jfs999
Stafford Va
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Here is a link to a interesting story just out about FEMA trailers.
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MIXONPHOTO
Tioga, La. USA
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Joined: 12/14/2004
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When we bought out trailer in the summer of 2004, this brand new unit was miserable to be in; one thing it was hot and the vapors were to the extreme because of the heat. While at the dealer looking at different trailers, we would go in for a quick look, come out for a breathe of fresh air and go back in. On our first few trips it was fumey when it was hot but after setting up, corning on the a/c every thing was fine in about a half an hour. Now after 3 1/2 years later, its only fumey after sitting unused for awhile.
My point; isn't this FEMA thing a lot to do about nothing, should these trailer be aired out by now?
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crashpilot
Green River, WY
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I'm sick of paying for that storm. Now I'm going to have to pay for all the drooling slip and fall lawyers and thier pending law suits. Those blood suckers haven't been drooling like this since asbestos.
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ecrone
Southeast, Mass
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We are ordering our first travel trailer and it will be here in 8 weeks. I saw this story today too and was a bit concerned about it. With 4 small kids, I have to worry - by law. From what I have read (today), it seems that the fumes can be taken care of by ventilating the trailer and using fans. Does that pretty much cover it?
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jay2003
San Joaquin Valley, California
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Every time I see these threads and hear the news reports I can't help but wonder where the chemical is really coming from. In another post someone mentioned inferior build materials and short building schedules to supply the trailers. I've never seen building materials for a trailer that would contain these chemicals so what gives? My guess is that some of these trailers were in storage with FEMA long before the were used down south and that the chemical concerns came from the way FEMA stored them and not from anything the manufacture did when building them. FH is commonly used to keep bugs and stuff from invading storage buildings and such and it also at one time was a common storage tank chemical. Many RV'ers have since moved away from FH based tank chemicals though.
Those purchasing new trailers from reputable dealers shouldn't have to worry about FH or other chemicals in their trailers. Thousands of us have purchased trailers over the years and have not had any issues other than the couple days to air out that "new trailer" smell. Nothing worse that the "new car" smell that airs out in a few days as well.
Anyway just my 2 cents.
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dodge guy
Chicago, western subs.
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The fumes come from the mix of materials and glues/adhesives! they go away in awhile. all this is, is more people complaining about something they got for free. our trailer had the fumes for the summer and that was only after it had sat closed up. if you vent them somewhat the smell goes away. now that it is a year old it never has any odor!
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rvdogette
SW Louisiana
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The article I read says that the fumes in some of these trailers are much much higher than what would be expected in a typical TT. The theory is that the demand for so many TT, so quickly, caused the manufacturers to outsource some of the materials to inferior companies(for lack of a better word). The materials used had much higher levels of formaldehyde. It is not FEMA's fault, they didn't manufacture these TT's. I commend them for trying to help thousands of people who lost their homes to these 2 hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
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MI Director
Michigan
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I don't think it has anything to do with the people who had to live in them but the poor material and workmanship by the manufactures. The fumes are still at an unsafe level over 2 years later. When we go to look at RVs if I can smell it in the door way I don't go in. If you read up on formaldehyde it is a real health issue for a lot of people and children. My feeling is these manufactures owe the government a refund on the junk they made for FEMA because they have know for years the dangers of formaldehyde in material but chose to ignore it all in the name of bigger profits. When a dealer says it just needs to air out, I believe them as much as I believe a salesmen.
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funkoptimus
Rochester, MN
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First off it really erks me when I hear people say "AIR IT OUT". I can from a eye witness account that these trailers are as bad as they say. I work at a hospital in Minnesota that 3 times has sent staff to help with health care needs in New Orleans and Mississippi and I was one to go on a trip(second) and got to witness these trailers. Many are without the same windows we all have in our rigs. They don't have slides, many don't have the multiple vents. They remind you of an RV version of construction company trailers. What I am getting at is they can air them out but they have less windows less vents and another kicker is due to that they have more areas that have glue and other materials that are out gassing. I also had a 2006' Keystone Springdale that outgassed so bad that I got rid of it late last summer. We had to open the windows and turn on the vents to get clean air in it before we could go in as out eyes watered terrible.
This is after a season of using the furnace and two summers.
We decided we would consider smells even the new trailer scent before we picked out its replacement. We got a Keystone Hornet and we never had a problem with the same out gassing. Was it do to the year and build specs?? Was it due to the fact it was the cheapest of our TT's we owned, probably. Don't know but I am glad we got rid of the smelly one.
But really gets me pi$$ed is that they don't have a Federal guideline on formaldehyde in RV's. They have them for homes and maybe auto's as I have never had the gassing problems in my friends Class C's that he bought.
My point is that there is and was problems with these fumes and they don't need to be a problem if the company's wouldn't stick to the consumer. I have seen them in the FEMA trailers I was in (two of them) and we had one TT out 4 that we have owned that was terrible to the point that we got rid of it. We tried cooking it out, ran the furnace at max for 6 hours on a hot June day and then aired it out for 3 days. It helped till we had to close it up again.
If you don't think this is a problem in some(not all) RV's than I guess you don't mind playing with quicksilver(mercury)or bother wearing your seatbelt as you are safer being tossed out of the vehicle.
Should the people that used the FEMA TT's sue......maybe but not anymore than the consumers should.
Sorry for being so animated but it hits a soft spot.
Jamie(the Funkster), Amanda, DD, and Mojo the camp' hound.
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funkoptimus
Rochester, MN
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MI Director wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the people who had to live in them but the poor material and workmanship by the manufactures. The fumes are still at an unsafe level over 2 years later. When we go to look at RVs if I can smell it in the door way I don't go in. If you read up on formaldehyde it is a real health issue for a lot of people and children. My feeling is these manufactures owe the government a refund on the junk they made for FEMA because they have know for years the dangers of formaldehyde in material but chose to ignore it all in the name of bigger profits. When a dealer says it just needs to air out, I believe them as much as I believe a salesmen.
well put and I agree 100%. The government should have better regulations(now I am sounding like a liberal) in the RV industry and they should go after the manufacturers for a refund.
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