Naptha Petroleum In home solvent odor issue. Please help me. Thank you to all.

[Joseph3l]

Hi all, this probably wont be your average post. But i am severely struggling to get my head around this issue that has arised in my home. 

My plumber decided to seal my walls for my wet room renovation with a Bitumen liquid to keep damp away from the external brick wall coming in. The funny thing is, i never suffered from damp. He used a product designed for roofing inside my home. Safely to say, he has now left and no longer doing anymore work in my home. 

Consequently the product he has used contains Bitumen and is white spirit based. The ingredients are BITUMEN (WHEN IN SOLVENT SOLUTION) (95% carbon and hydrogen (± 87% carbon and ± 8% hydrogen) 50-70% EINECS: 265-196-4 CAS: 64742-93-4 [Xn] R40; [-] R10 • WHITE SPIRITS, NAPTHA (PETROLEUM) containing NAPTHA (gasoline (octane) and (kerosene, (Paraffin). 

Most of the chemical structures of this product is odorless to my understanding, except from the Gasoline Octane. My home smells of solvent/petrol and i am trying everything i can to stop this smell. It has been 4 days, I have tried baking soda bowels around the home, white distilled vinegar, coal, and opened windows to air the room. 

The only thing that kind of works is sealing off the room with plastic, but that only contains the smell in that room. I am at a loss on what to do as this stuff is stuck to my wall. To the touch it is dry. I also contacted the chemist of the company who creates the product they were shocked this was used indoors but only advised that the room needs to be heated up using sealed portable radiator without open flame, and use a extractor or fan to blow out the odor through the open window in that room. 

I have done that but found this has not helped as much, i understand that heating the room may evaporate the solvent to stop the smell, but then having a fan on at the same time blows the heat away reducing the effects of evaporation.  I don't really know guys and I'm at a loss on what to do, is there anything i could spray to neutralize/destroy the solvent octane compound or apply a vapor or plastic sheeting sealed, which will contain the odor from releasing? 

I don't know, hoping anyone could help me, i know this is technically a DIY issue, but i need the science here to help me eradicate this odor issue caused by this NAPTHA (PETROLEUM)

picture of the room is below and the ingredients of the product and link : 

https://www.everbuild.co.uk/product/902-bitumen-flashing-primer/]https://www.everbuild.co.uk/product/902-bitumen-flashing-primer/

Thank you to all. 

[iNow]

Naphtha evaporates extremely quickly. Heating will speed that. The rest really is about ventilation and removing/replacing the noxious air.

When I’m wood working and using these chemicals, I sometimes create a negative pressure environment to help move larger volumes of air through the area. Conceptually, it’s like having a vent hood in a chemistry lab. 

Open a window on one side of the room and place a strong fan on high speed facing outward. On the other side of the room from this, slightly crack open another window or a door (just a bit) to replace the air being evacuated by the fan.

If you’re warming the area with a non flame heater, just place that heating device closer to the affected area. The blowing fan at the window won’t change the focus of the heat in any meaningful way so long as it’s far enough away. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by iNow

[Joseph3l]

15 minutes ago, iNow said:

Naphtha evaporates extremely quickly. Heating will speed that. The rest really is about ventilation and removing/replacing the noxious air.

When I’m wood working and using these chemicals, I sometimes create a negative pressure environment to help move larger volumes of air through the area. Conceptually, it’s like having a vent hood in a chemistry lab. 

Open a window on one side of the room and place a strong fan on high speed facing outward. On the other side of the room from this, slightly crack open another window or a door (just a bit) to replace the air being evacuated by the fan.

If you’re warming the area with a non flame heater, just place that heating device closer to the affected area. The blowing fan at the window won’t change the focus of the heat in any meaningful way so long as it’s far enough away. 

Thanks so much for your response, there's only 1 window, so should I open this fully, direct the fan on it. But have the mini heater away from it. Sadly there's 3 walls affected so, I can centralize the heater between those. As for the cracking door.  There's no door as I was renovating the room but instead i put up zipped plastic dust proof door which is zipped up and contained the smell. But should i open this slightly. << Assuming this all correct, how long based on your own experience do you anticipate the smell to last/eventually go away, the room is a square 3m ( 2 walls)  x 2.5m (2 walls)   so its relatively small box room. I was thinking of possible mixing baking soda and distilled white vinegar using hot water, and wipe this mixture on walls ? your thoughts on that as i read these can be oil eating microbes to remove the odor? and maybe water based oven degreaser. Your thoughts ? Thank you so much for your response. 

[iNow]

If you're running a fan, allowing an opening on the other side of the room helps... whether it's a window, a door, or a slight opening in the zipper of your curtain. More air pushes through the system this way than it would without an air intake on the other side. 

As for how long it will take... that will depend entirely on how much of the product is there, how thick it is, how warm it is, what is the humidity in the area, and how much air you're moving through the system per minute. 

Sorry I can't be of more help. Like you, my experience is DIY

[John Cuthber]

White spirit has a fairly strong smell and it will take a while to get rid of it.
If you can arrange the fan to blow air out of the window (and take the smell with it) that will avoid having the fumes in the rest of the house.

Leave the door to the room slightly open so the fan can draw air through from the rest of the house.

The smell will go quicker if you have warm air drawn through the room, or warm it as it enters the room with a non flame radiator near the door.

Soda and vinegar are not going to help here.

[Joseph3l]

1 hour ago, John Cuthber said:

White spirit has a fairly strong smell and it will take a while to get rid of it.
If you can arrange the fan to blow air out of the window (and take the smell with it) that will avoid having the fumes in the rest of the house.

Leave the door to the room slightly open so the fan can draw air through from the rest of the house.

The smell will go quicker if you have warm air drawn through the room, or warm it as it enters the room with a non flame radiator near the door.

Soda and vinegar are not going to help here.

 

@John CuthberThanks so much John, I have done exactly that, i have noticed that the smell is not as strong as it was a couple of hours ago, so as time passes hopefully the odor will dissipate. Thanks for clarifying the soda and vinegar remedy. Following on from that, to my understanding and please correct me if I'm wrong, but if i was to use a product that metabolizes the gasoline (eats it) such as degreaser which has fatty acids or a microbial oil degreasing cleaner to use, would that help the problem in a sense that it will eliminate the source of the problem at the molecular level? in addition to taking yours and others advice to air the room which I am already doing. If that wont work, could you possibly tell me why that is? just for educational purposes, i feel like this DIY nightmare has put me in school again for chemistry haha.  

Honestly i am great appreciative for all your advice. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Joseph3l

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, Joseph3l said:

 

@John CuthberThanks so much John, I have done exactly that, i have noticed that the smell is not as strong as it was a couple of hours ago, so as time passes hopefully the odor will dissipate. Thanks for clarifying the soda and vinegar remedy. Following on from that, to my understanding and please correct me if I'm wrong, but if i was to use a product that metabolizes the gasoline (eats it) such as degreaser which has fatty acids or a microbial oil degreasing cleaner to use, would that help the problem in a sense that it will eliminate the source of the problem at the molecular level? in addition to taking yours and others advice to air the room which I am already doing. If that wont work, could you possibly tell me why that is? just for educational purposes, i feel like this DIY nightmare has put me in school again for chemistry haha.  

Honestly i am great appreciative for all your advice. 

The bitumen is off-gassing the solvent. Just been talking to my neighbour who has done this and noted the same proble. He was using the right stuff though. He suggested painting over the bitumen with cellulose-type car paint. Apparently the paint dries off quickly and sealed in the smell. He overboarded after that but said doing the painting helped.

 

[John Cuthber]

Overpainting bitumen may not work out as planned, you may end up with a sticky mess that never dries properly.

11 hours ago, Joseph3l said:

i was to use a product that metabolizes the gasoline (eats it) such as degreaser which has fatty acids or a microbial oil degreasing cleaner to use

Fatty acids don't eat anything.

Microbes might, but they would only grow in the presence of plenty of water.

 

I really think the best plan is a fan and patience.

[studiot]

 

18 hours ago, Joseph3l said:

Hi all, this probably wont be your average post. But i am severely struggling to get my head around this issue that has arised in my home. 

My plumber decided to seal my walls for my wet room renovation with a Bitumen liquid to keep damp away from the external brick wall coming in. The funny thing is, i never suffered from damp. He used a product designed for roofing inside my home. Safely to say, he has now left and no longer doing anymore work in my home. 

 

Have you considered the possibility that your plumber may have had a point, even if his solution was less than ideal ?

You mention that he thought your wall was damp.
Was this ever measured ?

You say that your wet room was being refurbished.
If your previous wall covering (I note there is no plaster) was not perfectly waterproof, perhaps moisture was getting through from the inside and building up.

If this was the case then the new wall finishes certainly need to be waterproof but the brickwork also need to be dried out first.

Tanking (that is the correct building term) with bituminous or other waterproof membrane materials is the correct treatment.

However the tanking should be applied on the same side of the wall as the source of the water as this will then mean that the pressure will hold the tanking harder to the wall.
If it is applied on the other (wrong) side the pressure of the water coming through the brickwork will tend to blow the tanking off the wall.

So

if water is coming from the inside the tanking should be applied on the inside and if the water is coming from the outside then it should be applied to the outside.

If you are facing internal tanking then there are special plasters/renders designed to adhere onto the tanking.
You would need these in any case to tile or otherwise finish the walls.

The bituminous tanking will loose 90% of its smell in about 1 week to 10 days.
After this the appropriate render can be applied which will prevent the rest.

Or you could simply remove the tanking (mechanically would probably work best) and do something else.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by studiot

[John Cuthber]

22 hours ago, studiot said:

However the tanking should be applied on the same side of the wall as the source of the water

Tanking of cellars is commonplace. It does not usually involve digging round and under the house to tank the outside (where the water is).

 

[studiot]

50 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

Tanking of cellars is commonplace. It does not usually involve digging round and under the house to tank the outside (where the water is).

 

Where did the OP state this room to be a cellar, I must have missed it. ?

If you built a retaining wall, where would you put the waterproofing ?
 

[John Cuthber]

You said
 

23 hours ago, studiot said:

the tanking should be applied on the same side of the wall as the source of the water

and I pointed out that it isn't the case.
I backed this up by the observation that many cellars are tanked from (and on) the inside.

Nobody said the OP's room was a cellar
Nobody was talking about "new build".

The answer to your question is, I'd build a waterproof wall.

[studiot]

Instead of being such a smartass why not find out the ideal or best way to do something, which may not be practicable and/or economic in some cases ?

That was what was mean by my use of that small word 'should'.

I gave you approprate acknowledgement for stating that sufficient ventilation may be the correct solution to the OP's problem, after all we do not know if the masonry actually is damp or not.
So why can you not return the compliment ?

 

 

[John Cuthber]

1 hour ago, studiot said:

not find out the ideal or best way to do something,

Like this, perhaps?
 

 

On 1/27/2021 at 8:13 PM, John Cuthber said:

If you can arrange the fan to blow air out of the window (and take the smell with it) that will avoid having the fumes in the rest of the house.

Leave the door to the room slightly open so the fan can draw air through from the rest of the house.

The smell will go quicker if you have warm air drawn through the room, or warm it as it enters the room with a non flame radiator near the door.

Soda and vinegar are not going to help here.

Perhaps, instead of saying things that are wrong, you should say things that are right or say nothing.
Kind regards
JC resident smartarse.

[studiot]

10 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

Perhaps, instead of saying things that are wrong, you should say things that are right or say nothing.
Kind regards
JC resident smartarse.

Yes like I said, I gave you full credit for discussing ventilation.

Are you suggesting I didn't ?

You have yet to address my other point, responding you your vile and base attack on me, as you always seem to to.

1 hour ago, studiot said:

That was what was mean by my use of that small word 'should'.

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by studiot

[iNow]

Nobody cares. Please take a breath and move on

[John Cuthber]

4 hours ago, studiot said:

your vile and base attack on me, as you always seem to to.

LOL
I pointed out that you were wrong. That's what happens in science.
And I rather think that you calling me names was the only "base attack" here.
There's nothing you can say here that's going to make you look good.

[studiot]

22 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

LOL
I pointed out that you were wrong. That's what happens in science.
And I rather think that you calling me names was the only "base attack" here.
There's nothing you can say here that's going to make you look good.

 

But I was not wrong.

That's the whole point.

Edited January 29, 2021 by studiot

[StringJunky]

8 hours ago, John Cuthber said:

You said
 

and I pointed out that it isn't the case.
I backed this up by the observation that many cellars are tanked from (and on) the inside.

Nobody said the OP's room was a cellar
Nobody was talking about "new build".

The answer to your question is, I'd build a waterproof wall.

That doesn't make it ideal though, but rather a case of dealing with an existing structure in the best way available in that particular scenario. It doesn't negate the validity of the soundness of the principle he presented.

Edited January 29, 2021 by StringJunky

[John Cuthber]

Just now, StringJunky said:

That doesn't make it ideal

Nobody said it was.

But the thing is that tanking works.
So this is, at best, rather dubious.

On 1/28/2021 at 12:42 PM, studiot said:

If it is applied on the other (wrong) side the pressure of the water coming through the brickwork will tend to blow the tanking off the wall.

It may "tend" to do so, but if it actually did so, tanking wouldn't work.

[studiot]

15 hours ago, StringJunky said:

That doesn't make it ideal though, but rather a case of dealing with an existing structure in the best way available in that particular scenario. It doesn't negate the validity of the soundness of the principle he presented.

Thank you +1

 

15 hours ago, John Cuthber said:

Nobody said it was.

But the thing is that tanking works.
So this is, at best, rather dubious.

It may "tend" to do so, but if it actually did so, tanking wouldn't work.

Still on your high horse I see.

Building literature is full of examples of failures of tanking on the insides of basements due to external water pressure.

I suppose I had better say that there are also other failure mechanisms as well in case you again think I mean all or nothing.

Equally there are circumstances (not applicable to the OP) where internal tanking is the correct approach.

For instance swimming pools, slurry tanks and other industrial fluid containers.

 

The main point with the is that insufficient information was availble to pin down the reason for the tanking so I tried to offer an series of alternatives depending upon more information to be as helpful as possible to the OP and save a lot of questioning if he ever came back.

[Joseph3l]

Guys sorry I haven't responded, I've been attacking that room and applying the science in doing so. In the mean time, i see some tension in this forum post ! between some members so i hope for what its worth, you guys can make up and be happy ! 

I am happy to announce I have GOT RID OF THE SMELL ! 😁

@studiot@John Cuthber Make up you two !!!! Thanks to both of your logics and help in addition to research I dissipated the smell thank you both.. 

Also thanks to @StringJunky and @iNow for the solutions and helpful advice you guys !  🙏

What I did : 

I sealed the room to reach high temperature with a portable oil heater, once that reached to high temps, turned on fan and opened the window in that room and opened the sealed zipped plastic door a little bit to all for a negative pressure.  Both heater and fan were on smart switches that i set to schedule through out the day for safety reasons. This method dissipated the smell a little bit, though improved over the 2 days. I Followed this by washing the wall down with a fatty acid degreaser cleaner (Research indicates using fatty acids to break down such hydrocarbons on molecular level) Which seemed to do the job! I left that on over night. Sealed the room up. In the morning, the room smelled like strong soap ! 😂 followed by cracked white patches everywhere (Indication the degreaser broke the hydrocarbon)  Then washed the walls down with distilled vinegar and water. The smell was gone. I continued with ventilating the room for extra day just to further refresh the room. 

Happy days Guys, many heads better than 1 ! 

I will now continue, to batten the walls, insulate between battens, vapor barrier on top, followed by aqua boarding, tanking and tiling etc.... 

Problem Solved 😁Thank you 🙏

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Joseph3l