WHAT could be making our basement smell like a charcoal grill?

[AKL_Megs]

Can anyone think of anything that could be causing the smell?

It COULD be something obvious. DH BBQ'd outside the other day, and the clothes REEKED. He came in and we put them in the hamper to be washed the next day (the hamper is upstairs, in our guest bedroom). The clothes were washed two days ago, forgotten about overnight, and then dried yesterday.

This is when I smelled the BBQ smell, as the clothes were drying.

At first, I thought it was something in the DRYER, like a belt burning or something, since the laundry room in the basement smelled like BBQ, but the clothes, washed and dried, still smelled like BBQ themselves.

This morning, I went down there to grab some toilet paper from the storage cabinet, and the room still smelled like BBQ.

I checked the dryer. Nothing.

I checked the hot water heater. Nothing.

I checked the furnace. Nothing.

I checked the circuit breaker box. Nothing.

Could the BBQ smell somehow be "stuck" on the dryer?

Or can anyone think of anything else that might be making this smell...?

 

[mickeyboat]

Do you have a woodstove or fireplace?

 

[AKL_Megs]

Do you have a woodstove or fireplace?

LOL, nope!

DH is thankfully at home on vacation. I am going to try another load tonight and see if it goes away.

It freaked me out!

 

[FireDancer]

Are any members of the band Boston currently a house guest?

 

[Lisa_M]

Was there any lighter fluid on his clothes?

 

[monkeybug]

Do you have a charcoal grill in your basement?

 

[MICKEY88]

is it definitely a charcoal smell. or just a burning smell

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Are any members of the band Boston currently a house guest?

Hey!!!! Don't Look Back!!!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

wonder if it could be mold?

also, did you have windows or vents open that could have possibley had smoke blown into them and then a house fan or a circulation system that may have had it vented into the basement?

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Does it happen when you do the wash/dryer. If so I would carefully feel the outlet boxes and make sure they aren't excescily warm after use.
I Am not an electritian but I think this is a good practice, if it is jumping the circut breaker somehow sometime the box will get hot. Maybe there is an electritian.

 

[MICKEY88]

Does it happen when you do the wash/dryer. If so I would carefully feel the outlet boxes and make sure they aren't excescily warm after use.
I Am not an electritian but I think this is a good practice, if it is jumping the circut breaker somehow sometime the box will get hot. Maybe there is an electritian.

that is the direction I was headed,,,

a few years ago I kept thinking I smelled something burning when I went to the basement, one night it got the best of me and I was determined to find the source, I eventually flipped the circuit breaker pulled my dryer away from the wall and checked the outlet it was plugged into, the outlet was badly burned, to the point that the ceramic inside was melted, I boucght a new outlet box, and cord for the dryer and replaced them, the smell never came back.

upon further investigation online I discovered that this is a fairly common source of house fires..

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I would feel all the outlets even if they are not the one being used. I think(again not an electritian) that if badly wired say the outlet you have the TV plugged into can at times be running juice through it for both the TV and the dryer. If they don't loop it propperly when they are wiring consecutive outlets.

 

[bumbershoot]

Could the BBQ smell somehow be "stuck" on the dryer?

Well, what about in the lint trap or even into the dryer hose thing (official word, ha)? If you hadn't just had smelly BBQ clothes in the room and machines, it would be extremely mysterious. But I'd look to the clothing and machines they were in, before looking to the other stuff.