We had to be on respirators, carbon for VOC as well as particulate, in the Pella plant. Go figure...chemicals off gas.

Windows on Washington Ltd Pella plant? Really? Was the mask painted over so you could not see? Or was the respirator for when you saw the quality control (or lack there of)...........................

haha!!

Maybe both.

I too installed 11 Infinity Marvin windows this past August and the odor is terrible. I've tried an air purifier, placed vinegar, which is an odor absorbent, around the house, baking soda...and nothing other than leaving windows open, works. It is now October and getting cold....this is just awful!

Kim...any response from Marvin?

They said they really don't get complaints about odors and that it is not harmful. I got sick it was so bad and I told them so. They asked me to keep in touch so I e-mail them every few weeks to give updates......It's been 2 months so I'll give it another month or 2, but it sounds to me that the only thing left to do is to replace the windows! I certainly cannot afford to do that....I'll post again here in a few months.

kim_scavo I complained to Marvin customer service about the smell from their ABS plastic / fiberglass windows. I was told the exact same thing they told you -- not harmful, never get complaints, you must be extra sensitive, blah blah blah. There were other problems with my Marvin windows, so the company I bought them through is replacing the windows with Milgard and only charging me for the upgrade to casement from double hung. The change out should be completed in a couple weeks. Will let you know if those smell. Biggest difference will be no ABS plastic with the Milgard fiberglass windows.

I had a Marvin Integrity sliding glass door installed in my 1000 sq ft condo a month ago. A horrid odor continues to permeate my home. I open the door and windows to ventilate but as soon as they’re closed its as strong as ever. All i get from the installer and Marvin is that it takes time. My nose is irritated. My throat is irritated. I dont know what to do!

Ask the installer exactly what flashing tape was used. It could be the slider but it might be the bitumen flashing tape that is smelling like oil or petroleum. Get your hands on a some of each of exactly the products were used for the installation and put each in a separate glass jar. Then when you open the jar you'll know if that is matching the smell. If those installation products are not the problem, then it could be the Ultrex itself which does have a smell. If so, I do not think it ever improves and replacing the door with a different brand is an answer. But if it is the flashing tape part or something else used, then you might get the installer to take it out and change the tape to a different kind and reinstall the same door. Or perhaps it could be a terrible smelling caulking or low expansion foam or some other product. Insist on seeing the label of every product used in the installation (look at the MSDS and cure times) to try to find out what is going on and then once you are sure of the source of it, you will have to deal with it. Installer should be able to send you pictures of their installation products. In the mean time, perhaps get pallet wrap (huge saran wrap rolls) and seal up the area with that to try to cut down on the smell by taping the pallet wrap plastic to the wall or sheetrock to cover the whole thing up. If you can get your hands on a sample of the Ultrex you could jar test that, too, to try to identify the specific odor. Running a carbon filter air purifier might be helpful. I'm just a mom, not a professional at all, so these are just my ideas.

I had 8 Marvin Integrity windows installed in April 2020. Four months later, still smell although it is getting less. I've contacted the installer many times, they have come out to check twice, then drop it. I called Marvin yesterday got the same canned answer (we don't hear about this complaint, you must be super sensitive but don't worry any chemical smell is not toxic), that is clearly a lie. I also tried to research which window was less toxic (and within my budget). I have Anderson Renewal windows in my basement, never smelled at all. I've been thinking that what Marvin says is non-toxic is the window frames, not the sliders, caulking, or any parts used for installation--spray foam anyone? Seems like greenwashing to me. Akin to vinyl plank flooring that is so popular and off gasses like crazy (whether you can smell it or not).

Maybe that rep hasn't heard that complaint, but that doesn't mean it isn't out there.

We had half our house done 2 months ago and we still can not go into those rooms due to the odor. The smell is terrible. It’s a toxic smell coming from inside the window housing. So the window stinks with it removed from the frame. It came from the manufacturer like this. They all stink. My whole family is displaced because of these windows. The only good thing is we only did half the house. Marvin windows have got to go. Very expensive windows for this hassle. Anything would have been better than these.

HU-120189059 Which Marvin windows (which line)? I'm not going to defend Marvin windows, but I've found that depending on the brand of peel and press flexible flashing, some smell outrageous, while others have no odor at all. Also, if they used spray insulating foam (expanding foam), sometimes that has an odor that takes time to go away. Sorry you and your family are going through this. I'm no pro/expert. I'm just someone who bought Marvin Essential windows and had a few surprises and disappointments with them, smell was one of them. It did go away, and I decided not to change the windows out with another brand.

They are integrity brand windows. Tomorrow I am pulling the windows and boarding up the holes. Our installer wants to replace them. I am wondering if a different line from Marvin would work.

And what have they offered to do? I cannot imagine that you are on the hook for this? Have you contacted anyone to do some air sampling? I would do that and get some recorded data prior to you being on the hook for the full replacement.

How was the installation done? Its very likely that no flashing tape was used and if there was, it should have been Butyl based and not asphaltic. Butyl based flashing has very little VOC potential or reactivity to it. Part and parcel to the reason that window manufacturers have move to it vs. the older, asphalt based tapes.

With regards to the foams, very unlikely to be the cause. Window and Door foams are 1 part foams and all of the reaction process to make the foam has been completed. The foam has not yet cured at this point, but as a single part product, there is very little going on from a chemical process and these mixtures are very finitely controlled and precise.

This is not a case where a foam insulation project (i.e. mixing on site) can go off the rails very quickly because of poor installer details and reactor controls.

One month later up date:

No change on the smell. However, we isolated the odor to inside the window itself by removing the glass and smelling inside. It is very likely an uncured epoxy. It smells like part A of 2 part epoxy. Marvin says they need to fly out a person to verify that the window smell. It smells so bad it makes your eyes water. While we wait for somebody to suposedly show up, we have lost 1/3 of our house for three months now. We are very thankful we did not do the entire house. Marvin does not trust our installer’s nose, I guess. Marvin is a terrible company. They do not back their product. I would get windows elsewhere if you are shopping around. We will be getting a lawyer if we don’t get a response from Marvin soon.

They used to be a very good company. Paul Marvin was going to "overhaul" the Marvin customer experience: https://chiefexecutive.net/all-in-a-family-marvin-windows-ceo-paul-marvin-moves-the-clan-forward/ . I don't see that working out too well. The customer service person I dealt with was rude and snippy and seemed to know nothing about the product. She would tell me she only works for Marvin part time and has another job she has to get to and then abruptly end our call. I would wait forever for her to get back to me with answers. In fact, I'm still waiting for some. Marvin also doesn't seem to train their dealers very well -- I was given lots of information that later turned out to not be factual. Hope it all works out for you. Windows have become such a complicated purchase that you almost need a course in window buying before you embark on it.

That is a shame to see that article. Clearly Paul Marvin knew there was a customer service problem prior to deciding to improve it. Marvin does not care what our dealer says. If we remove the windows the warranty is void until a Marvin rep travels to our house personally. Why have dealers if you can not trust them on the most basic things?

Update on Marvin smell: After six months of waiting for the Marvin window smell to go away, I gave up. It is as bad as the first day. We have a 5 bedroom house with only 2 rooms usable because we put new windows in 3 rooms. These rooms smelled horrendous. Everyone that came to our house was appalled by the smell. It's not that we are sensitive. You could smell it down the hallway with all the doors closed. We abandoned the entire floor that was updated.

I just removed all Marvin glass. The smell is coming from inside the window frames. Just pull the Sliding window out and smell inside the rollers. The fixed windows also smell the same as the sashes. Marvin did send us new Sashes for all the windows after we complained. These new ones smelled as bad as the first. Luckily I kept all my old glass. I was able to remove all Marvin windows and put back in my old windows in a temporary way. My house was odor free the moment the last pane was taken outside, although some curtains may be ruined with the odor.

We paid 20,000 dollars for windows that are going to the dump and we lost over half of our house for 6 months. I still need real windows, but we are so relieved to have the Marvin's out. I would avoid Marvin at all costs. There is no way to get the smell out. It is the adhesive they used to seal the glass.

Sorry to hear of this. What a terrible Easter Weekend update for you.

"Seal the glass"? Are you referring to the secondary seal around the edge of the glass? If so, that is usually a PIB (Polyisobutene) rubber. Pretty much the standard in the IGU industry and a very well tested and vetted substrate. I wonder if that smell that you mentioned previously, inside the window (maybe it wasn't you but it was mentioned above) with the fiberglass hasn't leached and attached itself to the rubber in some way. Butyl based rubber products, PIB being in that family of products, are used in all types of stuff these days with basically zero complaints.

This is where the smell is from. On the fixed glass, it is from the drill holes. There is no odor from the framing to the house.

These smell the same as they did 6 months ago.

That is an interstitial space that is not normally vented. You aren't likely smelling the secondary seal on the glass, but the trapped and contained off-gassing from the pultrusion of the fiberglass.

It is coming from inside for certain. the outside has no smell.

It is from the pultrusion and this is not an ABS plastic or glass issue. The pultrusion, or adhesives used to bond the components is off gassing. Sadly...still.

I had Marvin Infinity Evereood sliding glass doors installed over 3 months ago, and the smell is really bothering me. The dealer says thst ir will dissipate eventually. The Marvin customer service person said to wait 3 more months and let him know if it is still a problem, and they might repl them. They both said that they very rarely get this smell complaint. I wish that I knew what part it’s coming from, if it’s harmful, and if it will ever really go away. I am planning on buying an air cleaner, but I’m not confident that that will help. I’ve read this discussion, but would like to know if anyone has had the smell dissipate

I removed my stinky marvin windows and installed my old ones. the marvins are stacked in the back yard and still stink like the first day. Its been several months. We now need real windows soon. Marvin says they never heard of this problem. the only solution is full replacement with a different brand. Both the slider and the fixed window stinks. Good luck, it will still stink in 3 months.

They've never "heard" of it mean only that they are saying that they can't hear the smell. This topic has been discussed no fewer than a dozen or so times on here so I can only imagine what that translates to in terms of real world incidents.

I have figured out that the VOC off gassing is coming from the fiberglass. It is very strong where the latch comes out of the frame, and the holes drilled for the handle (when I had them removed to paint the frames). It gives me headaches. I have an air quality monitor that puts the chemicals in the warning range even when the windows are slightly open. Does anyone know what chemical I’m breathing?

Are you sure it is not the epoxy from the window seal inside? I took my windows out due to the health hazard of the smell. They are stacked in my yard. I have $20K in stinky windows stacked in my yard. I can cut one open to know where the smell is from for sure. Marvin will never let you know what you are breathing.

How can you isolate that the smell is from the epoxy vs. the pultrusion interiors?

This is an intersting thread that seems to have a life of it’s own. Fiberglass and epoxies are commonly used in the industry but Marvin seems to come up only in complaints. How long were the windows installled before you put them i the scrap pile? I mainly install vinyl windows and any compalints oder come from the sealants I use on the exterior. These compaints are few and go away sfter a week’s time.

Our windows were installed for 5 months. They are piled up and still stink now. Its been a year. The smell is from the inside. I'm hoping they will eventually stop and I'll build a sunroom with them or something. This is why I have not cut one in half. It really doesn't matter where the odor originates. I've installed two different brands of windows and never had an issue. It is Marvin that needs to be avoided.

I've heard similar issues with Pella and any of the fiberglass manufacturers for that matter. If you have been around fiberglass at all, you realize this potential exists for an incomplete or delayed reaction/off gassing from the substrate. Appears to me that Marvin's attorneys have created response guidelines for customer service as they will never acknowledge these basic chemistry happenings.

When you talk to folks about chemicals and what products they think are green...you realize how poorly informed many folks are. Not a commentary on anyone posting in this thread, just observation.

The other two window types I installed were likely vinyl. So you could be correct about fiberglass.

Update on my Marvin sliding glass doors- The company offered to replace the fiberglass doors with wooden ones. The guys told me that the smell is probably with a sealant that they use, and that the sealant is also used in the wooden doors. I was so hoping these wooden doors would be better, that maybe it was the fiberglass. I have just gotten the new doors installed, and am still dealing with the smell, and it gives me a headache. I guess it is the sealant. I am going to try to find out what is in their sealant.

You must switch brands. My marvin windows have been pulled out and have been ouside stacked in the sun and they still smell. it’s been over a year now.

These are my Marvin windows, installed 15 months ago, removed 12 months ago. They still stink after a year of being open and exposed in the sun. 20,000 dollars sitting in the wood pile. Marvin refuses to admit that there is a problem. The smell mist be the adhesive because it is coming from inside.

Thanks. I have yet to call Marvin to find out what sealant they use, so that I can narrow down which chemical might be off gassing. I have air quality monitors measuring high VOCs, and have bought a system to help me find out the specific chemical. It’s really hard to believe that many other people are not having this problem, and that they have not changed their sealant to one that has low VOCs. It will be a huge problem and cost thousands to get these sliding glass doors replaced.

I can cut a window apart to see for sure if that is useful.

Should be able to just remove a lock or a glazing bead. If the smell is from the adhesive, it will permeate through the pultrusions.

I will cut one apart this Sunday or Monday. I seriously doubt Marvin will do anything still. The only way to identify the VOC is to do chemical analysis. I will post pictures of the inside of the frame and we can see if it is worth paying for a lab. I pulled the windows out of my house and rigged in the old ones because of the obvious health concern of 24/7 exposure.

I’ll cut one apart this Sunday or Monday. We will solve this. It may require a chemical Analysis from a lab.

https://lcslaboratory.com/air-testing/industrial-hygiene/air-sampling-of-volatile-organic-compounds/

Where did you buy from?

Marvin sells through contractor companies. It makes no difference because the contractor wanted to fix it but Marvin refused. Apparently every window option they have off gas for a very long time.

@HU-120189059

I was asking which company was used specifically.

These windows are not high end poltruded fiberglass. marvin is ultrex composite and anderson fibrex is a mix of sawdust and thermoplastic. combining wood on the inside sounds like a bad idea

look for real closed frame fiberglass like Enerlux

HU-178502340 Wow. It's truly "buyer beware" when buying windows. I had no idea there were different types of fiberglass. I'm wondering what the Andersen fiberglass (not fibrex) is. They advertise their fiberglass windows as their most energy-efficient model, even more so than the fibrex.

@BlueBlob Gaming and @dottt1 together....a match made in heaven.