[NobodyCares]

Has anyone experienced a stinky smell suddenly coming out of your
vents. At first I thought it was sewer gas so I ran water in the master bath with a little soap down the drains.
That seemed to mask it a litlle but then it seemed like it was coming out of the air conditioning vents.
No trees near my roof so could an animal get in the attic?
Any suggestions?

[MartinSE]

I would run some drain or bleach down the drains, especially the garbage disposal. Other than that, no idea - we have been in our CYV for 2 1/2 years and no bad odors - other than normal for old geezers.

[mtdjed]

I
Is the problem a continuing issue? AC and heating vents are for the most part semi enclosed to entry except from inside of the house. Unless the ducts have been breached in the attic, it is unlikely that you would have any animal in the system.

Do you have natural gas heating? Natural gas has an odor added to it to warn users if it is leaking. That would have access to the vent system and although unlikely, worth having it checked if the problem has continued with no other identified cause.

[tophcfa]

Make sure the drain pipe that dumps the condensation outside which is created by your Air Conditioner isn’t clogged. If so, a science project begins to grow as the trapped water in your system grows mold/algae and the stink has nowhere to go except out your ductwork vents. It smells like someone left a gym bag full of dirty clothes in the hot sun and then put a fan behind it to blow the smell towards you. If the backup is not fixed, eventually it will get into your systems evaporator and heater coil and can do serious damage to your system. This happened to me with the drain tube that dumps condensation out of my trucks HVAC system, it’s very nasty.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

I
Is the problem a continuing issue? AC and heating vents are for the most part semi enclosed to entry except from inside of the house. Unless the ducts have been breached in the attic, it is unlikely that you would have any animal in the system.

Do you have natural gas heating? Natural gas has an odor added to it to warn users if it is leaking. That would have access to the vent system and although unlikely, worth having it checked if the problem has continued with no other identified cause.

I would check the air handling unit for mold on the evaporator coil, or for an overflowing condensate drain pan inside the unit. Do you regularly add vinegar or flush out the condensate drain pipe? I would also remove the ceiling return air grilles to check for dirt, mold, or moisture.

[davem4616]

the dishwasher can give off an offensive smell....if so, run some instant Tang through it

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by davem4616

the dishwasher can give off an offensive smell....if so, run some instant Tang through it

Tang new one on me.

Wonder if an animal got stuck some place and giving off this odor?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by davem4616

the dishwasher can give off an offensive smell....if so, run some instant Tang through it

Instant Tang? Isn't that redundant?

[villagetinker]

OP, you did not mention where in TV you live and if the smell is also outside. i mention this as I noticed a very distinct odor from the treatment plants on Buena Vista the other day, both at around 5 Pm and later at 10 PM. The other possibility would be a blocked vent pipe, try flushing each toilet, and see if you hear a gurling sound after the flush, do the same for a sink full of water on each sink.

[NobodyCares]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

I
Is the problem a continuing issue? AC and heating vents are for the most part semi enclosed to entry except from inside of the house. Unless the ducts have been breached in the attic, it is unlikely that you would have any animal in the system.

Do you have natural gas heating? Natural gas has an odor added to it to warn users if it is leaking. That would have access to the vent system and although unlikely, worth having it checked if the problem has continued with no other identified cause.

Odor seems to come and go. Now it's gone.
1) checked both of the attic access areas and no odor and nothing dead.

2) poured a gallon of water (1-2 drops of soap) down the pipe near the ac unit. A/C unit just inspect/ serviced 1 week ago.

3) checked the coil and there is no mold/algae. 2 small dead leaves to get rid of tomorrow in the daytime.

4) no smell near hot water heater, dryer or stove. Turned off the breakers to those appliances temporarily until I rule them out.

Starting to think I caused it - took long hot shower without the
fan running. then left house for 3 hours. Came home, that's when it smelled the worst, mostly in the master.

Gone now - hope it doesn't come back!
Thank you all for the great suggestions.

[Garywt]

Originally Posted by davem4616

the dishwasher can give off an offensive smell....if so, run some instant Tang through it

Do they still make that stuff.

[daca55]

I had a strong odor that smelled like a gym bag or BO and I couldn’t find where it was coming from. I finally tracked it to my dryer.The vent line was kinked and lint over time keep building up. Because it was wet it gave off the foul oder. Had the dryer cleaned and new. Ent installed and that took care of the problem.

[Laker14]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Make sure the drain pipe that dumps the condensation outside which is created by your Air Conditioner isn’t clogged. If so, a science project begins to grow as the trapped water in your system grows mold/algae and the stink has nowhere to go except out your ductwork vents. It smells like someone left a gym bag full of dirty clothes in the hot sun and then put a fan behind it to blow the smell towards you. If the backup is not fixed, eventually it will get into your systems evaporator and heater coil and can do serious damage to your system. This happened to me with the drain tube that dumps condensation out of my trucks HVAC system, it’s very nasty.

OOHHH!! Good answer, and thank you for that reminder. I made the mistake a few weeks ago of putting some anchovies in the garbage, a few days before garbage night. Usually I'd freeze something like that and put it out at the last minute.
The garage started to smell like dead fish.
I corrected that issue, however there has been a mysterious lingering "dead animal" smell that I can't pinpoint. I even thought it might be a dead thing in the attic. Yesterday I pulled the stairs down, went up there expecting to find a strong smell of dead thing. Nope, smells fine.
I'll bet it's from the A/C drain.
I'll attend to that and report back.

[TGIF32162]

We notice, when we’ve had a lot of rain, the earthworms come out to avoid drowning. When they die in the runners of the screen or inside on the floor, they really stink. I scrape or scoop them up and toss into the grass. Fixes the smell in the garage.

[TGIF32162]

We notice, when we’ve had a lot of rain, the earthworms come out to avoid drowning. When they die in the runners of the screen or inside on the floor, they really stink. I scrape or scoop them up and toss into the grass. Fixes the smell in the garage.