Rant: I finally found what was making my basement smell like a wet dog every summer

Iris Clark · 2026-09-21T16:55:06.311929+00:00

For two summers my basement smelled awful and I could not figure out where it was coming from. I dumped $180 into a dehumidifier, ran it nonstop, and the smell stayed. I pulled up carpet, checked the walls for water, even paid a guy $250 to scope the main drain line. Nothing. Then last month my neighbor Dave, who has lived on this block in Denver since the 80s, asked if I had ever checked the condensate line on my AC. Turns out the line was draining right next to the foundation on the north side and soaking into the ground under my basement floor. I rerouted a $12 piece of PVC so it dumps into the downspout out front. Smell was gone in three days. So before you spend hundreds on gear like I did, go walk around your house and watch where your AC water actually goes. Anyone else had a cheap fix beat an expensive one like this?

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Rant: I finally found what was making my basement smell like a wet dog every summer | Denver Homeowners - Discusd