Off gassing

A number of  years ago I ordered a piece of custom equipment.  As is common with specialized equipment, the build time was much longer than estimated.  I finally got the message it was ready.  Giving the issue some thought, I decided to make the drive from southern Illinois to northern New York.  At that time I was putting around 50,000 miles a year on the road, so the distance wasn’t an issue, and the savings in shipping costs was significant. Besides, the item was fragile. I loaded the equipment in the AM and headed home. Oddly, when I reached northeast Ohio, I was very sleepy and checked into a hotel. The next morning I opened the car door …. If I had a match in my hand the car would have exploded.   I rolled down the windows, and, even though it was winter, I drove home with the windows down.   And, I took many breaks.  

To this day I am amazed at the intensity of the fumes.

Hi John,

Just for context,  I understand that the item was inside the car and not in a trunk?  Also, this was a car and not a pickup with the item loaded in the bed?  

Either way, yeah, I can believe that a new item (freshly painted?) could emit some pretty strong fumes.  Glad that you got home in one piece!

Not trying to pry, but you have me highly curious about what the item was—sounds pretty interesting.

I know that I have at times bought something that had pretty strong smells at first, but I never had quite the experience that you describe.


Eric

Hi Eric,

Yes, the item was in the backseat, front passenger seat, and trunk. It was a  14 inch telescope…something a few steps above what you might find at Walmart.  Converting to current $, probably around 5 grand. I picked it up maybe a week after I had been contacted that it was finished. Normally, finished means the build is complete and the item tested.  I seriously doubt if it was completed or tested when I was called. There simply wouldn’t have been that much off gassing. But I am amazed at how much there was under any circumstances. All the surfaces I touched appeared to be quite dry. I did not detect any odor.

Anyway, trying to avoid the potential for the cider press, my purpose for this post was to increase the awareness that off gassing can come from unexpected places at unexpected intensity.  At least I didn’t expect it.

Jenkies!  Color me educated.  A telescope?  What on earth would be off gassing on a telescope?  I plan to have a simple little house built soon and off gassing products are one of the things I've been researching how to avoid.  I'm starting to wonder if more of my building choices need more looking into.  I may not be buying a bespoke telescope, but I appreciate the heads up.  

Hi Emmett,

Many anti reflective surfaces, wood parts (this is surprising until you consider expansion and contraction of wood to temperature changes vs metal), lubricants, glue, electronic parts, etc.  Still, the intensity amazes me.

The scary thing is thinking about you driving such a long way cooped up with it in your car.  Thank the Lord you didn't pass out on the drive home!

The most recent topic I was researching was how to treat the hickory flooring I want when I build my house without all the VOCs.  I want something that's not shiny and still provides decent protection from scratches and water resistance.  I landed on a treatment of beeswax and tungsten oil but, great fluffy muffins, most everything is toxic these days.  

Back home I had a friend who used to work building trailer houses.  Those contraptions off gas so badly they weren't allowed to sell them right away.  They had to sit and "air out" for a few months first.  They'd fill them with snake plants and spider plants to help remove toxins and purify the air.  I reckon a regular new build is going to have issues, too.  I want to keep the build materials as natural as possible and use as little plastic as possible.  You could drive yourself insane trying to be too much of a purist, but if I can avoid them, I will.