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   Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:47:50 JST Lauren Weinstein

   The mystery of the vanishing (and returning) odor!

   OK gang, this one has me stumped. For the past several days I've been fighting a rather nasty garage odor that started suddenly and has me puzzled. It's very strong, smells like acetone, turpentine, or some other chemical, and is quite nasty.

   First step was to remove anything obvious like cans of paint and the like, or anything else obviously chemical. No change. Tested for gas with a little meter (nifty gadget) of course (though it doesn't smell like gas, but never hurts to check) zero.

   Now, here comes that really puzzling part. The odor lessons and seems to vanish entirely as the day progresses. By mid afternoon you really can't smell it at all. In evening it starts coming back, by morning it's back to nasty full strength.

   I've see various discussions on this with research. Mold in walls (had rain, leaks, earthquakes lately)? Maybe, but the reduced odor during the day doesn't seem to fit. Sewage? It doesn't remind me of a classic sewage smell, and there is a washer hooked to a drain in the garage. But the odor doesn't seem more intense there, the drain is pretty well blocked by the washer outlet pipe, and whether or not the odor disappears during the day does not seem to relate to the washer being used or not. Still, seems like a possibility. I've had problems with drain clogging and sluggishness for years.

   Other suggestions I've seen appear to be much lower probability.

   Lots of clues -- especially the day/night variation -- but yeah, stumped right now.

   Any ideas? Thanks very much! -L

   • Embed this notice
     Steve's Place (steter@mastodon.stevesworld.co)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:47:42 JST Steve's Place

     in reply to

     • Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:

     @lauren @jwildeboer The gas, whatever it is, may hug closer to the ground when cold, and so has more molecules available to smell. Or the current day-night temperatures may suggest the temperature at which it evaporates.

     It could be decaying organics. I've smelled some nasty fermentation. If it's fruit, there might be flies at some point. On the plus side, that will help narrow down the location.

     I was pondering if it was a petroleum seep, but I'd think that would cause odor outdoors, too. I smelled one once when driving on a section of Coldwater Canyon in the valley.

   • Embed this notice
     Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:47:46 JST Lauren Weinstein

     in reply to

     • Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:

     @jwildeboer Concrete slab. Fair amount of (relatively minor) cracking from over the years. No obvious stains, but can't see the entire surface due to (as is typical) lots of stuff stored in there. I have a hydrometer in there but haven't noticed drastic changes at least in the air. This time of year the temperature changes day/night aren't anywhere near dramatic as they will be soon when spring/summer hits my corner of L.A.

   • Embed this notice
     Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: (jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:47:47 JST Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:

     in reply to

     @lauren seems to be hygroscopic. The hotter, the drier, the less. And the colder, the more condensing, the more active. What is the floor? Concrete? Is there a stain somewhere?

   • Embed this notice
     Steve's Place (steter@mastodon.stevesworld.co)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:59:34 JST Steve's Place

     in reply to

     • Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:

     @lauren @jwildeboer 😬 Whatever it is, my life experiences suggest, when someone finds it, it will be gross, and in my life, I would be the person who has to deal with it, lol.

   • Embed this notice
     Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 21-Mar-2025 04:59:35 JST Lauren Weinstein

     in reply to

     • Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:
     • Steve's Place

     @steter @jwildeboer There are no pipelines I know of in the vicinity other than water and natural gas, and like I said I tested for gas (and the odor doesn't smell like gas to me). I'm wondering if a dead something buried in the stuff in there could actually create this intense an odor and these day/night effects, even though the day/night temperature changes aren't extreme right now.