We have a room with a persistent pet-odor(?) problem. When we moved in last summer we figured the smell was probably cat urine, but the more we thought about it the house's history raised a few red flags that it might be a methamphetamine lab odor, instead. =/
The house was clean and newly painted when we bought it, and there were no obvious signs of drug activity (overpowering chemical odors or stains). But we were a bit concerned that if there were any dangerous chemical residues that had been sealed over to make the house habitable, we would be exposing them all over again by tearing into the walls and floors to renovate and try to get rid of the smell. So hopefully it ISN'T meth lab residue, but on the off chance that it IS, the consequences are serious and we wanted to be sure we knew what we were dealing with. I'll summarize what we found out here in case it is helpful to anyone else facing a similar dilemma with a fixer-upper house:
The more we looked into this issue, the more troubling it all was. Though Ohio is now one of many hotspots for meth labs, the state still has no meth-disclosure clause when houses are sold (like it does for lead paint and mold). (To date only 4 states require meth lab disclosure). The health dept. could order a meth lab house to be cleaned and the walls, floors, etc. "sealed" to the point where chemical residues in the air are at a safe level for habitation, but then the next owner could buy the house without ever knowing that! The information we found recommended calling local police records dept. to see if there is any indication of past drug activity at our address. I did this, resulting in a helpful (but embarrassing) visit from several police officers. I've also spoken to some of the neighbors, and this is as much as we know:
possible signs of a meth lab?
or just pet urine?
We plan to tear out and replace the flooring and subflooring in that room, (it is badly termite-damaged beyond salvage, anyway), and strip, sand, and refinish the baseboards. If that doesn't solve the odor problem, we will start tearing into the exterior walls in search of any stinky wet blown-in insulation (which can also cause an ammonia odor). Unfortunately, for the time being we are not in a financial position to do this work, so we just have to keep the door shut to keep the rest of the house from stinking. =/
It's a pity because it really is a beautiful, sunny room! Though in addition to having an offensive odor it is a complete mess right now. The damaged/patched floors are all exposed and it is designated as my spouse's "special room to ruin." (As in "Homer!! I made a special cake for you to ruin!")
The house was clean and newly painted when we bought it, and there were no obvious signs of drug activity (overpowering chemical odors or stains). But we were a bit concerned that if there were any dangerous chemical residues that had been sealed over to make the house habitable, we would be exposing them all over again by tearing into the walls and floors to renovate and try to get rid of the smell. So hopefully it ISN'T meth lab residue, but on the off chance that it IS, the consequences are serious and we wanted to be sure we knew what we were dealing with. I'll summarize what we found out here in case it is helpful to anyone else facing a similar dilemma with a fixer-upper house:
The more we looked into this issue, the more troubling it all was. Though Ohio is now one of many hotspots for meth labs, the state still has no meth-disclosure clause when houses are sold (like it does for lead paint and mold). (To date only 4 states require meth lab disclosure). The health dept. could order a meth lab house to be cleaned and the walls, floors, etc. "sealed" to the point where chemical residues in the air are at a safe level for habitation, but then the next owner could buy the house without ever knowing that! The information we found recommended calling local police records dept. to see if there is any indication of past drug activity at our address. I did this, resulting in a helpful (but embarrassing) visit from several police officers. I've also spoken to some of the neighbors, and this is as much as we know:
possible signs of a meth lab?
- persistent ammonia smell that got worse when we removed the carpeting (in one room and in an area of the basement just below that room)
- the house had been rented, and sat vacant for a long time after the last rental ended badly
- the last renters left the house in poor condition with belongings/trash abandoned (*red-flag for meth houses*)
- neighbors complained of extra people living in/visiting house during last rental
or just pet urine?
- pet hair found in ductwork
- neighbors say renters had a dog that was often left alone in the house
- a neighbor who helped haul the renter's belongings/trash away remembers no unusual amounts of lab glassware or coffee filters
- no obvious stains on walls or drains (though everything was cleaned & painted over)
- no drug-related police reports at this address
We plan to tear out and replace the flooring and subflooring in that room, (it is badly termite-damaged beyond salvage, anyway), and strip, sand, and refinish the baseboards. If that doesn't solve the odor problem, we will start tearing into the exterior walls in search of any stinky wet blown-in insulation (which can also cause an ammonia odor). Unfortunately, for the time being we are not in a financial position to do this work, so we just have to keep the door shut to keep the rest of the house from stinking. =/
It's a pity because it really is a beautiful, sunny room! Though in addition to having an offensive odor it is a complete mess right now. The damaged/patched floors are all exposed and it is designated as my spouse's "special room to ruin." (As in "Homer!! I made a special cake for you to ruin!")
[ETA: thanks so much for all the helpful comments. An update on our stinky room can be found here]
4 comments:
Oh my gosh. I also never would have imagined something like that would happen but go figure. I guess if it was a meth lab you can think positively that they didn't blow the place up...or perhaps that would have been better after all lol.
Sounds like you have tons of work ahead of you just like us...will be interesting to see if we come across any similar experiences lol.
C'mon, a meth lab in Oakwood?
Cocaine or opium derivatives maybe, but a meth lab? That would have been on the evening news. Oakwood police are too busy stopping people for failing to wear a tie while walking down the main street or chasing people who steal newspapers. A meth lab would be BIG news.
LOL! Yes, I know all that NOW! *feels foolish* Trust me, the police were VERY excited that this could be their FIRST ever meth lab. (I guess that's why an inquiry to the records dept. got such an er... enthusiastic response). And it was interesting to see the nature of all the historical police reports to the address-- no dress-code violations per se, but you're actually not too far off. >_>
In all seriousness, though, it's just a matter of time before there is a meth lab here-- it can happen in any neighborhood. All it takes is someone with financial problems and a get-rich-quick scheme. (I'm from the Pacific northwest where the problem has been around for a couple decades, and back when I was in college people would cook the occasional batch of meth in rentals in super-nice neighborhoods because no one would expect a lab to be there. =/)
I just came across this post when googling "termite ammonia smell," because of course I have the same problem. While I've heard my neighborhood used to be rife with meth labs, my house is also termite damaged! I haven't seen traces of termites in any of the spots in my house (mainly closets) that smell like ammonia...or urea. But, some termites do concentrate ammonia; maybe that's the source of the odor.
Post a Comment