Re: Re:Smokey smell in my attic /and Bob's story

[Guest guest]

hmmm, very interesting. Learned something new again.

[] Re:Smokey smell in my attic /and " Bob's story "

Barb,

I can't remember if I posted this before but the insect screens on many

newer windows off-gas a chemical smell that can drive some folks crazy. The

odor is worst on windows with the screen at the inside of the window, but

the house can even smell if the screen is at the outside. The smell can be

very intermittent as it only appears when the screen is in the sun and not

all insect screens smell. Only ones that are fiberglass produce the odor,

not metal screens and not even all fiberglass screens.

All fiberglass screening was produced by the same manufacturer in TN, so

window screens, sliders and skylights can all have the odor.

You can check a screen by heating it gently with a hair dryer and sniffing

the warm plactic screen.

The odor is deninitely chemical, not musty; smells somewhat like Ed Pinaud's

hair stuff. The odor emitted from one skylight can make an entire room

unpleasant to be in and the problem is solved immediately by removing the

screen. To reuse the screen, just have the fiberglass mesh replaced with

aluminum mesh.

A true smoke odor in an attic could come from an unlined chimney in an

80+year-old home where the chimney mortar is stained and deteriorated.

C. May, M.A., CIAQP

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

1522 Cambridge Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-354-1055

www.mayindoorair.com

www.myhouseiskillingme.com

9. Smokey smell in my attic /and " Bob's story "

Posted by: " barb1283 " barb1283@... barb1283

Date: Tue Jun 5, 2007 7:11 pm ((PDT))

I was reading through the Files here and noticed the saved files

regarding Bob, who died a year ago last January, and it strikes me

that he described smell in his trailor as 'smokey' since that is

what my house smells like now in summer. That is smell I am

describing when I say my house smells like an attic during the

summer, which drove me out of my house last summer on Sept 7th to be

exact. Bob's message I note was dated August of 2005 so about same

time of year.

I saw one moldy beam in my attic just sticking my head up there when

someone else was up there looking around. I thought it might have

been mold and asked roofer who was there and he said no, it

was 'soot'. However what was soot doing up in attic no where near

where chimney goes through attic. Then I had remediator guy up

there a couple weeks ago to give me an estimate to remove some

insulation and for a change said he saw mold. The only reason he

was in attic is that I decided to pull all of old insulation out of

attic in put in new since smell I get in house in summertime appears

to be coming from attic. So decided since smell seemed to be coming

from attic, to take out all insulation, put in new and seal attic

off from house, as something someone in another group suggested to

me. Instead of asking a handy man or insulation guy to do it, out

of a preponderance of caution I contacted a mold, asbestos and lead

remediator to give me a bid to take it out and once up there he

mentioned seeing a moldy beam. This after YEARS of having people

come to my house and assuring me everything is okay, there is no

indoor air q problems in my house and consequently my staying in

house from 2004-2006...period I have been trying to figure this all

out.

He wasn't up there to inspect it himself. Noone I had to house to

consult about the indoor air quality ever went up there to look or

suggested it, it is just something I decided to do despite noone

finding anything, including one guy who teaches " mold remediation "

here in Cincinnati to mold remediators...geez!

I don't think 'smokey' is normal smell of mold so I wonder, since

attic gets so very hot in summer of temperatures gets well over 100

if smokey smell is of 'burning mold'??? If so, mold may get up

there from humidity condensing out of air on cold attic walls, and

THEN summer getting dried up and burned really by extremely hot

attic, then dragging the 'fumes' of burning mold down into house.

If heat is killing mold up there, then there would be LOTS of

mycotoxins being put off, right?, since mold puts mycos out when

they are stressed, correct???? So smokey smell I have in house now

could be burning mold and mycotoxins being dragged down into house

from attic. At least that is what I am thinking now.

In Bob's story he recounts how he doesn't have energy to go some

place else, he's so tired and I felt the same way, I was 'sofa

bound' really. It was only due to way I was feeling, I did a mold

plate from Dr Rae's office and count came back really high even

though normally it didn't (in other seasons), that I went charging

out of my house finally.

In Bob's trailer I note his problem was in August also. Although no

attic, perhaps under side of trailor would get hot if a/c or other

equipment or motors are down there...don't know.

So, I'm probably not going in my house until after the summer is

over. Bummer. I really want to get it fixed and move on with my

life, either back into my house or on to apartment. Seems this

thing just keep dragging on..especially I feel because inspectors

don't look that hard for it!!! I've told people house smells in

summer and I told that to recent guy who claims to be area

instructor and expert. Oh well. I always have to do everything

myself...! People say call an expert but my experience hasn't been

so hot. There are a few people who come across for you but not many.