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Moisture in walls?

WishIKnew2018 | Posted in General Questions on

i had work done last year that required removal of 4 feet of brick under 2 sets of casement windows.  Extreme moisture from the corner of the windows lead to mold on the OSB.  
The contractor replaced the OSB but painted it on all sides with exterior paint. The gaps between the boards were sealed with Vulkem 116 and taped prior to placing tar paper over.

This same method was used on another wall but James Hardie siding was the cover.

I am now smelling a very chemical smell throughout my home in the colder months.

Is the outer wall such that moisture is trapped between the wall causing the Vulkem to release the chemical smell?

Any thoughts on this?  If so anything I can do to prevent tearing it out and redoing with another contractor?

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Replies

  1. Peter Yost | | #1

    Hi "wishIknew" - (be great to use your name in a community like GBA) -

    Tremco Vulkem 116 is approved for exterior use only, in no small part because of its off-gassing. And while you did use it on your exterior, if there is no air barrier between this material and your building interior, it's essentially inside your building. And of course, as with any liquid sealant, it only performs over time if it was installed per the manufacturer's installation requirements including use of backer rod. (See https://www.tremcosealants.com/fileshare/DataSheets_Hyland/Vulkem_116_DS.pdf).

    And the fact that your contractor painted all sides of the OSB--I am not sure why he or she did this, but it's not an encouraging element of your retrofit.

    I would approach the contractor you used and see how interested he or she is in making good on the work, OR, if you have lost confidence in this contractor, find one with better building science chops and see what they recommend.

    Peter

  2. WishIKnew2018 | | #2

    Thank you for your reply.

    Unfortunately I have lost confidence in the contractor.

    Are there any options to improve the air quality in the meantime?

  3. WishIKnew2018 | | #3

    This contractor encouraged the use of Vulkem 116 inside my home for basement crack filling stating it works great.

    I did read it should not be used indoors and did not follow his advise.

    Little did I know that outdoor OSB use without backer rod would have a negative effect.

    Thank you for your objective reply.

    Sue

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