We have had two dead mice in the wall in two years. You can tell if you get close to outlets or light switches or other in the wall and sniff. Taping those up helps. It happens. We were able to find the entry point and seal it off after that happened. It goes away in about 2-3 weeks.

The smell was completely gone yesterday afternoon and evening, even with the windows closed. It is back this morning, not as strong, but still bad. I went outside to see if I could smell it and caught the distinct smell of decay. I can't figure out the relationship between the outside death smell and the inside stink. A quick search reveals it takes 3-5 weeks for a rat to decompose outside in Md. Any ideas to help?

Anonymous wrote:Dead rat or some such in the shared wall.

That's what I suspect. The smell is not constant...or maybe I'm nose blind as a pp suggested. I smelled the same smell out back at the fence between my and my neighbor's yard, close to our houses. They have a rodent poison bait box near the fence. I noticed that where the refrigerant line goes into their house isn't sealed. The line has a one inch opening around it.

Well if something died, it will go away soon.

Dead rat or some such in the shared wall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

The smell is not sewage. It's a "small" smell which seems to waft up. I'm thinking dead thing because of the sickly sweetness of the smell. iykyk

Could be a coolant leak.

I have considered that. There is no condensation or obvious leaking inside or out. The AC has been working well all summer and up through last night/ this am. I turned it off when I noticed the smell again earlier today. The condensate pipe looks pretty nasty, though. Later today I will scrub it with the flexible brush that is near it and flush it with vinegar and a gallon of hot water.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

The smell is not sewage. It's a "small" smell which seems to waft up. I'm thinking dead thing because of the sickly sweetness of the smell. iykyk

Could be a coolant leak.

The smell may still be there but you may be becoming nose blind to it as all the ventilation weakens it. Have someone who hasn’t been in the house come in and tell you if they smell it.

Ventilation has cleared the smell for now. I opened the 2 small windows and I have 2 fans blowing, plus all upstairs windows open. I am stumped as to the source of the smell.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

All of my drains are working properly, there are no gurgling noises and the smell is not sewage or rotten eggs. I checked the pipes in the basement and don't see any cracks or leaks, just dust. My AC refrigerant line is dry inside and on the outside unit. The AC worked fine when I ran it last night.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

It can! Just for a few days. But we had a dead mouse in a closet and it took me a day or two to find it and it definitely smelled.

Put water in any and all drains.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

The smell is not sewage. It's a "small" smell which seems to waft up. I'm thinking dead thing because of the sickly sweetness of the smell. iykyk

Maybe the sewer trap dried out? A single dead mouse will not smell so obnoxious.

Help! For the past 2 days there has been a terrible smell coming up from nmy unfinished basement. My first thought was dead mouse because the stench is rotten with sweet notes. I have a cat and have never seen a mouse, but my neighbor has seen them outside. We have a shared wall. The smell seems close to that, but I first smelled it at the other side of my basement near an outside wall. I ran the dehumidifier for 12 hours each day and very little water was pulled. The smell seems to come and go but the dehumidifier doesn't affect it. I have a sump pump, but the smell isn't from there. All windows in the house are open now. The plan is to search everything in the basement and under utilies. Maybe I'll mop the floor with bleach solution? Any ideas?