Stinky apartment update

There are two places where Pelé is bothered by the stink: His bathroom and one of his closets.  

Our breakthrough came when Pelé told me that one of his under-sink vanities stank while the other wasn't nearly as bad.

So, we took a look-and-see.

Stinky

 

Not-stinky

A little bit of background on the economics of apartments: It is economical to make apartments "mirror images" of adjacent units so they can share common waste-water, feed-water and power feeds. So if "sum dude" goes into the bathroom (figuring there is a ventilation fan) of one unit to smoke weed, then there is almost a clear-line-of-sight into the adjacent unit's bathroom via plumbing feeds.

We took down the light fixture and Pelé put tape over the electrical pass-through hole.

We stuffed foam-rubber strips between the mirror and the wall. Pelé thought "stink" also came from behind the mirror.

We stuffed open-cell air-conditioning foam into the hole through the drywall for the toilet feed.

We put die-cut, foam gaskets on the wall cover plates for his power outlets.

There was a plastic door over an access hole to the back of the valves for the tub. The door was in a closet. Same smell issues. We sealed up the gaps in the cobbled-together door and then we taped the edges to the wall with the aluminum foil tape. Neither of us were very confident about the tape but it had excellent "conformal" characteristics. Smoothing it out caused it to contour to the rough, textured plaster.

The only item left on his to-do list is to buy some Great Stuff expanding urethane foam and to "fill" the gaps between the holes in the drywall and the feeds-and-drain plumbing for the one basin to make it identical to the "not stinky" vanity.

Managing negative pressure

His fireplace is a gas fireplace and the pilot is lit, so there is no possibility of sealing off the chimney or closing the damper until the maintenance team shuts off the gas.

Pelé has a washer-dryer in his apartment (an amenity that he likes). I suggested that he open an outdoor window (if the weather is good) and close the bathroom door when he is running the dryer.

Conversely, when running the bathroom ventilation fan to leave the bathroom door open so make-up air from all of the apartment's HVAC ducts can flow in thereby minimizing the negative pressure in the bathroom.

Smells are subjective

Things like "smells" and "noise" are subjective. I might like the 1812 Overture really loud but find (c)rap music objectionably loud at exactly the same decibel level.

Part of what was twisting Pelé around the axle is that he had no control over the smell. He specified a non-smoking apartment in a non-smoking block. Weed is legal in Michigan and his neighbor indulges.

It is almost impossible to "control" the behavior of other people. Hence, control-issues.

Walking Pelé through the simple steps of finding and eliminating direct-air paths between his apartment and his neighbors is empowering. He can influence outcomes without depending on other people. Empowerment changes the dynamics of "subjective".

---Added a bit later--- 

"Coons in the Henhouse"

Well, I woke to a mess in the old barnyard,
Feathers on the ground, my heart broke hard.
Four of my hens, they were stolen away,
By them sneaky ol’ coons ‘fore the break of the day.
Spring traps failed me, they slipped every one,
Them bandits just laughed like they’d already won.
But I got me a cage trap, some chili to spare,
And waited in the moonlight for those coons to get there.

Coons in the henhouse, stealin’ my flock,
Rippin’ through my chickens, now the hammer’s cocked.
Chili in the cage, I laid down the bait,
Sent ‘em to the henhouse in the sky, sealed their fate.
They ate my chickens, but I’m grinnin’ with pride,
‘Cause I’m eatin’ their jerky with my .22 mag by my side.

Two coons in two days, they fell for my scheme,
That chili was callin’, stole their thievin’ dream.
With my Heritage revolver, that .22 mag,
I sent ‘em up yonder with a thunderous brag.
Now my smoker’s hummin’, got that jerky just right,
Spiced up and chewy, it’s my victory bite.
They thought they’d outsmart me, but I turned the game,
Now I’m chewin’ their fate while my hens cluck again.

Coons in the henhouse, stealin’ my flock,
Rippin’ through my chickens, now the hammer’s cocked.
Chili in the cage, I laid down the bait,
Sent ‘em to the henhouse in the sky, sealed their fate.
They ate my chickens, but I’m grinnin’ with pride,
‘Cause I’m eatin’ their jerky with my .22 mag by my side.

My hens are safe now, roostin’ peaceful and free,
No more raccoon shadows sneakin’ up on me.
With my smoker and my pistol, I’ve settled the score,
Them coons fed my chickens, now I’m eatin’ much more.

Coons in the henhouse, stealin’ my flock,
Rippin’ through my chickens, now the hammer’s cocked.
Chili in the cage, I laid down the bait,
Sent ‘em to the henhouse in the sky, sealed their fate.
They ate my chickens, but I’m grinnin’ with pride,
‘Cause I’m eatin’ their jerky with my .22 mag by my side.

So here’s to my farm, my coop, and my land,
I’ll guard it forever with this gun in my hand.
Them coons learned their lesson, now they’re jerky, it’s true,
This country boy’s justice tastes mighty fine too

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