Does air con make you sick?

[Bob Chittie]

I've had a sinus infection for about a month and am beginning to think that my air con might have something to do with it. Does anyone know about cleaning the inside so its not blowing out dirty air all the time? Any other tips would be appreciated. Its just the typical system with a loud box with a fan outside and the air con unit inside. Thanks!

[lopburi3]

Would highly advise having someone do it for you as these units are not exactly built like a Swiss watch and it may take more than a few hammer blows to get it back together.  Any shop that installs will have someone that can clean them.  Make sure that they take it completely apart and wash/blow it.  They should also clean the outside compressor at the same time.

Recommend using the 3M Filtrete filter material to keep it clean as most filters let in too much dust.  This filter is not cheap at about 270 baht for enough for two air conditioners but it does work well.

[Bob Chittie]

Thanks for the info. Can you tell me where to get this 3M filter? Also, does it need to be installed or where do you put it? Thanks!

[lopburi3]

I buy it in Foodland and have seen in Home Pro and advertised in either Office Max or Office Depot.  You just cut to size and place over your normal filters.  You need to change after a few weeks but it really helps keep the dust down.

[Thetyim]

Sorry Bob, but I do not think that the air-con is the problem.

A lot of falangs get sinus problems here.

I have chronic sinusitis so I have tried many things to help relieve the symptoms.

Personally I think the cause is the different types of pollen here which we falangs are not accustomed to.

The mango pollen always gives me a problem early in the year and this month I am suffering from some other type.

If you have a bacterial infection (yellow mucus discharge) then a course of anti biotics will clear it up in four days. I can look up the name of them if you want.  It is important not to let an infection carry on for a long time or you will get complications, so get it sorted quick.

[hukster]

Last January i stayed at the flipperhouse soi 7, and the aircon made me sick. I wasn't the only one. I told them my lungs were getting conjested when i turned on the aircon. They changed the filter, and that fixed the problem

[Bob Chittie]

other people breathing the same air conditioned air as myself aren't getting sick so perhaps this isn't the problem, but I'm thinking it couldn't hurt to atleast make sure I'm breathing clean air. i also think it has to do with sitting in traffic on a motorcycle breathing exhaust and perhaps the pollens too. i do know that in a lot of hotels, especially the cheaper ones, the air con units are rarely cleaned, which is an obvious health hazard. thanks for the responses.

[dougrobinson2024]

Yeah, whenever I stay at the Ruamchitt Hotel (right above the Thermae), I *always* get sick.  Happened time after time.  I like the place because it's right over the Thermae and the pool is fun, but after I switched hotels--I haven't gotten sick once.

I suspect it's the filters in the air conditioner.  But another thing about the Ruamchitt--they *never* clean their carpets, and I think it's trapping gunk that gets kicked up into the air when you walk in the room.  It's so bad that I've had times where the bottoms of my feet would wind up being black, just from walking on the carpet in my room!  Filth!

Doug