PVC and Microban in HVAC system
believeingreen
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
I’m getting central air conditioning installed, and I’m concerned about any health dangers. The drain pan is treated with Microban and the coil is PVC. They’ll be in my attic, but the attic is not air sealed from the house’s living space.
Will I be exposed to the VOCs from the PVC or the Microban’s outgassing? Thanks so much!
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Replies
The evaporator coil is not made of PVC. It's going to made of metal (Aluminium OR a combination of metal (steel, copper, aluminium).
That's no out-gassing to worry about.
The only PVC component in HVAC systems is the condensate drain pipe. No worries there.
John, thank you so much for responding. I'm curious why you say there's o worries
about the condensate drain pipe. It'll be in my attic, which isn't air sealed from the
living space.
The condensate drain pipe is so tiny that any off gassing will be negligible. You will get many times more off gassing from the jacket of your house electrical wiring.
These components you site are going to be about as far down of the list of air quality concerns as you can get. Your refrigerator components would present an order of magnitude more concern.
You should think about air sealing your ceiling unless your roof happens to be sealed.
There is a good chance you already have PVC pipe in the drains throughout your house, and possibly even the water supply lines. The little condensate drain isn't really adding much. PVC is generally regarded as a pretty safe and stable material too, not something to really be concerned with.
I'm not particularly familiar with Microban, but I can tell you that a lot of the stuff that might otherwise grow in that condensate water most certainly IS something to worry about. The classic example is the legionella bacterium which causes legionnaire's disease.
Bill
Thank you all for your helpful responses! Much appreciated.