I keep a clean house and have a sharp sense of smell. I've eliminated
all possible sources of a horrid mysterious odor inside and cleaned
house like a crazy person. It strikes me as a really dirty litter pan
odor but we don't have pets. The wierd odor is still in the house and
seems to come from the attic but we can't see anything. The odor
suddenly moved to another spot now too, so it's strongest--unbearable
really--in the master bedroom closet area where there is a small attic
access door. I'm thinking an animal may have died in the attic but
maybe also a blocked sewer vent pipe? Any ideas?

AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!! What I wouldn't give for a bad allergy attack
right now to knock out my sense of smell till I can find and eliminate
the source of this stench.

On 23 Apr 2007 17:50:31 -0700, wrote:

I keep a clean house and have a sharp sense of smell. I've eliminated
all possible sources of a horrid mysterious odor inside and cleaned
house like a crazy person. It strikes me as a really dirty litter pan
odor but we don't have pets. The wierd odor is still in the house and
seems to come from the attic but we can't see anything. The odor
suddenly moved to another spot now too, so it's strongest--unbearable
really--in the master bedroom closet area where there is a small attic
access door. I'm thinking an animal may have died in the attic but
maybe also a blocked sewer vent pipe? Any ideas?

AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!! What I wouldn't give for a bad allergy attack
right now to knock out my sense of smell till I can find and eliminate
the source of this stench.

The smell of decomp is pretty unmistakable.
If it smells like a "really dirty litter pan," then you must have some
critter ****ing up there.

wrote in message
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I keep a clean house and have a sharp sense of smell. I've eliminated
all possible sources of a horrid mysterious odor inside and cleaned
house like a crazy person. It strikes me as a really dirty litter pan
odor but we don't have pets. The wierd odor is still in the house and
seems to come from the attic but we can't see anything.

This post omits likely sources:
1. In some places, animals such as squirrels or
raccoons can move in (and die and stink.) In other
places this does not happen.
2. All ordinary houses have a "stack vent" to exhaust
sewer gas, usually above roof level. The vent can
be blocked, but this is rare. More often, local climatic
conditions prevent the sewer gases from dispersing the
way they usually do.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Source of the odor has been pinpointed to an area over a trey ceiling
that is too narrow for anyone to squeeze into. The odor has ripened
now and people with "experience with dead things" say that's what it
is. We may have found where they got in, too. A hole chewed right
through the siding in a place where some roof angles come together,
that we couldn't see at first because it's only visible if you stand
in a tree on the other side of the yard. Getting the holes patched,
looking into traps in case anything else is up there and still alive.
So far it does not seem to be the vent stack but we're not ruling it
out just yet. Am still open to suggestions as to how to locate and
remove a dead thing. I recall plumbers have cameras they can put down
pipes and look for leaks but I don't know if they can grab objects and
pull them out! Am still open to suggestions.

Exterminating companies deal with "dead things" as well as live ones, I
believe.

On Apr 24, 4:23 am, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

I keep a clean house and have a sharp sense of smell. I've eliminated
all possible sources of a horrid mysterious odor inside and cleaned
house like a crazy person. It strikes me as a really dirty litter pan
odor but we don't have pets. The wierd odor is still in the house and
seems to come from the attic but we can't see anything.

This post omits likely sources:
1. In some places, animals such as squirrels or
raccoons can move in (and die and stink.) In other
places this does not happen.
2. All ordinary houses have a "stack vent" to exhaust
sewer gas, usually above roof level. The vent can
be blocked, but this is rare. More often, local climatic
conditions prevent the sewer gases from dispersing the
way they usually do.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

If there is a large type critter up there (think squirrel), there will
be running tracks all over the blown-in insulation, something like a
drunken snowmobiler. Smaller critters might be able to stay under the
insulation.

I have no idea how to get rid of them though. I moved out before the
battle was over..

On 24 Apr 2007 16:42:00 -0700, wrote:

Source of the odor has been pinpointed to an area over a trey ceiling
that is too narrow for anyone to squeeze into. The odor has ripened
now and people with "experience with dead things" say that's what it
is. We may have found where they got in, too. A hole chewed right
through the siding in a place where some roof angles come together,
that we couldn't see at first because it's only visible if you stand
in a tree on the other side of the yard. Getting the holes patched,
looking into traps in case anything else is up there and still alive.
So far it does not seem to be the vent stack but we're not ruling it
out just yet. Am still open to suggestions as to how to locate and
remove a dead thing. I recall plumbers have cameras they can put down
pipes and look for leaks but I don't know if they can grab objects and
pull them out! Am still open to suggestions.

Wait a few months; it'll dissipate.
G

a horrid mysterious odor

you don't have an excess of carrion, you have a shortage of flies.
Flies lay there eggs in carrion, and the larvae eat it.

feed the larvae to chickens.

a horrid mysterious odor

you don't have an excess of carrion, you have a shortage of flies.
Flies lay there eggs in carrion, and the larvae eat it.

feed the larvae to chickens.

On Apr 23, 8:50 pm, wrote:
I keep a clean house and have a sharp sense of smell. I've eliminated
all possible sources of a horrid mysterious odor inside and cleaned
house like a crazy person. It strikes me as a really dirty litter pan
odor but we don't have pets. The wierd odor is still in the house and
seems to come from the attic but we can't see anything. The odor
suddenly moved to another spot now too, so it's strongest--unbearable
really--in the master bedroom closet area where there is a small attic
access door. I'm thinking an animal may have died in the attic but
maybe also a blocked sewer vent pipe? Any ideas?

AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!! What I wouldn't give for a bad allergy attack
right now to knock out my sense of smell till I can find and eliminate
the source of this stench.

There are many products on the market that will remove these odors.
The smell is caused by bacteria gases breaking down the dead critter.
Heat and moisture will accelerate the decomp process and increase the
odor.
Thus animals that die in attic over the winter will have much less
odor.
Try using Fabreze spray first, if you can get in there to spray it. If
not try soaking cotton balls or any cloth with it and tossing it near
source. If Fabreze doesn't work then you may need to get a more
powerful product. You need a product that kills the bacteria not just
something that masks the odor.

Replaced chewed wood where they got in with a heavy metal grate, (vent
cover). They chewed thru the metal and are in the attic again.
Looking into traps as well as odor/bacteria killing agent.

wrote in message
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Replaced chewed wood where they got in with a heavy metal grate, (vent
cover). They chewed thru the metal and are in the attic again.
Looking into traps as well as odor/bacteria killing agent.

If they chewed through a 'heavy' metal grate (probably stamped aluminum?),
may I recommend expanded metal mesh of at least 12 ga., or pierced steel
planking? If something chews through that, time to think about firearms or
moving. :^/

aem sends....