Vapor residue on walls, carpet etc. Need help/advice.

[ITPython]

Did a bit of searching prior to this, got some decent answers, but sadly many admit to residue building up (windows in cars for example) due to vaping. It may be easy to clean from what I read, however I have been specifically told by my landlord not to vape (or smoke) indoors due to the possibility of residue building up. I agreed to this and will not break my promise.

Here's the thing though, my landlord will listen to reason, and if I can come up with a way to stop (or severely limit) the buildup, I will likely be able to vape indoors once again.

I did some research on air purifiers/filters, and came to the following conclusion:

- HEPA filter is for bigger particles like dust, allergens, mold, but is not too great vs smoke, gas, odors or chemical fumes
- Ionizer would sort of do the trick, however from what I read it simply makes particles heavier so they fall to the floor. Which is not ideal.
- UVC filter, obviously this would not stop any particles from attaching to the walls etc. Great for killing airborne mold/bacteria though.
- Carbon filtering, this seems to be my best bet, as it is good for removing smoke particles, cigarette smoke, gases, chemicals and odors, and doesn't release the particles back into the air.


I went ahead and purchased this small air filtering unit from Amazon, seems to be well received by people, is less than $20 and it does use carbon filtering: LINK

My plan is to literally blow the exhaled vapor into the device, thus keeping the vapor nearly 100% filtered and, hopefully, dealt with.


I suppose I just want some advice/suggestions on this subject and whether or not PG/VG, flavoring, and nicotine particles would be successfully stopped by a carbon filter. I assume if it can deal with tobacco smoke, it should have no problem dealing with ecig vapor, but I am not 100% sure. Maybe a HEPA filter would be all I need?

I really want to be able to vape indoors again, so any comments/experiences/advice you have, please post it!

 

[Racehorse]

Where did your landlord get the idea that there will be vapor residue/build up in the apartment?

If you fry some bacon or even cook a sizzling hamburger, there is going to be residue, the steam rises, and clings to walls, etc.

If anyone in a home uses hairspray, spray deordorant, etc. that will also leave residue.

the reason cigarettes left residue is because, like a woodstove, there is particulate released thru burning like soot, carbon, and in case of cigs, tar. None of this exists with vaping.

I think you need to do more research BEFORE you spend more $$ on filters, etc. and I do not think you should have promised your landlord about vaping indoors until you knew for sure. I have vaped for over a year and there is no residue in my house that I have seen.

It just sounds like you will not be able to relax and vape inside your own apartment.....without positioning yourself in front of an air purifier? If that is your plan, it just sounds very unrealistic to me.


Obviously you are a very polite person, but this sounds a little too polite.

 

[Racehorse]

You also might show your landlord this study:
http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigBenchtopHandout.pdf

 

[mightymen]

I have a small place and when my filter is turned off can see lots of vape in the air though I have no residue on the wall or TV screen etc.

I use 24/7's a HEPA filter that has a built in Ionizer because of my son has Asthma. When it's working it draws all the residue into it cleans 100% of the air fast/quickly.

I got this air filter paid $179.00 for mine; I Change filter once a year cost $24.00. here a like to a video on it. I got the filter for over three years now.
I recommend this one highly.

Advanced PureAir 9-Stage Newport 9000 Air Purifier Video

 

[Rickajho]

Your landlord apparently thinks vaping is the same thing as smoking, and somehow he's managed to convince you as well. There is no such thing as "second hand vapor". You are to an extremely large degree exhaling nothing but water vapor. It's really really REALLY hard for water vapor to build up a "residue" on anything.

Read here before you make any further unnecessary obligations => Lab Reports: ecigarettes

Specifically, the 2nd and 1st reports on that page.

 

[abstractcousin]

i seriously doubt that there would be any real buildup... after reading this, i looked in my car, on my celing and any place where i would expect to see this "buildup" and i havent found ANY.. i have been vaping in the same spots for 2 years.. no buildup... i also clean the celing and my car all the time.. i dont get it

 

[ShariR]

There is more residue left from cooking or taking a shower. Will he prohibit you doing those things in your apartment. Just tell him you purchased an air cleaner and that there will be no residue anywhere. Period. Bring up about the cooking and showers. That should put it into perspective. You are allowed quiet and peaceful enjoyment of your apartment. Unless your lease specifically prohibits you vaping, he can not stop you from vaping.

 

[ITPython]

Thanks for the replies! I will read through the links and check out the findings.

Although I am not sure where this 'water vapor' thing came from, you are exhaling mostly PG/VG from ecigs, not water vapor. And that doesn't just completely 100% disappear, it lands on things and eventually builds up. Build a plastic contraption which allows one entry point and one exit point, and exhale all your ecig puffs into it for a few days, or weeks (try to set it up for as even distribution as possible). Then wipe one of the walls of the inside with your finger, you may be surprised. That bottle of mostly PG or VG based eliquid doesn't just go away because you heated it up and inhaled it, it is either absorbed by your lungs, or exhaled into the air. And plumes of exhaled vapor signify much of it goes back into the air.

Just the fact that ecigs can perfume up a room proves that you are exhaling more than just the tiny amount of water in that ejuice.

And yes, I am aware of many other things building up on walls (heck even taking a shower builds up soap residue on the walls) but the landlord was adamant about it (I had no choice, and I certainly won't lie about not doing it if I am). And if I come up with a solution to prevent it, then all will be good.

Personally I don't care one bit about residue build up, as IMO it is not a problem in the least, but it is not up to me.

 

[happydave]

Thanks for the replies! I will read through the links and check out the findings.

Although I am not sure where this 'water vapor' thing came from, you are exhaling mostly PG/VG from ecigs, not water vapor. And that doesn't just completely 100% disappear, it lands on things and eventually builds up. Build a plastic contraption which allows one entry point and one exit point, and exhale all your ecig puffs into it for a few days, or weeks (try to set it up for as even distribution as possible). Then wipe one of the walls of the inside with your finger, you may be surprised. That bottle of mostly PG or VG based eliquid doesn't just go away because you heated it up and inhaled it, it is either absorbed by your lungs, or exhaled into the air. And plumes of exhaled vapor signify much of it goes back into the air.

PG and VG are made up of Carbon Hydrogen and Oxygen. with enough heat (the heating coil gets hot enough) the chemical bonds are broken and MOST OF but not all of the PG and VG are turned into new chemicals H20 and CO2. rough estimate is about half of the nicotine is destroyed and some of the flavor is also destroyed. you do inhale/exhale a very very small amount of PG and VG but that residue is the mostly flavoring and coloring. the flavors that are used can withstand high temps.. here is a fun test. take a white paper towel and exhale through the paper towel do this until you have a large wet spot on the towel hold it up to a light you will see colored areas on the towel. that is the artificial color / flavoring. now let the towel air dry. PG and VG do not evaporate at room temperature so if your correct and you are exhaling mostly PG and VG then the towel will stay wet for a very long time. but if its water vapor H20 like i just explained it will evaporate very fast in a matter of hours and the paper will dry out with no signs of moisture at all. so give it try and tell us what you think!

EDIT : PG and VG are not turned into H2O and CO2 when vaporized. I have no idea where I got that from. There is a real large amount of water in the exhaled vapor because water in the atmosphere is pulled out by the hygroscopic property of VG and PG

 

[ericm12121977]

Stop trying to change his mind everyone, he has his mind made up and he is looking for input on what filters and what-not have worked for others. He isn't asking for justification of vaping, just information on filtering products that have worked. He also doesn't have a choice because he is like many of us and bound to limitations set by landlords and misinformed people. He is just trying to find the proper information to present to his landlord so that he may enjoy vaping without being kicked out of his dwelling.

 

[happydave]

Stop trying to change his mind everyone, he has his mind made up and he is looking for input on what filters and what-not have worked for others. He isn't asking for justification of vaping, just information on filtering products that have worked. He also doesn't have a choice because he is like many of us and bound to limitations set by landlords and misinformed people. He is just trying to find the proper information to present to his landlord so that he may enjoy vaping without being kicked out of his dwelling.

so is he looking for a way to filter his exhaled vapor? or the proper information to present to his landlord so that he may enjoy vaping without being kicked out of his dwelling? i am confused now...

 

[Wes F.]

Here's a thought, close the blinds... You have a reasonable expectation of privacy, the landlord can't barge in and catch you in the act. If he does, he just violated your rights. If he violates your rights and tried to kick you out, tell him to get a lawyer because he doesn't have any proof because he violated your rights trying to catch you. You will win. Now, if you leave your window blinds open and he happens to see it as he is passing by, that's plain view and your own fault for not closing your blinds.

 

[Wes F.]

Furthermore, it doesn't leave any residue. I chain vape in my house and you can't tell a minute later. No smell, nothing...

 

[ITPython]

Thank you Eric!

And to everybody else, I agree it is not really an issue and shouldn't be taken so seriously by my landlord, but I have to make due with my situation. It is what it is, I don't want to explain it and we just need to accept it for what it is.

My best method of resolving my issue is some kind of filtering of the exhaled vapor. Now I have done some more reading on the links provided by Rick, and it seems charcoal/carbon filtering may be the way to go.

Here is one of the reports: http://casaa.org/uploads/LibertyStixLabAnalysis072309.pdf

Now I will admit most of that makes no sense to me, but this gives me hope that a filter of active carbon/charcoal is likely the solution:

A charcoal tube was attached on to an air sampling pump. The electronic cigarette is connected with the charcoal tube, as shown in the pictures below. When the sampling pump starts to run, the cigarette lights and produces vapor/fog, a similar situation as the cigarette is being sucked. The vapor is absorbed by the charcoal tube

Although interestingly enough, despite happydave's comment about water vapor, it would appear that most of the outgassed vapor contains a majority of things other than water.

Figure 3 is a chromatogram of the volatile organic species outgassed from the liquid of the cartridge. Propylene glycol and glycerin were the major components outgassed. Details are tabulated in the table below.

It shows 57.30% was PG and 29.98% was Glycerin. Clearly not being broken down into mostly water.

 

[happydave]

here is some more information
the active charcoal filter you got is over kill.
1: take a roll of paper towels
2: remove the towels off the tube
3: stuff the tube with the paper towels
4: exhale into that tube you just stuffed with paper towels
5: when it becomes fully saturated throw it out and repeat steps 1-4

 

[happydave]

Figure 3 is a chromatogram of the volatile organic species outgassed from the liquid of the cartridge. Propylene glycol and glycerin were the major components outgassed. Details are tabulated in the table below..

chromatogram [ˈkrəʊmətəˌgræm krəʊˈmæt-]. n. 1. (Chemistry) a column or strip of material containing constituents of a mixture separated by chromatography

what your seeing is not data from the vapor produced by the E-cig.... its data from gas chromatography tests they ran....

EDIT: maybe i can explain this better... they did not run a gas chromatography test on the vapor the e-cig produces. they just used raw unvaped juice (E-liquid) in a gas chromatography test.

 

[smacuser]

here is some more information
the active charcoal filter you got is over kill.
1: take a roll of paper towels
2: remove the towels off the tube
3: stuff the tube with the paper towels
4: exhale into that tube you just stuffed with paper towels
5: when it becomes fully saturated throw it out and repeat steps 1-4

oh! dude, I totally know that trick, only I stuffed the tube with fabric softener sheets.

 

[Chas_L]

I chain vape and my wife vapes a moderate amount , between thetwo of us about 6ml.e day 99% indoors. Do we worry about the residue, not at all but then I on the house and all of its' furnishings free and clear. There is a residue ,I can smell t in my clothes many hours later even the next day at times. We are savinga lot of mone on spray air freshners.

OP agreeded to not vape inside of someone else's property which they are merely renting and a pearson's word should be their bond. I truely dislike this screw you I will do as I please as long as you do not see me attitude so many have these days.

 

[ITPython]

here is some more information
the active charcoal filter you got is over kill.
1: take a roll of paper towels
2: remove the towels off the tube
3: stuff the tube with the paper towels
4: exhale into that tube you just stuffed with paper towels
5: when it becomes fully saturated throw it out and repeat steps 1-4

Hmm, that would be a good solution to offer up!

However I still would like to be able to see the plumes of vapor, as that is one of the most fun things about vaping. And if I have a machine that sucks in the vapor, I can still enjoy it for the most part. (ever blow some towards a fan aimed outwards, it's fun watching it being sucked up).

chromatogram [ˈkrəʊmətəˌgræm krəʊˈmæt-]. n. 1. (Chemistry) a column or strip of material containing constituents of a mixture separated by chromatography

what your seeing is not data from the vapor produced by the E-cig.... its data from gas chromatography tests they ran....

EDIT: maybe i can explain this better... they did not run a gas chromatography test of the vapor the e-cig produces. they just used raw unvaped juice (E-liquid) in a gas chromatography test.

Yes, but they stated that it was being "sucked". And you can't get a vapor/fog without it being "ignited" so to speak

When the sampling pump starts to run, the cigarette lights and produces vapor/fog,

Seems to me that report was testing the actual vapor produced, not just the raw juice.

 

[happydave]

OP agreeded to not vape inside of someone else's property which they are merely renting and a pearson's word should be their bond. I truely dislike this screw you I will do as I please as long as you do not see me attitude so many have these days.

yep, and when he goes to move out and looses his security deposit because of the "vapor residue" he will have only him self to blame.