There is a musty smell in the cabinet under my bathroom sink.
by
John
+6
No leaks or bubbled wood and all spaces around the pipes going through the wall are sealed. Any ideas?
9 answers
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This could be from the sub flooring below the cabinet. Has their been any flooding? Many times in remodels cabinets are left in place and floor added around them this makes a spot for water to become trapped if there is a leak. You may need to pull the cabinet to get to the real issue. Do you have tile or hard wood floors there?
Hudson Designs
on Apr 11, 2011
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The house is 9 years old and there is no evidence of leakage. Cabinets are original and in perfect condition. Flooring is ceramic tile over concrete. I had a mold abatement company check for moisture and temperature variance. Both were negative. The other cabinet sink in the same bathroom smells normal. Thinking about buying an inspection cameral to look under and behind the cabinet. Very frustrating.
John
on Apr 11, 2011
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I have 2 wet bars and both cabinets under the sinks have a musty odor. The home is 34 yrs old, and the cabinet interior was built of particle board. Although there is no evidence of moisture, it must have either gotten wet at some point, or it just absorbs humidity moisture over time. I never could get rid of the smell. I already gutted one wet bar doing a renovation in that room. Have resolved to replace the particle board cabinet in the other bar just to get rid of the odor. You could also have a slow drip on the plumbing INSIDE the wall, which is tricky to detect without removing drywall, etc. The inspection camera allows you to make small holes to investigate. It's probably a good tool investment anyway if you are a DIY kind of guy anyway. You can make a small hole in the drywall inside the cabinet right next to where your water pipes & drain pipe come through. I would also check the obvious - the supply line to your commode. I actually had a very slow leak in one that I was not aware of. It was so slow that it didn't leave a noticeable puddle, but the tile was wet and over time the bottom of the drywall became moist and became moldy. It doesn't have to be a gusher to cause a problem. A good test is place some tissue paper on the floor around the back of the commode and watch it over a few weeks.
Keith
on Apr 11, 2011
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Thanks for the reply, Keith. All good suggestions. One thing I forgot to mention is that this cabinet butts up against the garden tub and the hot/cold supply lines to the tub faucet are attached to the supply lines under the sink. The snake behind the cabinet and into the "bowels" of the tub. May not mean anything, but I thought I would mention it. The perplexing thing is that there was no smell under this cabinet when we moved in last June. It started after we were here for a couple of months. I will definitely order that camera.
John
on Apr 11, 2011
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I wouldn't waste time on that. Summer is here and heat, high humidity, moisture and wood for a food source are mold's best friend. You need to get to the source of this before you have a much bigger problem to deal with. Some neighbors bought a house and started major renovations. A month into the renovation they discovered mold. Long story short, they bulldozed the house and rebuilt from the ground up. So putting it into perspective ... a few drywall holes is no big deal! Good luck.
Keith
on Apr 11, 2011
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Before you get a camera system, Why not just repaint the cabinet on the inside. I would use KILZ Interior/Exterior Oil Primer It seals odors caused by fire, smoke, nicotine and pet stains so on. 2 coats at least.
Hudson Designs
on Apr 12, 2011
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Good idea! Thanks!
John
on Apr 12, 2011
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Let me know if that cures the smell. Glad I could help.
Hudson Designs
on Apr 12, 2011
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I appreciate all the info. Might be a bit before I can get to painting it. Finishing up a couple of other projects at the moment. Thanks again!
John
on Apr 12, 2011
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