Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
uncertain235
Enthusiast - Level 1

I'd like to know if anyone out there has had an experience similar to ours. Notable points are these.

- Verizon installed FIOS equipment in our recently purchased condo on 12/6/13 (Phone and Internet).

- We moved in 1 week later and noticed a smell in the bedroom where the requirpment was located.  The problem was serious because my wife has bad asthma and allergies and is very sensitive to air contaminnants.

- We didn't realize until months later that the smell was coming from outgassing of the FIOS equipment.

- We did tests to confirm the hypothesis. First, we removed the router and did without internet for a week. The odor decreased. Next we removed everything (wireless router, fiber connection box, battery back up box) and went without internet and phone for a week. The smell went away almost completely, except for a lower level lingering odor from fabric in the room that had gotten permeated.

- The equipment showed no sign of technical malfunction. The Internet and Phone worked fine.

- I contacted Verizon 3 times in search of a solution (once by chat, twice by phone). I was particularluy wondering if they could replace our current requipment with someting 1 to 2 years older which might ahve stopped outgassing. None of the consultants could provide a solution.

- In the end, we decided we'd have to terminate the FIOS service and replace it with Comcast XFinity for the sake of my wife's health.

- By now, the FIOS equipment has been out of the unit for several weeks. We've been airing out fairly diligently and the smell is almost completely gone. My wife is breathing better.

- I had concluded that this out-gassing must be characteristic of all instances of the current generation of FIOS equipment. But then I visited a neighbor's unit where he has what appears to be the same generation of equipment as we had in his living room. There was no detectable smell.

I don't know the techincal explanation for what we experienced. But the lack of a solution from Verizon meant that we had to abandon our use of FIOS. In my contacts with Verizon I was told several times that they had never heard of this outgassing and odor problem. But I can't believe we're the only people who've experienced it. I'd ben interested to hear from anyone who has.

1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
somegirl
Champion - Level 3

@sonet123 wrote:

I’ve had this out gassing for near a month now. I was hoping it would pass, the smell is like burnt electronics I had that router stacked on top of the DVR box flat at first. Then tried a couple weeks with router upright on to the DVR still smells. This evening got real close and sniffed the router it’s the bottom of the router the end where the power plug goes. Note there isn’t any real heat coming from the DVR bow cool to the touch.  this give me like that headachy type smell. Some time not so much (if I have a fan circulating the air in that room).

 

 I’m going to report this to the FIOS people by tomorrow.


Burnt electronics smell is not the same as an out-gassing smell. I'd unplug it and call Verizon immediately. Electrical fires are serious business.

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
thetick1234
Specialist - Level 1

Really?  I find that very hard to believe.  Enjoy your Comcat and their dracronian bandwidth cap.

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

Unusal condition unless there was a problem with the equipment. 

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
MZELDA
Newbie

Can you describe the smell?  Does it actually smell like gasoline? Or, is it that rotten egg smell like stove gas?

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
josephkovi
Enthusiast - Level 3

Why not put the equipment in a different room. Or put in a plastic bag?

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
Telcoguru
Master - Level 1

The only smell I have ever noticed is if you block the air vents on the equipment then you will get a smell from over heating. Otherwise I have never noticed any odors.

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
Hubrisnxs
Legend
Never hoid of it
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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

Not sure I can say what the deal is with this one. Perhaps the "New Equipment getting warm" smell accumulating from the addition of several boxes?

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
uncertain235
Enthusiast - Level 1

So no one on this board has every had this experience. Strange. The nose doesn't lie. Must have been some unusual condition of the equipment.

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Re: Out-gassing Smell from FIOS Equipment
FLUSBY
Newbie

Hi - we had a similar problem with our new Verizon FIOS router. The room had a chemical smell, almost like a pesticide or something. We did everything to deodorize the room and then figured out that the smell was coming from the router. The technician I spoke with tonight thought it was probably a burnt capacitor and immediately sent a replacement router. We'll give it a try.

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