Does Spray Foam Insulation Have An Odor

The good news is i had two spray foam jobs done both had an odor problem and the odors went away.

Does spray foam insulation have an odor.

If the ratio for one or more of the chemicals is off due to contractor error or otherwise the foam might not insulate properly. A small percentage of people can smell very low but safe concentrations of chemicals called amine catalysts which are used in all spray foams. A bad installation of spray polyurethane foam stinks. We have also found in our experience if a homeowner is hyper concerned about a lingering spray foam odor in their home they probably won t be disappointed.

How long the smell lasts will vary from person to person and job to job. Spf has an odor during the application process and for some time after. The space might not have been ventilated per manufacturer specifications. It s real to them.

They will smell it. If you can smell the foam you ve identified the problem. On a hot humid summer afternoon if by chance you get a whiff of spray foam smell while walking down the upstairs hall it s easy to manage. The biggest common complaint however is a bad odor usually described as a fish like odor that lasts for months and is almost impossible to get rid of.

The insulation company said that the insulation would be odorless. The icynene after complete removal took about six years to go away to faint levels in the spring time. Honestly i haven t smelled our spray foam insulation in a single one of the homes where we have made a follow up visit. Turn your oms fan on.

Spray foam insulation is shipped as separate chemicals that must be mixed together prior to being sprayed. On warm sunny days i would say 70 degrees we can smell the insulation. Properly applied by a professional spray foam should emit relatively low fumes that will altogether dissipate in about a week. In the case of the closed cell foam blue foam basf the dead fish odor went away after 3 years.

We had open cell spray foam insulation placed in our attic in december 2010. I don t recommend testing the air. Homeowner james polk who recently hired sunlight contractors to install approximately 3000 square feet of spray polyurethane foam in his destrehan home describes his experience which is typical of a job done right. It might also create a noxious odor.

The same smell when it was installed somewhat less but still significantly strong. Not likely but some occupants do notice a new odor after spraying is complete. Tests will tell you nothing. Even do it yourself two component spray foam kits occasionally produce smelly foam according to a report by larry burks and jill burks of cambridge n y.

Spray foam insulation odor. Before the job when asked if spray foam smells you need to answer yes. This can happen in two ways. So any odor detected by especially sensitive people is safe from a health standpoint.

Everyone s sense of smell is different.