Motor bearing lube fumes cause MCS - was: Window unit AC's...

April 26, 2009

At 08:45 AM 4/24/2009, you wrote:

>-Just thought I would warn people about what awaits them in the

>future. In my first recovery, I tolerated window units very well,

>spending a summer working in AC room in VA. But as you accumulate

>exposures and recoveries your illness upregulates. I lost an

>apartment , a travel trailer and a portable building all to AC,

>which becomes intolerable to the up-regulated hypersensitized mold

>reator. Most of my known hypersensitized moldies have suffered this.

>If someone had allerted me, I might still be living someplace

>besides a tent in the desert.

, that's dreadful. I'm thinking of a desert tent as well. Need company?

I'd consider California High Desert, Arizona, or New Mexico. I suppose

parts of Nevada as well.

I found there is a hidden source of sensitivity from any motorized device.

The motor bearing grease will heat up, over heat from long use, and

will outgas into the air. I became sensitive, and now the only HEPA

filter I can use is the IQAir.com as the fan motor is ***before*** the

charcoal VOC filter, so it absorbs much of the grease/oil/lube smell.

Motors with 'sleeve' bearings, according to my research, are not

intended to run 24 hours a day, but must, must, must be turned off.

Being off allows the lube to cool off, and contract, and move back

into the sleeve!!! Amazing. The over used axle in sleeve bearing

will heat up, and the heat will cause the lube to expand in volume,

forcing much of the lube out of the sleeve, and the axle will no

longer be lubricated, and it will overheat, faster and faster.

A vicious cycle.

So, steel ball bearing motors do not exhibit this as bad.

But be aware if you are running any motor 24 hours a day,

7 days a week, you must be sure the bearing design will

tolerant this. The device should be labeled for 24 hour use.

I'm now looking for a HEPA that has an external motor for

the fan, so the motor needs it own special air cooling ducting

that exhaust to a window. Geesh!!! The only ones I have

found are commercial roof fans. I'll have to make my own HEPA.

And it will all be metal, no plastic, no rubber, no glues.

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