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Really concerned! Silicone Sealant put on Fireplace

Paoputrees

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We had a gasket installed on our fireplace. I didn’t realize until later but they used a “Masters high temperature silicone sealant” to glue the gasket on. Its closed behind a glass right now but the fumes were strong when he was applying it

the moment i smelled it I opened all the windows in the area even though its cold outside, put a fan in front of the hallway towards my office room where my birds are and blew air back into the living space with it away from the birds room

i closed the vent in my birds/office room, closed the door and opened their window (not fully because its cold) and turned on the air purifier in my room to high

after he closed the fireplace i cant smell the fumes anymore but still worried

will my birds be okay? They seem fine so far. What should I look out for as early signs?
 

Paoputrees

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If it helps any, theres a huge temp difference now in the living space vs past the fan thats in the hallway, so it feels like the fan blowing air away from the birds room is working?

when i go up to the fireplace i cant smell the fumes anymore either but I know my nose/lungs arent as sensitive as birds
 
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camelotshadow

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Good to close the doors & vents to the bird room. Put a towel under the door.
Provide the most ventilation you can & if there is any doubt best if you can remove the birds.

I imagine while its wet & volatile the fumes would be bad.

Watch for signs of labored breathing & get them out if you see it hoping they will be OK.

No one can say whether your birds will be OK. Depends on the chemical & how much they are exposed to.

I would hope it would be safe once dried & cured but I have read that could take least 2 days.

I would get the brand of caulking used & look up the ingredients/ warnings.

Its not the silicone but the other chemicals mixed in with it. Each brand may have a different formula with different dry times etc.
Some are saying they can smell up to a week. Without the specific brand etc it would be hard to know for sure but some of those are not even meant to be used inside. Your contractor should tell you the brand so you can read the precautions. Sometimes even people can become lightheaded & dizzy from these things.

You just can;t be too careful about unknown chemicals & a birds respiratory system.

@JLcribber might have some insight & recomendations.
 
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Paoputrees

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Okay if I see any sign of them having trouble breathing ill heat up one of our cars and put them in there for a few hours and keep the space fully ventilated

ill look up the ingredients and am putting a towel under / around the door as i type and get back to this thread on the ingredients asap

Something i dont fully understand though is how HVAC with HRV systems work- i closed the vent in their room that has incoming air (and heating) just in case but does that circulate the indoor air everywhere or does it take the indoor air out and outdoor air in through the vents? Just dont want that room to cool down too much
 

camelotshadow

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It won't dry well if the room is too cold. These things need to cure. Again read directions & ask contactor about the temperature range of use.
 

Shezbug

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Burt was once affected by fumes and he was wonky and weird well before his breathing altered so labored breathing is not the only sign to watch for- just be aware of any differences in your birds behavior, balance etc

I would think keeping the fire door closed should take care of all or at least most of the fumes.
Airing out the room the fireplace is in, isolating the birds and their air supply from the room the fireplace is in and being aware of what is happening with your birds alertness and behavior should have all bases covered.
 

Paoputrees

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Okay good to know. I stepped out for fresh air and came back in and put my nose right up to the fireplace and around the room and couldnt smell anything. The sealant is covered by the gasket which is also covered by a glass door on the fireplace, but probably the most concerning fumes are from when it was being applied and not yet covered, maybe those fumes from the application are still circulating

here is the materials safety sheet for it which looks like it includes the ingredientshttps://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/667a0e7e/files/uploaded/masters_high_temp_silicone.pdf

birds are still acting normal

Ill continue to ventilate and close off the room while making sure the temp doesnt get too cold in here for them
 

Paoputrees

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To update: they are still acting completely normal, no sign of anything wrong and its been almost 24 hours now :) so I think they will be ok.
 
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