Help Smell From Old Boiler Could Be Harming Me

Discussion in 'Engineers' Talk' started by gibbsy09, May 17, 2021.

  1. gibbsy09

    gibbsy09 Member

    Hi I live in a four in a block flat owned by the council, I've lived there for 20 years about 3 years ago I noticed a smell ruminating all over my house, I'm upstairs BTW, anyway back then I did some investigation, and I thought I found the culprit, in the room where my daughter used to stay when she was a kid, I had accidentally spilled some petrol on the carpet, maybe three weeks before, and it jolted my memory, when it had happened, long story don't ask but it was hectic day trust me.

    I tried cleaning it and I think it worked not bad but then there was a strong shampoo smell lingering for a while, anyway I don't know if it was a coincidence but I never noticed the strange smell for a while, but then suddenly I started noticing it again, I done some investigation again and remembered there was a bad bit on my floor that I had stained and heavily varnished in my living room again I thought that was the culprit.

    I forgot about the smell and more time passed fast forward to 6 months ago and the smell was back, by this time I was losing the plot, I thought it was the carpet, in my kids room again so I launched it, again I kind of forgot about the smell, about 4 days later the smell was back again, I through the carpet out for nothing, by this time the floor that I had heavily stained and varnished in my living room was now covered with a carpet, but there's no way the fumes from the staining and varnishing could last that long surely, and I couldn't lift my new carpet up anyway, but I was crazily smelling the carpet where the part of the floor was stained lol, and no smell.

    So I'm really at my wit's end the smell as I type this just now is in the air, I'm convinced now it's the boiler, this boiler has never been replaced all the time I lived in the house, so I really don't know how old it is there's a boiler in my kids room, and one in the hall that has a big tank I think that could be the water heater.

    So now for the smell it is quite hard to describe, it's not a pongy sulphur smell, the only thing I can say it is really similar to is if I was out cutting my grass with my petrol lawnmower, and I finish and come in, I am reeking from the lawnmower, and it is a really similar smell to that, the really strange thing is when my heating is off the smell is there and it's even sometimes stronger, I can smell it on me I can smell it on jackets I leave in the hall, it's with me nearly all the time I can't wash my bloody jackets every day.

    As I said it's an old house with an old boiler, owned by the council so I can't have it replaced, if I tell the council they'll probably come out say there's no smell, think I'm nuts, but I know the smell is there, I live alone so no one can back me up or say yes I can smell it too, I really don't no what I can do I can smell it pretty much constantly but some days it seems stronger, bottom line is it may not just be a horrible annoying smell it could be harming me I'm breathing it and smelling it constantly, and now I'm at the worried stage, and I really don't know how to solve this, please help if you can.
     
  2. I-Man

    I-Man Screwfix Select

    Must people won't read this long convoluted story.... For best results get to the point quickly
     
    rogerk101 likes this.
  3. gibbsy09

    gibbsy09 Member

    Hi did you read it all, I just tried to stress how long it's been going on and how much it is stressing me, and now worrying me, Thanks.
     
  4. Call the council, tell them there is a fume smell and you think it’s coming from your boiler, don’t worry about telling them the rest of the story. They should at the very least come out and check your boiler is safe and that it is not a leaking flue or gas leak etc.
     
  5. just pumps

    just pumps Screwfix Select

    Offer the smelly jackets for them to smell when the council attend if it is that bad and wouldnt mention the story about spilling petrol on the floor in a block of flats as that could get you in to a difficult conversation with the police and lastly have you spoken to the neighbours about the smell, if not, why not?
     
  6. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    Less is more! :D
     
  7. just pumps

    just pumps Screwfix Select

    Try telling that to a girlfriend! :D
     
    rogerk101 likes this.
  8. gibbsy09

    gibbsy09 Member

    Hi I will the trouble is it's just had it's yearly service, so if anything was wrong, then surely it would have been spotted, I'm not going to mention the petrol spill, but is it possible is seeped under the floorboards and still there, I really don't suspect that it happened over two years ago, so surely it would burn off by now, and it was a spill.
     
  9. gibbsy09

    gibbsy09 Member

    Heres a pic of the boiler if anyone is interested, just to add I had my gas fire removed around three years ago, behind the fire was a chimney and that was sealed up, could this be connected.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Just get the council in to check it, as others have said, keep to the point, don't give any backstory about fuel spills. If the council won't attend, call British Gas, they will come but they might turn off the gas until the boiler is fixed.
     
  11. gibbsy09

    gibbsy09 Member

    Thanks I'll phone them, I know it was a long winded, thread to start with I was just trying to stress how long I had been putting up with it, and the other stuff that distracted, from the fact it was the boiler all along.
     

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