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Which AC system is best for Bronchiectasis & MAC?
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Jan 25 2:29pm | Replies (29)Comment receiving replies
This is a timely question for me, Jill. I have a central AC on my roof that's working pretty much 24/7 much of the summer here in the desert. A technician stopped by in August to do our semi-annual inspection of the system and noticed I was doing a breathing treatment with my Aerobica and saline. He commented that his wife is a respiratory therapist and we got to discussing AC systems and respiratory problems. Beyond changing the filters often, he also said that lots of organisms grow on the moist surfaces of the interior of the machine. When he went up to inspect he took some photos of the fan and the other parts of the system. Yuck---covered in biofilm and gunk. He thoroughly cleaned the inside of the unit and subsequently installed a UV light to kill the organisms. My ID doc concurred that UV light kills MAC. I now suspect that I might have gotten MAC from the AC unit. Of course, NTM is everywhere so it's impossible to avoid completely. We can only do what we can to minimize more exposure.
Replies to "This is a timely question for me, Jill. I have a central AC on my roof..."
I read this in December but just now asking.
Do you know what UV light, the brand and model, (might be in the paperwork...pamphlet/brochure that came with the unit) that your AC technician placed in your system? Of course the model he used for your system might depend upon the size of your AC/HVAC but it would be a good starting off point for me. I am interested in it and want to address it with my AC technician.
Yes MAC is everywhere. All we can do is the best that we can do with the tools we have (and can afford) and use good common sense about doing the things we know to do to keep ourselves as well as possible with BE/MAC.
Thanks for your post about your helpful AC technician.
Barbara
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Grrr! I have been wondering the same about the ancient rooftop unit in our tiny mobile home! Our tech is really good at keeping it clean and operating, probably not very efficiently. But at 31 years we have been discussing replacement. I guess that moves to the top of the list for 2025 purchases. Now to decide between an add-on to our ducted furnace or two mini-splits (combined AC/heat units) for the front and back walls.