Radiant panel smell
maine_tyler
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
After Peter Yost mentioned the under-desk radiant panel in the most recent Q&A, I decided it was the perfect gift for my always cold housemate.
It has an off-putting smell. Granted we haven’t ran it very long yet.
Anyone with experience with these panels know if this smell ‘burns off’?
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https://sshcinc.com/store/
that's the panel (smallest one).
Chances are this is the "new electrical/plastic thing is hot" smell. It should go away after a short while, maybe a few days of use. This is similar to "new car smell", which also goes away after a while. It shouldn't be a problem,
If the "smell" is the nasty "burning electrical" smell, then I'd disconnect the unit immediately and return it.
Unfortunately it is difficult to accurately describe smells with words, but the "hot for the first time" smell is like a styrofoam coffee cup smell when it has hot water in it. The burning electrical smell is more like if you light the coffee cup on fire.
Bill
Thanks Bill. It's definitely not electric: more chemical.
You're righr, smells are hard to describe with words. Strangely enough, it reminds me of the smell of the dentist office I went to as a child. And it's not a pleasant smell. Smells link strongly with memories.
Anyways, I figure it will burn off, but if someone had knowledge of a lingering smell I would work on a return. I'll update if/when it goes away.
Usually smells dissipate faster with air movement and higher temperatures. This basically means if you can tolerate running the radiant panel at max heat for a while, maybe with a fan blowing over the surface too, that should speed up the time it takes to get to a no-smell state. Basically a little short-term pain (nose pain that is ;-) for long-term gain.
Bill
Maybe run it on high for 24 hours in a bathroom where you have an exhaust fan. I would say run it outside, but it wouldn't get hot enough to burn stuff off.
I suspect it would still get plenty hot on the heating surfaces outside, assuming we're not talking about Arctic temperatures. I also suspect that the manufacturing residue is evaporating rapidly more so than burning.
Yes, I didn't really mean "burn off" literally. Just evaporate.