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briant73 Posted: Oct 29, 2016 02:59 PM	Spray foam in Attic - Odor issues I recently had Spray foam done in my attic (open cell foamsulate 50) and since that was done a week we have had odor issues from the attic area that get through the house. The odor is chemical in nature and if I had to hazard a guess I would describe similar to fresh latex paint or something like that. We have opened windows, had fans blown out from the attic and out the front door but still have an odor, I have been contacting both the installer and the manufacturer to get answers but still have a bunch of questions I'm hoping you can help with. To give some more information from what I saw the installer removed some of the fiberglass bats before install (not a lot possibly 25-30%) and the day of install sprayed wth just windows open somewhat downstairs and the front door open. It's a 50' x 25' attic space that runs the length of the house and roof has I believe what is a low pitch to it. The installer did come back after the spray and removed more of the fiberglass insulation. The installer sprayed at least 8" of open cell foam on the roof. 1) Since the spraying I have had headaches and my eyes have been bothering me (watering) and two other people in the house have been coughing. Could this be from the spray foam and if so what can we do to check the air quality to make sure it's nothing dangerous? This to me is first and foremost making sure we are safe. 2) The installer is claiming they feel confident the foam was applied correctly but how can we be sure there are not issues with some or all of it? The installer say's they have never run into an issue like this before with an odor lingering for this long and so far have been responding to me but I would like to hear what other experts think. 3) I have been told that possibly the odor is mostly from when the product was sprayed and not a bad spray itself. I have gone through a bit of the attic and when smelling the underside of the spray foam I don't notice an order and the loose pieces that feel during spraying seem to be odorless BUT it's a large attic and I can't cover all of it. So does the attic need time to disapate, ventilated out, or paint needs applied (I'm not sure if they mean to the wood of the attic, the spray foam or both). Now if they mean painting the spray foam wouldn't that cause issues with the spray foam itself and possibly mask that there are issues with it curing? What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
mason Posted: Oct 29, 2016 04:07 PM	Spray foam can exude an odor after the application depending on a number of factors. But, the installation of spray foam typically air seals the house much better than before so odors from other materials within the house can accumulate causing non spray foam odors to linger that were not evident before. In either case folks that are sensitive to odors of various types can have head aches and cold like symptoms (coughing, runny nose, etc.) So, the first thing is to determine if the odor is coming from the spray foam or from other sources. Spray foam has a very specific odor that is easy to detect from other types of odor. If the odor is coming from the foam, then there are measures that can be taken 1. Determine how strong the odor is and if it is likely to dissipate within a reasonable amount of time 2. If the odor is strong and causing health issues, then removing the foam usually takes care of the issue. 3. If the odor remains after removal of the foam, then other remediation measures can be taken such as treatment of the wood by a restoration company that specializes in chemical, pet or smoke odors. Please call me to discuss, I have a lot of experience with these situations and have consulted on dozens of odor cases on behalf of homeowners, suppliers and contractors. I can provide you with information based on the most current research and monitoring on the odor issue. 571-239-5221
briant73 Posted: Oct 29, 2016 04:37 PM	Thank you for your response and the offer to talk with me. I called and left a message, I apologize that even though it's the weekend but the health concerns have me worried. Some observations - The odor was VERY strong right after they finished spraying of the foam and non existent before the spraying of foam. I believe the smell is either the foam itself or something with the spraying agents because after spraying the smell was strong in the attic and in the house and a few days later they had a small area on a gable end they had to respray and I noticed the smell was very strong right after respraying when they asked me to check it. I will also say that we notice the order on the main floor of the house at times and other times not as much. The Attic throughout the week the odor seems to become less strong but that could also mean we are becoming sensitized to it.
briant73 Posted: Oct 29, 2016 07:01 PM	Also the isntallers asked me to burn scented candles every 15 feet or so in the attic to get rid of the smell, I don't understand how this is going to get rid of strong chemical odor or if it's even safe to burn candles in an enclosed environment with spray foam not far above, so I'm not going to do do this until I hear more.
briant73 Posted: May 21, 2019 04:49 PM	Just to update my story - The manufacturer has deemed the spray foam incorrect and recommend removal, but the installer has not responded on either removing it or offsetting the cost for someone else to do it. The manufacturer of course feels it's not there issue and has left me the homeowner needing to shell out 2-3x the amount it cost to install for removal. Does anyone have any ideas if there is somewhere I can go for assistance? It seems crazy a product that if not done right can have issues and nobody seems to care. I advise anyone reading this be careful, make sure you are dealing with trained and properly certified professionals. I thought I was and found out the hard way you can be in for a lot of issues.

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briant73

Posted: Oct 29, 2016 02:59 PM

Spray foam in Attic - Odor issues

I recently had Spray foam done in my attic (open cell foamsulate 50) and since that was done a week we have had odor issues from the attic area that get through the house. The odor is chemical in nature and if I had to hazard a guess I would describe similar to fresh latex paint or something like that. We have opened windows, had fans blown out from the attic and out the front door but still have an odor, I have been contacting both the installer and the manufacturer to get answers but still have a bunch of questions I'm hoping you can help with. To give some more information from what I saw the installer removed some of the fiberglass bats before install (not a lot possibly 25-30%) and the day of install sprayed wth just windows open somewhat downstairs and the front door open. It's a 50' x 25' attic space that runs the length of the house and roof has I believe what is a low pitch to it. The installer did come back after the spray and removed more of the fiberglass insulation. The installer sprayed at least 8" of open cell foam on the roof.

1) Since the spraying I have had headaches and my eyes have been bothering me (watering) and two other people in the house have been coughing. Could this be from the spray foam and if so what can we do to check the air quality to make sure it's nothing dangerous? This to me is first and foremost making sure we are safe.

2) The installer is claiming they feel confident the foam was applied correctly but how can we be sure there are not issues with some or all of it? The installer say's they have never run into an issue like this before with an odor lingering for this long and so far have been responding to me but I would like to hear what other experts think.

3) I have been told that possibly the odor is mostly from when the product was sprayed and not a bad spray itself. I have gone through a bit of the attic and when smelling the underside of the spray foam I don't notice an order and the loose pieces that feel during spraying seem to be odorless BUT it's a large attic and I can't cover all of it. So does the attic need time to disapate, ventilated out, or paint needs applied (I'm not sure if they mean to the wood of the attic, the spray foam or both). Now if they mean painting the spray foam wouldn't that cause issues with the spray foam itself and possibly mask that there are issues with it curing? What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

mason

Posted: Oct 29, 2016 04:07 PM

Spray foam can exude an odor after the application depending on a number of factors.
But, the installation of spray foam typically air seals the house much better than before so odors from other materials within the house can accumulate causing non spray foam odors to linger that were not evident before.

In either case folks that are sensitive to odors of various types can have head aches and cold like symptoms (coughing, runny nose, etc.)

So, the first thing is to determine if the odor is coming from the spray foam or from other sources. Spray foam has a very specific odor that is easy to detect from other types of odor.

If the odor is coming from the foam, then there are measures that can be taken
1. Determine how strong the odor is and if it is likely to dissipate within a reasonable amount of time
2. If the odor is strong and causing health issues, then removing the foam usually takes care of the issue.
3. If the odor remains after removal of the foam, then other remediation measures can be taken such as treatment of the wood by a restoration company that specializes in chemical, pet or smoke odors.

Please call me to discuss, I have a lot of experience with these situations and have consulted on dozens of odor cases on behalf of homeowners, suppliers and contractors. I can provide you with information based on the most current research and monitoring on the odor issue.

571-239-5221

briant73

Posted: Oct 29, 2016 04:37 PM

Thank you for your response and the offer to talk with me. I called and left a message, I apologize that even though it's the weekend but the health concerns have me worried.

Some observations -
The odor was VERY strong right after they finished spraying of the foam and non existent before the spraying of foam. I believe the smell is either the foam itself or something with the spraying agents because after spraying the smell was strong in the attic and in the house and a few days later they had a small area on a gable end they had to respray and I noticed the smell was very strong right after respraying when they asked me to check it.

I will also say that we notice the order on the main floor of the house at times and other times not as much. The Attic throughout the week the odor seems to become less strong but that could also mean we are becoming sensitized to it.

briant73

Posted: Oct 29, 2016 07:01 PM

Also the isntallers asked me to burn scented candles every 15 feet or so in the attic to get rid of the smell, I don't understand how this is going to get rid of strong chemical odor or if it's even safe to burn candles in an enclosed environment with spray foam not far above, so I'm not going to do do this until I hear more.

briant73

Posted: May 21, 2019 04:49 PM

Just to update my story - The manufacturer has deemed the spray foam incorrect and recommend removal, but the installer has not responded on either removing it or offsetting the cost for someone else to do it. The manufacturer of course feels it's not there issue and has left me the homeowner needing to shell out 2-3x the amount it cost to install for removal.

Does anyone have any ideas if there is somewhere I can go for assistance? It seems crazy a product that if not done right can have issues and nobody seems to care.

I advise anyone reading this be careful, make sure you are dealing with trained and properly certified professionals. I thought I was and found out the hard way you can be in for a lot of issues.

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