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There is one room in my house that smells strongly of (what I think of as) fiberglass. Others have told me that fiberglass does not smell, unless it is dirty / wet / etc. They may be right, I do not know for sure.

At first I was sure it was coming from the HVAC. After totally sealing off (with HVAC metal tape) both supply ducts and the lone return duct, I can rule that out.

I am not 100% positive, but I think there is a correlation between the level of humidity / raining outside, and the smell in this room. I am wondering if there is water getting behind the aluminum siding, and into the wall.

Of course, I (so far) can't see anything on the walls.

Is there any option for me to verify this theory that doesn't involve ripping all the drywall out?

Alternatively, do you have any theories about the potential source of this smell? I've recently (last December) had the carpet replaced; I also had the attic "air sealed," and had them remove all of the fiberglass (a fair amount of it was dirty / gross due to the former owner not dealing with attic humidity) and replace it with blown in cellulose. (It worked great and I'm really happy with the results, but sadly, that was seemingly not the source of the fiberglass smell.)

(I care about this "smell" so much because it's my daughters nursery. We have had to stop using the room, because any time we sleep in there we wake up with nasty respiratory issues.)

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Edit: this smell REALLY reminds me of the times I have had to deal with mouse infested fiberglass. I had also been hearing scratching noises from the south facing wall, which leads up to that bedroom. The garage is underneath the wall in question, so I went to look. There is a steel beam running parallel to the wall above, but there is a gap between the wood and the beam large enough for mice to fit through. There is a lot of mouse debris in this area.

I pulled out the thermal camera and found some interesting hot/cold spots. I imagine the cold spots being where mice ripped up insulation, and the hot spots being where they are nesting.

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So, I'm going to set up some mouse traps and see what happens.

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    Any way of getting under the floor(basement) and see if any stains that look like they are coming from where the wall is? Water likes to go downwards.
    – crip659
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 0:19
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    Fibreglass alone doesn't smell of anything - it's glass. Damp & mould that grow within it is a different matter entirely.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 9:49
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    @crip659 I failed to mention this room is on the second floor. I see no indication of water in the room below, nor is there any smell.
    – negacao
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 11:43
  • @Tetsujin that sounds reasonable. :(
    – negacao
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 11:43
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    Do to the fact the smell is causing problems, it probably best to carefully remove some of the drywall and check behind(don't rip it down). If cut carefully by the studs, you will find you can re use it if no problem behind it. Wear mask and gloves when checking and if anything is found, should have it tested(especially if it is black).
    – crip659
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 12:26

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Drill a large enough hole every so often to inspect behind the drywall.

I would start low down.

Also start on the most likely wall.

Do it neatly in case you have to refill - screw a batten behind the hole to hold the plug you removed - less filling.

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  • So if the fiberglass is wet, I should probably see evidence of mold or something on the back of the drywall, right? I do have an endoscope type camera, but I imagine I probably need to drill at least two holes (bottom and top) between each wall joist.
    – negacao
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 12:15
  • A sort of follow up question: assuming the drywall is structurally intact, does it seem reasonable that a smell could get through the drywall at all / so quickly? The strength of the smell is totally dependent on the warmth/wetness outside. Yesterday it was warm and wet, and the smell was strong. Today it is cold and snowing, and the smell is very weak.
    – negacao
    Commented Mar 26, 2022 at 12:16

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