up and I don't want to end up exploding at them, I've always got on with neighbours and always said if there's a problem with my dog, pls let me know, always tell me, however I feel it's got to the point where I say something and I'm fobbed off. I know I should tell them but I'm angry, perhaps I should write them a letter. Any suggestions greatly appreciated and thank you for reading my rant. 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...