diff --git a/bin/foamEtcFile b/bin/foamEtcFile
index 72f1aa4a93..c0aac58a96 100755
--- a/bin/foamEtcFile
+++ b/bin/foamEtcFile
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@
 #     \endcode
 #
 # Note
-#     This script must exist in <foamInstall>/OpenFOAM-<VERSION>/bin/
-#     or <foamInstall>/openfoam<VERSION>/bin/ (for the debian version)
+#     This script must exist in $FOAM_INST_DIR/OpenFOAM-<VERSION>/bin/
+#     or $FOAM_INST_DIR/openfoam<VERSION>/bin/ (for the debian version)
 #
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 usage() {
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ binDir="${0%/*}"
 # the project dir:
 projectDir="${binDir%/bin}"
 
-# the prefix dir (same as foamInstall):
+# the prefix dir (same as $FOAM_INST_DIR):
 prefixDir="${projectDir%/*}"
 
 # the name used for the project directory
diff --git a/bin/foamExec b/bin/foamExec
index d0bf1d556e..a63f326ade 100755
--- a/bin/foamExec
+++ b/bin/foamExec
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@
 #     \endcode
 #
 # Note
-#     This script must exist in <foamInstall>/OpenFOAM-<VERSION>/bin/
-#     or <foamInstall>/openfoam<VERSION>/bin/ (for the debian version)
+#     This script must exist in $FOAM_INST_DIR/OpenFOAM-<VERSION>/bin/
+#     or $FOAM_INST_DIR/openfoam<VERSION>/bin/ (for the debian version)
 #
 #     foamEtcFile must be found in the same directory as this script
 #
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ binDir="${0%/*}"
 # the project dir:
 projectDir="${binDir%/bin}"
 
-# the prefix dir (same as foamInstall):
+# the prefix dir (same as $FOAM_INST_DIR):
 prefixDir="${projectDir%/*}"
 
 # # the name used for the project directory
diff --git a/etc/bashrc b/etc/bashrc
index 98c22772cf..3394c0894f 100644
--- a/etc/bashrc
+++ b/etc/bashrc
@@ -37,25 +37,24 @@ export WM_PROJECT_VERSION=dev
 ################################################################################
 # USER EDITABLE PART: Changes made here may be lost with the next upgrade
 #
-# either set $FOAM_INST_DIR before sourcing this file or set
-# 'foamInstall' below to where OpenFOAM is installed
+# FOAM_INST_DIR is the location of the OpenFOAM installation which defaults to
+# the directory containing this file if sourced by a bash shell.
 #
-# Location of the OpenFOAM installation
-# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-foamInstall=$HOME/$WM_PROJECT
-# foamInstall=~$WM_PROJECT
-# foamInstall=/opt/$WM_PROJECT
-# foamInstall=/usr/local/$WM_PROJECT
+# Please set to the appropriate path if the default is not correct.
+#
+[ $BASH_SOURCE ] && \
+export FOAM_INST_DIR=${BASH_SOURCE%/*/*/*} || \
+export FOAM_INST_DIR=$HOME/OpenFOAM
+# export FOAM_INST_DIR=~$WM_PROJECT
+# export FOAM_INST_DIR=/opt/$WM_PROJECT
+# export FOAM_INST_DIR=/usr/local/$WM_PROJECT
 #
 # END OF (NORMAL) USER EDITABLE PART
 ################################################################################
 
-#
-# These are the defaults for this version which should generally be
-# overridden from the prefs.sh file or from command-line specification
-#
-#- note the location for later use (eg, in job scripts)
-: ${FOAM_INST_DIR:=$foamInstall}; export FOAM_INST_DIR
+# The default environment variables below can be overridden in a prefs.sh file
+# located in ~/.OpenFOAM/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION, ~/.OpenFOAM,
+# $FOAM_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION or $FOAM_INST_DIR/site
 
 #- Compiler location:
 #    WM_COMPILER_TYPE= system | ThirdParty (OpenFOAM)
@@ -202,7 +201,7 @@ fi
 
 # Cleanup environment:
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-unset cleaned foamClean foamInstall foamOldDirs
+unset cleaned foamClean foamOldDirs
 
 
 # Unload initialization functions:
diff --git a/etc/cshrc b/etc/cshrc
index 795bfa5e26..13e7177a7f 100644
--- a/etc/cshrc
+++ b/etc/cshrc
@@ -36,25 +36,25 @@ setenv WM_PROJECT_VERSION dev
 ################################################################################
 # USER EDITABLE PART: Changes made here may be lost with the next upgrade
 #
-# either setenv FOAM_INST_DIR before sourcing this file or set
-# 'foamInstall' below to where OpenFOAM is installed
+# FOAM_INST_DIR is the location of the OpenFOAM installation which defaults to
+# the directory containing this file.
 #
-# Location of the OpenFOAM installation
-# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-set foamInstall = $HOME/$WM_PROJECT
-# set foamInstall = ~$WM_PROJECT
-# set foamInstall = /opt/$WM_PROJECT
-# set foamInstall = /usr/local/$WM_PROJECT
+# Please set to the appropriate path if the default is not correct.
+#
+setenv FOAM_INST_DIR `lsof +p $$ |& grep -oE '/.*OpenFOAM[^/]*/etc/cshrc' | \
+    sed 's%/OpenFOAM[^/]*/etc/cshrc%%'`
+echo $FOAM_INST_DIR
+# setenv FOAM_INST_DIR  $HOME/$WM_PROJECT
+# setenv FOAM_INST_DIR  ~$WM_PROJECT
+# setenv FOAM_INST_DIR  /opt/$WM_PROJECT
+# setenv FOAM_INST_DIR  /usr/local/$WM_PROJECT
 #
 # END OF (NORMAL) USER EDITABLE PART
 ################################################################################
 
-#
-# These are the defaults for this version which should generally be
-# overridden from the prefs.csh file or from command-line specification
-#
-#- note the location for later use (eg, in job scripts)
-if ( ! $?FOAM_INST_DIR ) setenv FOAM_INST_DIR $foamInstall
+# The default environment variables below can be overridden in a prefs.sh file
+# located in ~/.OpenFOAM/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION, ~/.OpenFOAM,
+# $FOAM_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION or $FOAM_INST_DIR/site
 
 #- Compiler location:
 #    WM_COMPILER_TYPE = system | ThirdParty (OpenFOAM)
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ endif
 
 # cleanup environment:
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-unset cleaned foamClean foamInstall foamOldDirs
+unset cleaned foamClean foamOldDirs
 unalias _foamSource
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------