woody smelling basement - no fire lit

16 years ago

Any help would be appreciated -- my basement has been smelling like a wood fire on and off all season. It has been persistently that way the last few days (we've had some warmer temps but it's snowing again today).

We do have a fireplace, but have not used it all winter. It is directly above the basement. The house hasn't smelled funny until today.

The basement is dry as far as I can see. Do you think this is negative pressure even if there's been no fire lit?

thanks.

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Comments (6)

fnmroberts
16 years ago
Have you been receiving rain, and accompanying wind?

How about an ash pit in the basement. Sounds like possibly a clean-out door might not be tightly closed.
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andrelaplume2
16 years ago
..a fire place upstairs...?
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lesliepvd
Original Author
16 years ago
No ash pit that I can find and this is the only fireplace in the house.

In my searches, I did find a slight water leak that was dripping onto a copper pipe. Could the copper oxidizing be the culprit?
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fnmroberts
16 years ago
The copper pipe would not be the problem source. Think of it this way, does your drinking water have the same odor?

Is there an ash disposal "trap door" for the fireplace at the back of the fire box? If yes, then you have an ash pit. If no disposal in the firebox, no ash pit.

I once had a house where the finished basement wall blocked access to the ash pit clean-out door. I stopped dumping ashes into the pit because doing so would create an odor in the basement - apparently the door there was not tight.

In my opinion, somehow some dampness or wind have stirred up an odor. Perhaps, if you have an ash pit, a similar slight water leak there could be a cause. Make certain your fireplace damper closes tightly. Then, open the damper, hold a mirror to be certain there are no chimney obstructions and build a fire. See if the odor changes in the basement. Best way I know to enjoy that snow!
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sparkywannabe
16 years ago
Maybe it is from a neighbors fireplace?, and is leaking into the basement through small cracks or openings. Do you smell smoke outside when this happens? One of my neighbors has a fire about 3-4 times a week in the winter and you can smell it down the whole block. If we leave the garage door open for any length of time the smell will enter the garage and then of course into the house when you open the inside door. It goes away fast.
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homebound
16 years ago
Do you have any gaps around the edge of the fireplace? Might need to tuck (fill) with some fireplace mortar (sold in caulk tubes)

Maybe it's something more serious like a cracked liner or something. A chimney sweep might be worth a call, but I also would again check the interior foundation wall (below the fireplace) for an ash door and see if it's closed tightly.
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