New Fiberglass Smell ?

[John Cole]

Helo , Iam a new member & a previous owner of a 13' Scamp trailer when purchased new back in the mid 70's costing a whopping new price of $1995. delivered to my home in upstate N.Y. We still have found memories of that trailer but not that awful smell that never went away even after using it for 3 Yrs before it went to a new home. Now with both my wife & I now retired Iam thinking about calling Scamp(today) & ordering a new 16 foot but my wife is not on board because she is worried about that smell. New owners of a Scamp, could you pls advise us if that problem still exist ? Thanks, John & Gwen

[john warren]

after a short time of use most of the odor leaves and is replaced by the smell of delicious coffee and waffles and other stuff you cook, plus soaps and cleaners and (old mens feet) my wife made me put that in there.....

[Francesca Knowles]

That "new fiberglass smell" is/was more likely the smell of all the adhesives/particle board/synthetic carpeting used in finishing the interior.

Fiberglass cures/outgasses very quickly, and after that has no odor unless you're cutting it with a power tool. In that case, the dust (if one's casual enough not to wear a mask) has a sweetish smell.

Francesca

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

.... the dust (if one's casual enough not to wear a mask) has a sweetish smell.

Francesca

Oh, so that is what Swedes smell like.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by John Cole

...but not that awful smell that never went away even after using it for 3 Yrs before it went to a new home.

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

That "new fiberglass smell" is/was more likely the smell of all the adhesives/particle board/synthetic carpeting used in finishing the interior.

The formaldehyde adhesives common in the 1970s were notorious for bad VOC out-gassing but I believe the formulas are different today. You might write Scamp and ask just what Volatile Organic Compounds are in the interior finishes. Ask for their MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) documentation.

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

Not unlike the smells of a new car. My wife complained for about a month after we purchased our trailer. It didn't seem to bother me, but being a vintage sports car buff, I guess I'm more used to chemical and petroleum derived smells.
She hung a cloth bag of cherry pipe tobacco and aired it out at every opportunity. The smell disappeared after a month or two.
She does the same with a new car as well.

[Donna D.]

Hi John, to FiberglassRV... we're glad you're here.

The smell of anything new, whether a sticks and bricks home, or trailer or car, or... depends on how sensitive one's nose is. We have several members that have absolute allergies to those odors. However, everything outgasses and you can help that along by opening all the windows, vents and get the air inside moving with fans. How long it takes to remove that "smell" depends on YOUR nose. Some can get rid of the odor in a few days/weeks, others it takes longer.

But, even new it HAS to smell bette than old men's stinky feet!

[Darwin Maring]

Out-gassing: That is what happened to all those new trailers that FEMA provided to the New Orleans hurricane victims. The Formaldehyde out gassed and caused medical problems and of course FEMA got the blame, not the manufactures of the units.

That darn FEMA trying to put a roof over their heads.

[rabbit]

Styrene ain't good for you! But it's not the ONLY thing in the world that will eat your liver.

jack

[FTTRV]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Styrene ain't good for you! But it's not the ONLY thing in the world that will eat your liver.

jack

I would think rat fur would have out gassing from the glue and fabric.
Chuck

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by FTTRV

I would think rat fur would have out gassing from the glue and fabric.
Chuck

That probably depends on what the rats had been eating and tanning method.