Air Conditioner Replacement

[Mylo's Mama]

Hi all! I need some help! I need to replace the air conditioner on my house! Has anyone ever had to do this and how does it affect the fids? Should I move them out for a week? I can't bear to be away from them

[Lori L]

I just replaced my window air conditioner, took 10 min, no effect on the birds at all

[Irish]

Ditto what Lori said, here. Don't know what it would be like if you have one of those "whole house" systems, though.

[jimpierce7]

even with central air it shouldn't be a problem unless you are having the ducts cleaned, then just keep the out while the work is being done.

[Mylo's Mama]

Yes, it is a whole house system that includes the heater. That scares me too!

[Lynjupiter]

I think with a central AC I would run it the first hour with the windows open just to be safe. But it is not like a heater so it should be fine. Now if it is electric heat and air I would definetly move my birds outside when running the heat for the first time.

I once had a broken down AC serviced and the guy sprayed something in it while cleaning it out and the house filled with a funny smell when we turned the AC on. I freaked and opened all the windows but the birds were fine. I called the company and ripped them out about what ever the guy used to spray my AC unit and they assured me everything used was nontoxic and birdsafe.

Lynda

[Samm]

You'll need to keep the birds in a fresh air situation if the guys are doing any soldering, those fumes are toxic to humans as well. I had some work done a couple years ago, and I moved some of mine outside for the day and the rest in a closed room with the windows open and a fan running. Worked out fine.

[birdscomefirst]

Originally Posted by Lynjupiter

I freaked and opened all the windows but the birds were fine. I called the company and ripped them out about what ever the guy used to spray my AC unit and they assured me everything used was nontoxic and birdsafe.

Lynda

Hi Lynda,
I am glad you ripped into them for that but I wouldn't believe them if I were you.
Just a word of caution, NEVER, EVER believe someone that tells you something is birdsafe unless you sit and do the research yourself. Manufacturers, sales people, consumer relations people , rarely if ever have a clue and just give you a standard answer about safety to pets when asked.

A case in point, I bought electric space heaters at Wal-Mart , I bought two. One to use, if safe and one to take apart to see if it was safe. As an experiment, I took the one apart and located several components that were coated with PTFE materials. This is the same non-stick coating (poly tetra flouro ethylene) that is used on cookware and is deadly if overheated. It was on components that could overheat and potentially kill my birds.

I then called the manufacturer of the heaters and explained that my question is seriously important as I needed to know if there were any components in this particular heater that had any non-stick materials or more specifically, PTFEs as part of the component. I explained that I had XX, thousand dollars worth of exotic birds and that overheated PTFEs can kill all my birds and I would hold them liable if that occurred. So I asked outright if the heater I bought (and I gave them the model number) had any parts that I needed to be concerned about.

Remember, I had the parts in my hands that contained PTFEs. The customer service rep that I had on the phone asked me to wait for a few minutes while she confered with a "technical expert" . The response when she returned was that there were absolutely no parts that used teflon or any teflon like materials in this heater and that it was completely safe to use with my birds. I told her that I took the heater apart and had parts in front of me with the DuPont TEFLON logo on it and asked if she could explain that to the "technical expert".

Of course, they acted as though I was nuts, but I had the parts in my hands proving that they were clueless.

NEVER believe anything a sales rep says, and never believe anything a manufacturer claims unless you research everything on your own. They usually just try to blow you off.

Thanks,
Bill

[bekfreak]

Bill should work for a cosumer alert group...bad thing is I never liked how when I had the old stainless at how they cooked. I'd love a cast iron set honestly I would...nothing beats an old seasoned pan, and the iron in them is good for you too...They used to have something the Anebergs Dump or something like that here on one of our local news stations...:) Bill's Dump. :)

[birdscomefirst]

Hi,
When it comes to my "woodgies" (Long story, "woodgies" are a silly term for my birds :-) I'd rather be safe than sorry. I've heard and seen so much B.S. issued from manufacturers when it comes to safety of a product when their main concern is just to sell more of whatever it is. I would hate to see even one bird made sick or worse because of some salesman's lie or misinformation being passed.
Bill