Ugh, baking it out is such a long fix though. I just vent the heck out of the cope with more nails and spikes when I see it going green like that. Adding all that new sand and coal dust after a bake can make it too stiff and cause other issues, doesn't it? I'd rather fix the gas problem right then by letting it escape.

Honestly used to think the plastic room thing was a bit much... like just seal it up and go. But then we had a job where the dust got into the HVAC return through a tiny gap in the ceiling. The whole house smelled like drywall for days. Now it's two machines every time, no question. One fails and you're still covered. It's not overkill, it's just the job.

Oh wow, that's a serious wake-up call. I did the same math with my lunch takeout habit and almost fell over. Sorry Wesley_Adams, but five bucks a day is absolutely a big deal when you see the yearly total, it's a whole vacation! Good on you for finding a cheaper fix that still works.

Honestly, I had the total opposite experience. I did all that careful stuff with mine, letting it air out and using the sensitive brush, and it still conked out after just two years. The motor got weak and it sounded sad, like a tired bee. Maybe I just got a bad one, but it made me give up on the whole system.

Doubt it makes that big a difference honestly.