Painted wall smells

Homer J Simpson

Hello,

About 6 months ago I painted a partition wall in my house. I have noticed over the last few weeks that there is an awful odour coming from the wall ( Odour is quite similar to horse ****). The odour seems to be particularly strong around the edges of the light switch.

Has anyone else had similar odour problems with paint or electrical fittings?

stag39

check the wires and also check the tightness of the terminal connections of the light switch !!!

The switch itself might be worn out also !!

turn off the supply to the switch via the fuse board before looking at it also...

niall

FX Meister

Didi you ever keep any horses between the walls at any stage? It's a long shot but if you did maybe the pooped while you had them there?

Endurance Man

Perhaps the paint u used was old?? Maybe the switch is heating the paint up and and becuase it was old its smelling ?

What a weird thing to happen

mad m

Could be mould/dampness maybe from no ventilation.Where exactly is the wall situated?

Rubens

I'd say it's just a sh*tty paint-job. Sorry it had to be said

rooferPete

Hi,

This is a long shot but could any paint have entered behind the switch and is heating up on the terminals ?

.

Alun

It could also be just coincidence. Could anything have got into the inside of the partition and died there? I'm thinking of a bird, mouse or rat. The reason the smell is strongest around the light switch could just be that there is a minute air gap around there that is letting the smell through. Try taking the switch cover off and seeing if the smell gets worse.

Homer J Simpson

I can confirm that the paint used was bought brand new. The house was built last year so the partition is new. It is dividing the livingroom and a bedroom. The livingroom is well ventilated on a daily basis.
The smell only arose in the last number of weeks.

I will unscrew the lightswitch this evening and check for any paint on on terminals and for any dead rodents.


Cheers,

Fredser

Homer J Simpson wrote:

The house was built last year
Cheers,

I suspect a tradesman (usually plasterers )may have answered the call of nature and dumped his "droppings" there before the wall was finished.

I reckon you broke the seal,so to speak,when you undid the lightswitch, thus realising the pungent odour from its plasterboard coffin .... Really... maybe this is what happened???

Fredser

hansov

As stag said check out the tightness of the wires into the switch but I would suggest that you change the switch and perhaps also the bulb-holder. We had this unusual smell a number of years ago on the landing. We were certain that it was something dead :eek: (rodent not human ) in the attic. However during the day it wasn't there only at certain times in the evening or night. Smelt like ..... but in the end it turned out to be the white bulb-holder hanging from the ceiling which when heated up gave off this pungent odour. Two pounds to fix at the time but what a relief.

Alun

I've smelt plenty of overheating bulb holders, switches etc. in my lifetime, and I have to say that none of them smelt like "horse ****"! A chemical, burning plastic smell, maybe, but nothing vaguely "organic" like that.

Dilbert75

My money's on a dead mouse.

MorningStar

Dilbert75 wrote:

My money's on a dead mouse.

I keep mine in my wallet