smell lingers even after removal of CCSPF
Hello… has anybody had experience with that unnatural sweet smell remaining even after removal of CCSPF? Contractor did not put a huge amount of it in, but much of what they did put in did not cure. They did not mix on site but did the job with cylinder SPF. An unnatural, weird or sweet smell greeted me upon returning to house after installation.
Crew said it was just the paint they put on foam… but smell didn’t go away. Failure to cure was confirmed by consultant. Contractor removed what they said was all the SPF. Smell still didn’t go away. Tried air purifiers w charcoal. No dice, just seemed to cycle the smell more completely t/o the house.
Got second opinion from insulation pros who showed me where sticky spots or leftovers from SPF and paint remains on studs in attic. Contractor hadn’t removed old fg batts – my second-opinion pros say that’s a mistake and can trap the fumes in house.
Test w hand-held meter in living areas did not reveal VOCs, but I see site editor Martin Holladay once posted this in response to a SPF question: “I don’t recommend testing the air. Tests will tell you nothing. If you can smell the foam, you’ve identified the problem.”
I have surely smelled something since installation & others have, too. Whatever is in the air gives me symptoms that prevent me from moving back in. Consultants told me old batts need to come out and leftover signs of SPF need to be remediated somehow, then new stuff of my choosing put in but only after lots of airing out. They describe it as a long process and I presume a costly one.
Anybody have experience with an odor like this remaining t/o the house after removal of CCSPF — and if so, how’d you tackle it? Thank you…
JP
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Replies
People post similar questions here on GBA regularly. Here's one that pops up in a Google search: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/question/spray-foam-insulation-post-install-chemical-smell-not-rotten-fish.
I don't recall ever hearing of an acceptable solution to the problem, which is one reason I always advise against using spray foam when other options exist, not that that helps you. I do recall some people recommending turning up the heat (to promote chemical reactions and offgassing) and ventilating the space for as long as you can, like weeks or months, until you find the odor is gone.
Thanks for replying. I did see that particular thread. But the oddness of my situation is the CCSPF was removed (save for some residue, which we;re told remains chemically active, and paint) yet the odor--which was not there prior to installation--still remains in all the living areas and has been noted by others including an air quality professional. One person even compared it to the smell of engine coolant. So I was curious if anyone else has experienced such issues post-removal and what they did to achieve remediation. We've been told attic is well ventilated. We've spent weeks trying to air everything out even after removal. Encapsulation has been suggested but in the same breath we were advised that this would be replacing chemicals with other chemicals.
Not one article on here says someone successfully fixed this problem on their own.
The first answer should always be to contact the company and talk legal.
The purpose of spray foam is to save money, not to waste it by not living in your house. I don't get the hesitation for this recommendation.
I agree and my summary above is the Cliff's Notes version of everything that has happened since. We're keeping records and "taking names." But remediation is our prime concern right now and the most frustrating thing is we're getting unclear answers on how to proceed.
Spray foam is either soy oil or petroleum oil based. Being an oil, it's going to penetrate everything. There is just no getting around the resin being oil based and wood/building material is porous, even "perfectly" installed or not.
I'd imagine any successful remediation can only occur from fully removing. Otherwise it's encapsulating the oil resin, which I haven't read here or anywhere of a successful process.
Good luck.
Thanks. Right now we're trying to find out how this resin or residue can be removed. So let me ask you: Can this resin soak into wood (studs, for example) and not necessarily be visible? Because the foam was all next to studs, but so far I've only seen one limited section of visibly sticky stuff. Yet the smell is everywhere in the house.