Air leakage and odours

[Alwayslearning22]

Hi all, 

 

I’ve noticed damp odours coming from sockets on an exterior wall in my new home. It’s only one wall and it’s about 4 metres. The rest of the house is good. 
 

I’m afraid the smell is coming from

behind the air tightness memebrane as It must havre

some punctures in that area.  So I’m thinking is there mould on the studs or insulation?
 

 

 If it were your house what would you do? Where would you start? 
 

thanks 
 

 

[JohnMo]

1 hour ago, Alwayslearning22 said:

 

 If it were your house what would you do? Where would you start

Go back to the builder - tell him the issue. Or is this a self build?

 

Could be a small leak from water pipes also.

[Nickfromwales]

27 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Go back to the builder - tell him the issue. Or is this a self build?

This. 

1 hour ago, Alwayslearning22 said:

 

If it were your house what would you do? Where would you start? 

I’d remove the plasterboard from the whole wall, from 200mm of FFL (so skirting remains undisturbed) up to around 1200mm, staying 500mm away from the left and right corners, and look at this very intensively.

[Nickfromwales]

If you start the work then you’ll lose the ability to sue the builder btw, so, if this is the case, get them to come and do removals. 

[Alwayslearning22]

I had the foreman in and he said he can’t smell anything.
So I’d like to gather some evidence. 
there’s no pipes on that wall I also noticed today I can smell it from my bedroom sockets which is the floor above but a few metres to the right near to the end of the house 

[Mr Punter]

Smell is very difficult to establish and prove.  Actual moisture and mould can be measured and photographed.  Have you had anyone else in to verify the smell, like a mate or your partner?  If it is really obviously bad you should go back to the housebuilder and register it as an official issue, stating that x people have also noticed it.

[Alwayslearning22]

7 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

If you start the work then you’ll lose the ability to sue the builder btw, so, if this is the case, get them to come and do removals. 

The builder doesn’t “smell anything”  if there are issues wouldn’t it be behind the vcl would I need to cut this open to inspect framing? 

[Nickfromwales]

14 hours ago, Alwayslearning22 said:

The builder doesn’t “smell anything”  if there are issues wouldn’t it be behind the vcl would I need to cut this open to inspect framing? 

Yes, most likely. 
 

Is it a block & beam floor? 

[Nickfromwales]

15 hours ago, Mr Punter said:

Smell is very difficult to establish and prove.  Actual moisture and mould can be measured and photographed.  Have you had anyone else in to verify the smell, like a mate or your partner?  If it is really obviously bad you should go back to the housebuilder and register it as an official issue, stating that x people have also noticed it.

+1. 

[Alwayslearning22]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

Yes, most likely. 
 

Is it a block & beam floor? 

No it’s just a concrete slab. How would inside a closed panel even get damp? There are no windows on this wall.