PTFE concern

[Jellybird]

I know some space heaters have PTFE, but I was wandering if built in heating in the house is safe? I live in Canada, Ontario, most houses and apartments here have that. There's one in every room, and a thermostat on the wall.

 

[Clueless]

Hmmmm

@JLcribber any thoughts about this?

 

[Jellybird]

Basically it's a baseboard heater, and from what I've found on the internet, they're mostly safe except for the fact that they can be a fire hazard. Which we are already aware of, and taking all precautions. I got my GCC in April, so this will be my first winter with a bird, which is why I'm concerned... What got me thinking about it is the fact that just yesterday, one of my housemates lost her new baby budgie because she unknowingly used a space heater which may have been PTFE coated, which is why I'm now very concerned...

 

[Shyra]

We had a Trane heat pump and ac system put in about 4 years ago. I asked about teflon parts then but got the expected answers and didn't find any answers online. I can tell you I haven't had any problems but that means nothing in the long term. I did find this article in doing some research just now ( http://internal.clarkson.edu/facili...nstructionproductsandactivities/div23hvac.pdf ) that mentions several PTFE parts throughout in the brands they researched
. I really don't know how anyone could get away from being totally PTFE free when using any of the newer heating or AC equipment. I asked my dad about it (general all round handyman) and he doesn't think that a central heating unit working properly would get hot enough to cause the PTFE to put off toxic fumes like overheating a teflon frying pan does. What you might do is find out the brand and model of the unit and call the manufacturer or a heating sales/repair company of that brand and ask them about it.

 

[Shyra]

Yeah, I would guess baseboard heaters are a bit different than other types of central heating units that use duct work throughout.

 

[Jellybird]

We had a Trane heat pump and ac system put in about 4 years ago. I asked about teflon parts then but got the expected answers and didn't find any answers online. I can tell you I haven't had any problems but that means nothing in the long term. I did find this article in doing some research just now ( http://internal.clarkson.edu/facili...nstructionproductsandactivities/div23hvac.pdf ) that mentions several PTFE parts throughout in the brands they researched
. I really don't know how anyone could get away from being totally PTFE free when using any of the newer heating or AC equipment. I asked my dad about it (general all round handyman) and he doesn't think that a central heating unit working properly would get hot enough to cause the PTFE to put off toxic fumes like overheating a teflon frying pan does. What you might do is find out the brand and model of the unit and call the manufacturer or a heating sales/repair company of that brand and ask them about it.

I don't think it's central heating, it's just a baseboard heater built into every individual room. The brand is Westcan.

 

[JLcribber]

You and your birds are perfectly safe. It's a hot water/boiler heating system. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Jellybird]

You and your birds are perfectly safe. It's a hot water/boiler heating system. Nothing to worry about.

Oh really? I assumed it was electric, since it is a house. Then again, I really don't know...

 

[JLcribber]

Oh really? I assumed it was electric, since it is a house. Then again, I really don't know...

It's possible. That's a very expensive way to heat. Even so I would not worry. Can you specify a make/model? It should have some information on it somewhere.

 

[Jellybird]

It's possible. That's a very expensive way to heat. Even so I would not worry. Can you specify a make/model? It should have some information on it somewhere.

The brand (I think) is Westcan, that's the only part I can really make out considering this thing seems old and the sticker is pretty tattered. By the way it looks though, it seems pretty close in its look to the water heaters you mentioned. Except that the middle "pipe" thing is pretty thin, which is why I assumed it was electric.
And thank you for the responses, you've definitely put my mind at ease for the most part about this!

 

[wildcrowboy]

Hello. I'm doing some research on the heating system in the apartment I'm about to move into with my GCC. It would be great to read the document to which this URL goes:

https://www.clarkson.edu/facilities/Engineering/clarksonconstructionstandards/constructionproductsandactivities/div23hvac.pdf

But it seems that either the URL has been truncated, or the file has been moved. Does anyone have a way to access it?
Thank you.

 

[Clueless]

@JLcribber is this something you can answer?

 

[Mizzely]

Since the link was shared in 2017, I am guessing it has since moved. I have not read the article but I will try to look later tonight or tomorrow to see if I can dig it up. You could also email the university

 

[Momof3litt]

As an FYI to others reading, baseboard heating is very much a "thing" in rental properties in Eastern Canada. Our hydro power is cheap, so adding baseboard heaters is often the most recommend solution (by contractors) to needing to add heat to a space. It's especially common in rentals where tenants pay for their own hydro .

We chose not to do this in our basement and instead use an electric space heater, made by Twin-Star International (which markets under the DuraFlame name, among others). It has a thermostat, which lets you control how hot it gets, but at any temperature we use it should be significantly lower than the 450-500 degrees F that have been shown to release PTFEs into the air. I have contacted the company directly and received a written reply that my heater was not made with any PFAS substances. Their customer service was very responsive and efficient, I was impressed.

I also learned recently that plug-in, movable, oil-fueled radiators are indeed a "thing" and would guarantee safety for birds and children (does not release fumes, cannot get too hot to the touch) although some models don't seem to circulate air as well the the heaters with fans.