Musky Smell in bathroom

Kim_Possible

In the last 10 days, I have noticed a musky smell when entering the bathroom, if the door has been closed.
It is the main bathroom, but not used daily:
-toilet & wash hand basin used occasionally
-shower used every other day by 1 person. WAs scrubbed around sealend and doors recently.
-bath- never used in last year but was turned on last week to clean up after diy.

This smell was not present at any point before last 10 days. The smell disappears when the fan is triggered by the light on.

Have tried bleach and mr muscle down all plug holes, smell disappears temporilarily but does return.

Any ideas on cause and a solution?

Horizon81

Define musky! Have you put your nose to all of the plugholes? If not a 'drains smell' then....

A fishy smell can be cased by electrical wires burning, which is quite common in the pull cord for the electric shower, or even the light fitting. Try sniffing these areas after they've been on (e.g. the shower has been on). Equally if they feel hot then it may indicate the problem.

Ebe_Scrooge

Do you mean a "musty" smell ? If so, my first thought would be damp somewhere. Have a check in all the little nooks and crannies, see if there's any sign of damp. Also take the side panel off the bath, have a good look under there. And also check the fan itself - it's quite likely there's dust on the fan, or in the ducting, that is trapping moisture. Give it a good clean and dry it thoroughly. See if that helps.


<edit> Actually, re-reading your post, I'd say it's fairly likely to be under the bath - if the smell has only started after using the bath for the first time in a long time. It's quite possible for a small amount of water to have run down the side if the sealant is not perfect, or else a small leak in the waste pipe. If this does turn out to be the case, either of these things is an easy DIY fix.

robotrobo

Kim_Possible wrote: »

In the last 10 days, I have noticed a musky smell when entering the bathroom, if the door has been closed.
It is the main bathroom, but not used daily:
-toilet & wash hand basin used occasionally
-shower used every other day by 1 person. WAs scrubbed around sealend and doors recently.
-bath- never used in last year but was turned on last week to clean up after diy.

This smell was not present at any point before last 10 days. The smell disappears when the fan is triggered by the light on.

Have tried bleach and mr muscle down all plug holes, smell gdisappears temporilarily but does return.

Any ideas on cause and a solution?

In our bathroom , when I am using the karcher patio cleaner outside on the patio , occasionally I will pass the controlled jet lance through the bathroom window & I will then give the waste pipe a blast & remove any build up of whatever in the pipes , it really does a good job, I then blast the same pipes from the outside , with the plug in place if need be.
My bathroom does not smell, but I do this chore maybe twice a year in the summer & quite a bit of muck is removed , without having to dismantle the traps every time.
I also always dry the shower cubicle after every use @ with my wife's hairdryer I blow around the shower enclosure base , the sealant is 5 years old & still looks like it's just been put on
And occasionally I take the easy accessible trap out & give it a clean out & add a bit of diluted bleach to sit in the trap.
It sounds a lot of hassle , but only takes 10 mins of work twice a year to achieve a nice clean bathroom , without buying any pipe cleaning stuff at all.

Aquamaster

Kim_Possible wrote: »

if the door has been closed.



The smell disappears when the fan is triggered by the light on.

This means in the pipe, poor ventilation. 2 reasons : 1 - small height of the pipe. 2 - the pipe is too narrow because a lot of dust or debris.