Strong 'cabbage' smell in bedrom?

[ianmcd]

if you havent fitted a vent and fitted a cowl at the top of the chimney it is most likely condensation rotting the old fireplace

 

[Doggit]

If you can get onto the roof easily, you could put some rods down the flue pipe, and see if there's any blockages etc. The flue is the most likely source of the problem, so needs investigating first, if only to eliminate it.

 

[therambler]

A couple of possibilities spring to mind:

1) You said "the loft space also fills with this smell", If the loft insulation has been installed right out to the eves, you may have restricted ventilation in the loft and consequentially some rot in the roof timbers.

2) You said "Flue definitely still open above the roof", Did you really mean open? Could the rain enter the flue? If so, that could be a cause of dampness which is giving rise to the smell. You would be surprised just how much water can go into an open flue over the course of a rainy spell. If you close off a fireplace/flue inside the house you should always put a rain cap of some sort in the top to prevent rain ingress while allowing ventilation. In some cases a ridge tile sitting across the top of the flue and suitable bedded in mortar does the job nicely, so long as the air can circulate.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We've been experiencing an intermittent strong 'cabbagey' smell in our bedroom for a couple of years now.

So have we.

Mrs Sheds shouts at me when it happens.

 

[AGAS]

Mrs Sheds shouts at me when it happens.

.
Oh shyte here we go

 

[Aston1]

Well, it's been a while. I now know that the smell is wind related (as in the weather). When the wind gets up we get the smell in the upstairs rooms and mainly when the small windows are open in the bedroom. No wind, no smell?
We live very close to the sea at sea level and I'm wondering if the wind is pushing the smell from a drain or rain gulley (possibly back up a gutter down pipe) and into the bedroom? Still doesn't explain though why our adjoining neighbours don't get it?