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Groundwork & Foundations

Fume like smell coming up concrete floor

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.36 PM

We have a fume like smell coming up in one part of a lower ground Victorian terrace. It has a concrete floor. Clay soil. There is also damp in the area too and it seems like no damp proofing was ever undertaken. The smell is not always present and comes and goes with no pattern we can identify. It’s carpeted at the moment. We’ve checked the sewerage drain and it’s not blocked. Someone has suggested there may be a cracked pipe under the concrete slab but how do we find that out? Any suggestions for finding out what the issue is? We don’t just want to do tanking if there is something else wrong? We also want to get underfloor heating. The smell is making us feel sick.

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4 Answers

Anonymous user

Get a plumber to put an endoscope down your drain pipes if they do go under the concrete. If that is the source of the problem it will be a big job to fix it.
Answered6 October 2020
9

ADEL Landscapes

No reviews yet

Leeds
the only way (without breaking out to the pipe and exposing the who run) is to get a camera survey done from you manholes the soil stack with a dart cam or similar, then plumber (with a smaller camera) to go from loos etc down, also check the sinks and showers baths havent blocked S bends as a something as simple a the sink shaving hair goes down, or a shower tray with little fall in the pipe can completely reek I gloves & goggles bang down a good watering can in each plug hole, full of dilute drain cleaning agent as a first diy effort as this will be your cheapest potential fix. Bizare as it may sound have you checked for dead rats/ pigeons etc. in loft, under boards, near boiler in warm dark spots. If the problem isn’ drain water, a cracked soil pipe etc Check out what the house was built on via land register/ title search. unfortunately many older homes did not have gas membranes or capping layers. If the house was built on s victorian tip or mine workings they didn't understand methane vents or barriers. - this can end up ££££
Answered7 October 2020
1

S a summers building contractor

Rating: 5 out of 5
Bideford
Hi there a inspection with a camera inside the sewage pipe would pick up a fault.in the pipe line.
Answered6 October 2020
0

proslab

Rating: 5 out of 5
Highbridge
soil does smell are you in a high water table area as often the case as build up of gases which would cause this . check with your mortgage or landlord or get a gas survey done which confirm this.
Answered28 October 2020
0