# owens corning smell



## ryansdiydad (Aug 16, 2015)

After searching on this I know this is old news now.. but does the stink from the Owens Corning faced batts really go away? I just bought some R21 faced batts and left em sitting out in an unfinished and open to the outside garage. Walked about there 15 minutes later and it smelled like somebody was burning a steak or something. The batts were a good 30+ feet from me and by the open garage door opening... 

Not sure I would dig it too much to have that smell filling up the garage and foyer when it is all closed up.. 

I also had some certainteed insulation that I checked out. And it smells like nothing... might switch to another brand vs. even risking that I will have this stink around after I close up the walls.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

I've never had a customer complain about the OC smell. Once the vapor barrier goes over the top (or paper stapled)and the sheetrock is up and sealed, only a bloodhound might pick up on the odor.
If it really is a concern, go with the other company.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Doubtful that it is the batts. Something else is causing the smell.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Did they just come out of the bag? What type of stabilizers are indicated on the bags?


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## ryansdiydad (Aug 16, 2015)

Link below explains the smell. It is attributed by Owens Corning to their binder which has been around for years. This is on their kraft faced batts. Around here that is still the most common practice.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/smelly-fiberglass-batts

Seems to be pretty prevalent among these home depot reviews. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Co...-Insulation-Batt-15-in-x-93-in-BF10/202676829

None of the bags where completely sealed. They are all open on the ends. 

I am going to see how much they smell today. Maybe it has dissipated as Owens Corning claims it will..


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

ryansdiydad, forget about online reviews. The majority of them are false or faked, to try and get people to use something else.

The kraft paper has a tar applied to it, that allows it to bind with the Insulation. Unless an animal has peed on the insulation while it sits outside, or gets into the warehouse before they are shipped to store. There is no smell to Kraft faced insulation.

Something is peeing on your rolls from having them left outdoors. Anytime you buy any kind of construction materials. Stage them inside out of the weather and away from letting critters pee and poop on them.


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## ryansdiydad (Aug 16, 2015)

Yeah so they smell at the store. Go to a home depot find a package of Owens Corning kraft faced batts that are open and give them a sniff. It smells like burnt cookies or some sort of burnt sugar. 

Not sure why you wouldn't believe the manufacturer themselves when they put out a press release that explains the smell and attributes it to their new binder which is bio based. Anyway for anybody else that wants to click on a link.. your OC faced batts might smell like burnt caramel or something like that. The smell does seem to be dissipating a bit as OC claims. 

Here is another link that explains the problem. 

http://www.jlconline.com/how-to/insulation/overbaked-fiberglass-batts-linked-to-odor-problem_o

And another one from a contractor forum

http://www.contractortalk.com/f80/owens-corning-102573/

So it does in fact have a unique smell due to the reformulation of the binder that appears to be unique to Owens Corning. It appears this has been going on for a couple year snow and OC doesn't feel like its a big deal so they are sticking with the new binder and just hoping people live with the smell..


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Again none of them smell. If you are taking any kind of medications or have hypersensitivity to smells, that could be causing your brain to making you believe that there is a smell.

Again, there is nothing wrong with them when they come from the warehouse. If they smell like Pee, that is because something is using them for a bathroom. If you are smelling the tar, that is because it sat in a trailer in blazing hot Sun for a while, before the truck driver came to pick them up.

You are making a nothing into a nothing. There is no smell on the rolls.


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## Marqed97 (Mar 19, 2011)

In all the batt and rolled FG insulation I've ever installed, I honestly can't ever remember smelling anything like that. I've smelled the tar odor when it's left in the sun, as stated, and a musty/damp odor if it gets wet, but that's about it. Otherwise it just smells like good ol construction materials to me. 

You wanna talk smells, talk about pre-cut particle board 'furniture' and cheap carpet...those have a certain stank to em. Yuck.


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## ryansdiydad (Aug 16, 2015)

Greg lets just agree that you are wrong. But thanks. 

They do smell. I bought them and smelled them and read the press release and the articles. They smell exactly the way Owens Corning says they might. You apparently are deciding not to pay any attention to what the manufacturer says. Or maybe you don't have a good sense of smell. Or you just like to be a contrarian. 

There is no question that they have an interesting scent. The question is if that scent is bothersome. After opening them up the smell dissipates and isn't really an issue it sorta smells good when it isn't so strong. It smells like slightly over baked caramel brownies or something.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Again, unless you are really hypersensitive to smells. The rest like myself have never smelled any unusual smell from that brand of batts.

There really was no need for the first part of your post.

I love the smell of fresh lumber, Same with new carpet and vinyl flooring. I also have hung up quite a few batts of insulation and spend a lot of time in that aisle when picking up building supplies for my house or checking prices.

Not once have I ever smelled anything you state that you can smell.

Leaving them outside where they can get damp from the outside humidity, critters can use them for their bathroom. Then yes they will tend to get funky smelling.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Also there were no press articles or statements from the mfg you linked. All you linked was posts from the same type of people who state that their paint has a really terrible odor.

Remember that everyone has different sensitivity of smell than someone else. Mine is good enough to know when I can pick up certain odors that others do not.

I have to go on Friday to pick up some stuff. Just to appease you. I will go shove my nose into a bail or two of Kraft faced batts.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Its the spider eggs that are causing that smell! Just kidding obviously. But on a serious
note a few years back while doing a whole house remodel I had the entire house bombed to the hilt dealing with wood worm infestations and carpenter ants. Not a living critter in the house for months until I brought in the insulation. Suddenly, spiders every where! 
Regarding the smell, not to worry it goes away in short order. :wink2:


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## Dan in pa (Nov 16, 2015)

Dear Yoda man. Please ignore Greg. I do think he is contrarian. 
I purchased owens corning eco touch insulation to install in unfinished area of basememt. In 2014. I installed 1 of 3 bags. Figuring the basement gad smells I disregarded any smell until my wife made me empty all contents out into the yard until the burnt smell went away. 
To complicate, the room had been a coal bin and I figured maybe there was a residual smell from that even though I pressure washed all walls and floor and painted with super sealing shellac paint.
I finally took a smell of the insulation bags and sure enough a strange smell. After researching i came across articles detailing the issue of smell with a certian run in production of rhe owens corning eco touch insulation. I then ripped out the insulation and removed all bags from the basement . Smell is gone.
Now I will hope owens corning will offer replacement.

I saw you post and signed up just to reply in solidarity. I did also read the articles and was helped so maybe this helps someone else.

This really fooled me for a while given it was a basement and a previous coal bin, but as I said great measures were taken to clean.

In the end with the insulation removes all smells fine. Well it still smells like a basement, but not one that I just burnt something in.

Dan


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## Dan in pa (Nov 16, 2015)

Sorry.
Meant to say previous message to ryan.....


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