Weird smelly patch near radiator

JohnFenwick

We've moved into our new rental first floor flat three weeks ago.  Yesterday, we went into one of the smaller bedrooms and smelt a really bad stale urine smell.  Sniffed around (vomit) and noticed it was strongest near the corner of the room.  Lifted the carpet up and there was a massive patch under the carpet near the radiator pipes - seemed mostly dry but smelt like stale urine.  No sign of mice droppings or other rodent infestation anywhere so not entirely sure it is that.  Plus the smell came on abruptly as it wasn't there in the morning but was there in the afternoon.  I've called our rental maintenance team to take a look but whilst waiting for them, anyone have any experience of something similar? 

Niv

could it be the radiator leaking? The smell possibly being a central heating conditioner or something?

Or maybe a radiator leak that has wetted a previously dried patch of a previous renters pet wee causing the smell?

Jeepers_Creepers

Or the rad is a red herring and it's all pee...

JohnFenwick

yeh, could be all three suggestions . Really strong smell so have asked the contractor from the letting agency to take a look.   
Really baffled by it.  Don't have any pets or anything and no visible signs of mouse droppings anywhere.  
I bet it'll baffle the contractor too lol.

neilmcl

By the looks of the underside of that carpet it seems there's been a leak or spillage of some sort in the past.

Jeepers_Creepers

What isn't it? Mouse wee. Why? Because just think for a second what size the mouse would have to be.

When I look at it again following Neil's comment, it does look like it was caused by a single 'spill' - there is only one obvious edge to the stain. So I'd now hazard that it's almost certainly from a rad leak.

There's an unusual crank to that rad pipe, so I wonder if the rad was replaced at some point by one of a slightly different size, and this leak resulted from that process.

Why it should smell of 'wee' I dunno, but some chemicals used in system water are a bit pongy. A good carpet clean would hopefully sort it. 

neilmcl

My guess is that the radiator has leaked at some point and gotten into the underlay which has now gone a bit mouldy and becomes more noticeable after the room has heated up. I'd also check that it isn't currently leaking.

JohnFenwick

Thanks so much for those suggestions everyone.  Really appreciate you taking the time to advise or provide suggestions .  Very kind of you.

DiddyDavies

Does the wall just above the skirting feel damp at all?
Looking at one of the pictures, it does appear that there might be damp there (or it could be where wallpaper has been removed):

JohnFenwick

I saw that too but couldn't actually feel any damp.  The wallpaper is in tact and either I'm assuming that patch is pre-existing.  Maybe a previous tenant's spillage, child pee?  I also suspected given the size of it that its related to the patch on the underside of the carpet.

Jeepers_Creepers

Blimey - folks have good eyes!

Almost certainly the two stains are connected - yours is a first floor flat, so it ain't 'rising' :-)  

The carpet is bone dry John?