Headache in Trailer

[wiredgeorge]

Worth looking over:
https://rv.org/blogs/news/formaldehy...to-your-health

[Hballer21]

Ozone generator. Cheap and effective. That’s what the hotels use when there’s a smoker or some other nefarious odor producer in a room. Quite effective and not very costly.

[Evanardell]

Update:
Pullled all bedding/cushions etc out and have been working on applying clear shellac to all the unsealed wood. The main "smell" I've pinned down to the stain they put on all the cabinet doors.

Smell is improving, hopeful that some more airing out in combination with shellac will stop the smells. Then we're looking at new (latex) mattresses.

We will win this battle 💪

[Hballer21]

There should be a clear coat over the wood stain which would protect it from scratches and discoloration. It is usually some type of polyurethane. Surprised that it creates a smell.

[Evanardell]

Originally Posted by Hballer21

There should be a clear coat over the wood stain which would protect it from scratches and discoloration. It is usually some type of polyurethane. Surprised that it creates a smell.

The outside of the doors, yes but the inside of the doors is raw stain.

[sourdough]

Look those cabinets etc. over. When we received this one for whatever reason the 3 solid sides of the kitchen island had not been covered with poly. Not only would the stain come off on your hands/clothes, you could smell it. Covered the island with poly and remedied the problem. Funny thing was the front of the island with doors and drawers had all been done.

[rlh1957]

Originally Posted by Evanardell

Hello all,

Just purchased a 2019 Outback 210URS for our family. All is great with the trailer but my wife develops strong headaches whenever she is in it for an extended period. So its basically a lead weight till we can figure out what is causing it. My wife is very sensitive to fragrance or mold. I have zero issues in it.

So far we have ventilated the hell out of it, followed the "bake out" method twice and no success. I got a VOC/Formaldehyde air detector and the levels in the trailer are great.

Next step were going to do a mold test, but my gut tells me that's not the issue. Roof seems to be in good shape and even the wife doesn't think that's it. It was stored outdoors with the previous owner but only used a few times.

We might shellac some of the wood to seal in any VOCs from off gassing. Also noticed the bottom of the toilet leaks a bit so concerned about the black water fumes.

Other than that were basically at a loss right now. Wondering if anyone else has had similar issues.

Thanks!

The things that trigger allergies and reactions can be elusive.
Has she ever been claustrophobic?
Do the symptoms go away when she leaves the trailer?
Are any of the fabrics (curtains, valences, sofa,carpet, mattress, bed covers, etc. new or newly cleaned?
Are there any materials of any consistency that you are not accustomed to being around? Vinyl, polyester of certain types, cleaning or freshening chemicals, glue used in new carpet or flooring can can reaction in some people.
Good luck on tracking it down and condolences to your wife on her real pain and discomfort.

[Hballer21]

They cheaped out. We coat all cabinets inside and out with clear coat. Easy to clean, increased durability and NO SMELL. I hope your solution is effective.

[LI Guy]

Have you checked under the bedroom mattress as they will trap moisture which as we know can cause mold? Obviously the toilet issue needs to be resolved. Good luck

[Kzneft]

A few things to consider. If you have windows open or the main door open I have had times with the hot-water heater fumes would come into the main cabin. Although the carbon monoxide detector would trigger, I have learned to be aware of this. Depends on the direction of the wind that day. MY 2 cents.

[Evanardell]

Quick, hopefully final update. Over the last 2 months we sealed all of the cabinets with shellac and did a series of bake out/air out treatments and even got an ozone generator.

Shellac: probably the most noticeable change. Seems like the cabinet wood was generating a lot of the smell. Formaldehyde levels in the air went through the roof while doing this, but seemed to not come back nearly as fast once aired out.

Bake out: we got an air quality monitor. VOC went through the roof after 24 hours. We would air it out and do it again but feels like it is just going to continually leach out when it gets hot.

Ozone: a 2-3 hour treatment would completely wipe out the smell and drop levels to zero, but this doesn't seem to prevent the problem from coming back. Not sure we will do this again unless we need a quick fix before a trip.

We also upgraded the exhaust fan. We finally completed our first weekend trip and avoided any headache issues with the wife. The air quality stayed good so long as we had a window cracked at night and exhaust fan going. I'm sure it will come back on a hot day but it seems sealing things up and ventilating well while using it take care of most of the issues. Thanks for all the tips!