ᐅ Strong odor when turning down the underfloor heating system
Created on: 12 Jan 2023 22:24
J
JulesF1604
Hello,
we have the following problem. In our newly built house (moved in 6/22), a sweet/sour slightly pungent odor, similar to “stale sweat,” has appeared over the past few weeks. I would not describe it as chemical or musty. We have now observed that it comes from the bedroom and only affects this room. We locate it along the floor near the exterior wall. We turned the heating fully on to see what would happen. The odor disappeared. When we turned the heating back down, the smell returned. Sometimes it feels like a real “cloud” of odor rises upwards toward the windowsill. It seems likely that the smell is coming from the heating system. Has anyone had a similar problem or any ideas? We would appreciate any advice! We have not yet installed baseboards. Ventilating makes it temporarily better. There are no laundry baskets or similar items in the room.
Floor: underfloor heating, screed, PE foil, cork parquet.
Thank you in advance!!
we have the following problem. In our newly built house (moved in 6/22), a sweet/sour slightly pungent odor, similar to “stale sweat,” has appeared over the past few weeks. I would not describe it as chemical or musty. We have now observed that it comes from the bedroom and only affects this room. We locate it along the floor near the exterior wall. We turned the heating fully on to see what would happen. The odor disappeared. When we turned the heating back down, the smell returned. Sometimes it feels like a real “cloud” of odor rises upwards toward the windowsill. It seems likely that the smell is coming from the heating system. Has anyone had a similar problem or any ideas? We would appreciate any advice! We have not yet installed baseboards. Ventilating makes it temporarily better. There are no laundry baskets or similar items in the room.
Floor: underfloor heating, screed, PE foil, cork parquet.
Thank you in advance!!
J
JulesF160411 Jan 2025 13:22Hermanovic schrieb:
Hello, are there any new insights about the issue? Hello, I’m attaching what the expert report stated. The problem definitely does not originate from the ground. The odor had completely disappeared for a long time, and only started again with the onset of freezing temperatures, snow, and wind combined. The construction company has not responded at all to the expert report and the defect notice (including additional issues). Even a lawyer has not been able to help us so far.
W
wiltshire12 Jan 2025 12:03I am not a lawyer and may be wrong with the following statement, but this strategy might help:
1. Set a deadline for corrections. (You probably have done this and the deadline has passed.)
2. Announce that if there is no positive response, a third-party company will be hired to fix the construction defects on "date."
3. Hire the company, have the damage repaired, and pay for it yourself (possibly reimbursed by your insurance).
4. Send the invoice to the builder and enforce the claim. (They will respond and likely dispute it; if not, consider yourself lucky.)
5. If they do not object within the deadline, issue a payment order and then proceed with enforcement.
Prepare to mentally write off the costs as a loss, and be glad if you manage to recover anything. This is definitely better than having to sleep in a room that smells bad.
Depending on the builder’s situation, it can also be a useful tactic in negotiations to threaten filing for the company’s insolvency. If the company is in a strong position, you will be laughed at. If it is in a difficult position, you may receive quick cooperation. This tactic worked for me once and, quite rightly, I was laughed at another time.
1. Set a deadline for corrections. (You probably have done this and the deadline has passed.)
2. Announce that if there is no positive response, a third-party company will be hired to fix the construction defects on "date."
3. Hire the company, have the damage repaired, and pay for it yourself (possibly reimbursed by your insurance).
4. Send the invoice to the builder and enforce the claim. (They will respond and likely dispute it; if not, consider yourself lucky.)
5. If they do not object within the deadline, issue a payment order and then proceed with enforcement.
Prepare to mentally write off the costs as a loss, and be glad if you manage to recover anything. This is definitely better than having to sleep in a room that smells bad.
Depending on the builder’s situation, it can also be a useful tactic in negotiations to threaten filing for the company’s insolvency. If the company is in a strong position, you will be laughed at. If it is in a difficult position, you may receive quick cooperation. This tactic worked for me once and, quite rightly, I was laughed at another time.
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