My only current smoke units are the Seuthe type used in four of my original LGB locos. The Seuthe units use a lighter grade of mineral oil with a petroleum based solvent and there are numerous warnings on the bottle which has to meet strict EU safety standards. Although the smoke output is very much less than the O gauge units and there is no discernable odor, I have decided to stop using all my smoke units since my small spare bedroom has NO HVAC return
Having substantial exposure to fresh, clean air and model train smoke in moderation is what I do and recommend. This includes taking long walks (from 40 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes) outdoors every other day, even in very cold weather (dressing in layers plus a good hat, gloves and snow sneakers is protective of the cold). I find cold weather walks to be very invigorating. Also, my home is intentionally not hermetically sealed, so any impurities in the air become dissipated. Arnold
romiller49 posted:No disrespect here but some people are taking this hobby to far. It’s your wife, turn off the smoke.
I agree 100%. Get rid of the ****ing smoke!!!!
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The stuff coming out of your model's smokestack/exhaust is not "smoke"; it is an oil vapor, which is not smoke. Smoke is the by-product of incomplete combustion, and almost all combustion is incomplete, to a greater or lesser degree. That oil vapor is the result of heating, not burning. Smoke rises; model train smoke often falls to the layout surface, which always really compromises its "realism" effect, to me. And, since the "smoke" only properly imitates steam (it's white), not smoke (black/brown/dark gray), when coming from a steam loco model, that heavy, sinking "steam" - real steam is anything but heavy - can look particularly dumb.
MELGAR posted:Arnold,
That is a sensible way to do it. Everything in moderation... In the real world there were steam engineers who ran a clean stack whenever possible.
MELGAR
If they ran engines on the ol' Frisco, they kept a clean stack or were given their time and the boot.
Arnold, there is something to be said for 80 year old leaky sash windows.
Pls listen to RoMillers' sage advice..........TURN OFF THE SMOKE UNITS AND LEAVE THEM OFF..........much as we butt heads, I'd rather argue with Mrs. Red Jimmy for a few more years (yup the missus CAN be right) as opposed to possibly shortening a wifes' life, than run the smoke units. Maybe set aside special days, like your birthday, or when fellow train nuts come over........ This from a guy who L O V E S to run smoking cabooses and engines. If we still had dogs, I would blame the smell on them..........but again, its an oil smoke......not really that healthy......
Thank you IRON HORSE for starting your inquiry. I just wanted to point out that the SUPER SMOKE MSDS is certainly a responsible entry for all to see. There are chemicals and then there are sensitivities that just don't mix.
Note: As per interesting other contributions seen here, Vaping poisonous levels of overwhelming continuous inhalation of heated irritants are really not part of the topic train smoke and asthma. I won't topic boundary cross and comment although prevalent in the media Vaping certainly is a worrisome possible epidemic!
Other thoughts: an aggressive loco smoke unit emits a possible "second hand smoke syndrome" particularly in an individual that has a history of underlying inflammation and sensitivity or reactive airway. Exposure length or time may or may not be relevant. In some, the reactive chain of events just unfolds with small exposures.
Optimal lung function & health is the goal.
To all, best of health this new decade.
Leroof.
geysergazer posted:If her situation is anything like my wife's you're going to need to give up on the smoke. We can't go to a restaurant that does candles on the tables. Diesel exhaust sets her asthma off. Campfire smoke.
She being able to breathe freely is so much more important than toy train smoke. I also know that feeling of wondering if I can just draw hard enough to get that next breath.....
Just my two cent's worth.
Agree I had to turn all my smoke off we recently had an episode with my wife's asthma that was pretty scary.
As medical knowledge advances, so must our formerly seemingly harmless behavior be modified to best maintain our health.
I had a new furnace put in a year ago and got one that can use a 5 inch charcoal filter. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We have no hint of dog, train smoke or any other odor. We even have less dust in the house in general.
The filter are near $100 but last all year.
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2 filters for $65.90 at Discount Filter
IRON HORSE posted:My old train room was in a room off of the garage and separate from the house and I had no issues with my wife's asthma because she just came out to visit now and then. Plus it was a sunroom with windows all around.
Fast forward to my new train room in my basement in my new home that took 5 years to finally put some engines on some track. Problem: Both scented and unscented smoke bothers her. I've put magnetic covers on all of the vents in the basement and a towel under the door going up from the basement and she still gets a tight chest. Any suggestions for alternative smoke fluid (currently using Mega smoke) or a better ventilation system? Turning off the smoke or getting rid of the wife aren't options I want to consider.
My train room has no vents so I'm thinking about putting the highest powered bathroom ceiling vent I can find in my train room and sucking the smoke to the outdoors. Has any one tried this with success? With an asthmatic in their house?
Thanks,
Mike
For the record, I misstated this topic. The smoke was and has been turned off when I wrote this topic because of my wife's recent experiences when I finally started running trains in my new train room. What I meant to say was that I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to run the smoke again. I am exploring permanent solutions and, so far, I'm getting some great ideas which include a commercial heavy-duty smoke eliminator for the train room, HEPA air purifiers, and whole house carbon filters in addition to high volume ventilation systems. Ultimately, if I install a system and if smoke and/or its scent still gets out of the room, I'm done. I'll never let it get upstairs again to the rest of the house.
In the process of asking the questions, we've had some great input regarding the health risks of train smoke and the effects they have on lung health for all of us (not just people with respiratory illnesses) and how we can run our trains with smoke, safely, by taking a few precautions.
For those that want to just chime in and just tell me to turn the smoke off, don't bother. You are stating the obvious. I apologize for the misstatement, but you are repeating what others are saying and I get it -- that's like the old joke where the patient says, "Doctor, it hurts when I do that".... Doctor: "Then don't do that". I wasn't trying to take a popular vote on whether or not I should risk my wife's health by keep filling her lungs with unsafe smoke.
Don't know if its true . But a fellow train guy running steam all the time claims it will get rid of any flys and any type of stick bugs,etc in the train room.. 
Have her see her PCP and get a Rx for Flovent 44. Take 2 puffs twice a day.
Get her asthma better controlled.
She’ll then be less sensitive to airborne irritants.
