New TT off-gassing period?

[MookieKat]

How long does it take for a new TT to stop off-gassing? I have problems with the fumes from new trailers. It makes me feel ill.

[tbred]

Does anyone know if Mookiekat ever purchased a trailer? Seemed they posted here quite often and haven't seen anything in awhile.

[myredracer]

The most common source of off-gassing odors is from the glue used in plywood, OSB and furniture and cabinetry. It's in OSB or plywood in the subfloor and in luan plywood in walls, ceilings and cabinetry. If your TT has any of these, it will have some degree of formaldehyde off-gassing. A manufacturer may have fancy composite materials for some of the construction but the subfloor will still usually be OSB or plywood. Evergreen's ComposiTek is one exception I know of. Even if the floor has a layer of sheet flooring on it, there's still holes cut through it for piping, ductwork, etc. and gas will escape inside the TT. It can also be in materials like carpeting and bedding.

Formaldehyde is in a lot of things - paper products, cosmetics, permanent press and waterproof fabrics, household cleaners, paints & finishes, medicated creams and more. The gas is even produced by burning wood and gasoline and from tobacco smoking. So it may not be 100% the fault of your new RV.

Every new house built today has materials made that include formaldehyde. It will even be in some workplaces to some extent. It does eventually subside over time. You are more likely to notice the smell this time of year but in the camping season, you have windows and doors open a lot. It would help to open closets, cabinets, etc. to air out the dead space.

I don't think any deodorizer will neutralize the smell, just mask it. In fact, some deodorizers actually contain formaldehyde!

In Canada in the late 1970s, the gov't approved urea-formaldehyde foam spray-in insulation for exterior wall retro-fits. There was even a grant available. It was all the rage for a while until it was realized that off-gassing was a serious problem and then they banned it. Homeowners had to either rip off the entire exterior walls or the drywall on the inside and meticulously clean all the foam out. Contractors made a killing installing, then removing it.

Some interesting reading here:

off-gassing thread

ABC news story (2007)

ComposiTek

EPA info.

Chemical-free trailer

[Mom2Cats]

We were finally able to sleep in her last night- after a week of airing out. How silly are we? Two old farts having a slumber party in our driveway in the new camper. BTW, the TV works great even without cable or the antenna fully extended.;)

[journeyernow]

Yes...after Katrina, I believe that they had to reduce the number of toxic materials they use in the trailers.

[Slo-Ryde]

Probably would depend on materials used during manufacture and how long it sits closed up. My 2004 Open Road TT still puts off a noticeable smell after being stored for months. It clears up quickly with both of the roof vents running on high.

[Doug33]

When our 2006 KZ Jag was new, the gases were so bad they burned my eyes. Despite airing it out many times, the gases kept coming back for months, especially in the real warm months.

Our 2014 Keystone Bullet had negligible gases inside. It just basically smells new, like wood and plastic smells, but no burning of the eyes.

[Mom2Cats]

Thanks for all the good tips. Opening all the vents, windows and door is helping a lot. I can spend more time inside the trailer before I start feeling ill so I know the fumes are going away.

Was just reading through all our literature included with the trailer and it has a statement of formaldehyde which says ventilation should reduce levels. That certainly is good news a little late.

And to think when we went to the dealer we were looking for an Evergreen and he steered us to the Minnie.

[cacoon]

I put a bucket of clean water in trailer while it sat. The new car smell was gone after a couple days.
Cacoon

[atreis]

We left the vents open for about a week in hot weather to air ours out. That seemed to be sufficient for us. Different people have different levels of sensitivity though.

[LakeN]

Mr Biggles wrote:
We bought an Evergreen i-Go in April. There is no off-gassing smells. Both my wife and I have asthma. We have had no issues breathing while inside our i-Go,

Highly recommend Evergreen....we have a composite built Everlite that never had any smell issues. Very familiar with the off gassing as we had previously owned 3 new TTs. The unit truly is green and is not subject to delaminate. This was the big motivator for us; previously had too many experiences with delamination. The customer service at Evergreen is excellent! Due to the nature of RVs, there are always issues post purchase. I can't say enough about the communication, follow thru, customer support. Just this week I asked for a part number for gutter extensions...response was that they will mail them to us! We downsized a bit purchasing this unit just because it was available at dealership 1.5 hrs from home.
A caution on Jayco....you will read recommendations on them. I'm not familiar with their newer so called "green" products, but can tell you we had a horrendous experience with the Jayco headquarters after purchasing one of their new lemons! Our first experience with delam within 6 months of ownership. Be wary....units are majorly mass produced.
Good luck....know you ARE doing your homework & asking questions!

[westend]

Mom2Cats wrote:
Not sure if the odor is formaldehyde since I have several chemical sensitivities. Can't go down the laundry detergent row sometimes since I get so urpy and headachey. It might be something less harmful since my husband doesn't seem affected by it. It seems a little better today after more airing out.

It most likely isn't formaldehyde off-gassing. It is more likely to be thermoset plastic off-gassing. The more warm air you can introduce into the cabin, the quicker the material will become inert.
Your reaction in the soap aisle is probably a sympathetic reaction from the smell of detergent rather than an antagonist to your system. You could prove this to yourself by traveling down that same grocery aisle with a dust mask, scented with a strong odor (like perfume).

[Mom2Cats]

Not sure if the odor is formaldehyde since I have several chemical sensitivities. Can't go down the laundry detergent row sometimes since I get so urpy and headachey. It might be something less harmful since my husband doesn't seem affected by it. It seems a little better today after more airing out.

[thomasmnile]

Mom2Cats wrote:
Don't know if it's okay to re-open an old topic since I'm new here. 🙂

Just bought a new 2014 Minnie 21 ft TT and I'm having an awful time with the off-gassing but my husband doesn't even notice it. We were going to spend the night in it (in the driveway) but my headache and queasiness made it impossible. I'm going to follow some of the suggestions I've read here and hopefully the problem will go away.

Looking forward to lots of trips on our little escape pod so I hope this problem goes away quickly.

Mary Beth
Southwest Florida

The warmer the ambient temp inside the trailer, the "gassier" the interior will be. If you can leave windows cracked and roof vent open that will do much to help dissipate the odors. Only thing that helps is good ventilation and the passage of time. BTW: Does Winnebago use materials that contain formaldehyde in structural/finish materials/adhesive materials? Even petrochemical based materials will give off an odor when new. We had new carpet made from new/recyled polyester material installed in the bedroom of our stick n' brick. Took about a month for the odor to dissipate.

[Mom2Cats]

Don't know if it's okay to re-open an old topic since I'm new here. 🙂

Just bought a new 2014 Minnie 21 ft TT and I'm having an awful time with the off-gassing but my husband doesn't even notice it. We were going to spend the night in it (in the driveway) but my headache and queasiness made it impossible. I'm going to follow some of the suggestions I've read here and hopefully the problem will go away.

Looking forward to lots of trips on our little escape pod so I hope this problem goes away quickly.

Mary Beth
Southwest Florida