Smelly Room

[Barmaid]

Over the last 6-8 weeks, we have noticed a bit of a pong in two of our rooms.

We have the living room next to the dining room and a connecting arch between them (external wall one side of the arch and inglenook fireplace the other). Mr BM says the pong is like stagnant water, whereas I think it smells as if someone has just passed wind. The smell is worse in the archway and in the two windows either side of that (ie one in dining room and one in living room). There are no toilets, bathrooms or water supplies in this part of the house (nearest bathrooms are at least one other room away). The rooms immediately above are bedrooms and there is no smell there.

We do not believe there are any drains under this part of the house (we know where all the drain runs are) and in any event, this part of the house dates to the 1650s so we doubt anyone has dug a drain run underneath it.

We have checked the fireplace and we do not believe anything has died in there (the jackdaws are a pita). In any event, it is not a constant smell it comes and goes although there is no real pattern.

We think the main sewer runs in front of these two rooms although having walked outside regularly, we cannot detect a smell there. In a straight line there is another room beyond the dining room, but no smell there. Beyond that room there is a toilet/shower room. We have had a smell in there although we did think that this is because that bathroom is never used and since we started flushing the traps through regularly that smell seems to have gone. The smell has not coincided! We have checked the drains and there does not appear to be a blockage.

There are no signs of damp.

We are at a loss. OK, so smelly candles and air fresheners are a short term fix but any ideas, please?

[tamborine]

Is there a cellar, storage area under wood floor?