# Recycled certainteed fiberglas insulation stinks



## Fonz777 (Mar 7, 2012)

We just insulated a kitchen with R13 Certainteed unfaced fiberglass and at first didn't know where the sickening smell was coming from. Then we noticed the "made from recycled materials" on the bag and got a closer whiff and...bingo!

This is the sorriest looking stuff I have ever seen - it has dark dirty streaks. I'm not sure I'd want to know what this was recycled from - but a bigger question is whether the smell will dissipate. 

Has anybody had success with the smell going away?


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

Call the company. I understand some newer fg is "brownish" to differentiate it from the older stuff, and is of no harm. "Recycled" probably means the glass used in it. If you have to take it out, replace it with better insulation, like rock wool, IMO.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

i know the product, the smell is nothing harmful and it will go away

as for rockwool, thats for fire and sound, if your insulating a partition wall and trying to cut down on sound through the wall ok. but for keeping the heat in the house. use fibreglass


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

on the contrary. rock wool is a better insulator than fiberglass batts. fg batts are the worst material on the planet for insulating. they are not dense enough and nearly impossible to install perfectly. they are ok, but not good. search on greenbuildingadvisor.com, etc.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

Fonz777 said:


> We just insulated a kitchen with R13 Certainteed unfaced fiberglass and at first didn't know where the sickening smell was coming from. Then we noticed the "made from recycled materials" on the bag and got a closer whiff and...bingo!
> 
> This is the sorriest looking stuff I have ever seen - it has dark dirty streaks. I'm not sure I'd want to know what this was recycled from - but a bigger question is whether the smell will dissipate.
> 
> Has anybody had success with the smell going away?


The recycled it is glass from their saint Gobain bottle plants were they can't use the glass. also old house windows. beer bottles etc. The smell is off gassing of Formaldehyde. It will dissipate over time. I prefer John Mansfield or Owens corning.


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## canoes (Sep 30, 2011)

The contractor used Certainteed in my basement and I thought I'd have to leave the house that night due to my eyes and throat burning. It was stamped all over saying it was approved for use in schools, etc but I sure wouldn't want to have any kids around it. 

The irritation did go away in 24-48 hours and I couldn't smell it at all after a couple days..

BTW, I sent the company an email. Never got a response. I'd love to contact the federal agency involved, but don't know which approves it. I'm in no way an environmental activist, but am retired from health care and common sense says anything that irritating can't be healthy.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Anything that is off gassing like that should be avoided like the plague.

Just because the smell is gone, the volatiles are not.


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