The impact of asbestos dust from that oven

Since those old thermal storage heaters are insulated with asbestos glass wool, I’m trying to figure out how much of a risk the dust actually poses—specifically, whether it's only an issue when they're being vented or if the danger is constant regardless.

Ever since I stumbled upon the fact that there's asbestos in the heater, I've felt a bit like I'm living with a live atomic bomb just waiting to go off.

We are considering having it removed from the house, though most of us grew up around these types of units and never had any issues. I'm probably overthinking things, but I really don't want to gamble with my health even a little bit, so I'm wondering about the actual level of risk. For instance, if the asbestos is properly sealed within the walls, is everything fine? Is there some kind of containment or insulation inside these specific heaters?

James Cruz6 said:Since those old thermal storage heaters were insulated with asbestos glass wool, I’m wondering how much of a risk the asbestos dust actually poses. Is it only dangerous if they are being vented out, or does it not matter at all?

Ever since I stumbled upon the fact that there's asbestos in my heater, I've felt like I'm sitting on an unexploded atomic bomb right in my own living room.

We're considering ripping it out entirely, though most of us grew up with these units and never ran into issues. I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm certainly not willing to gamble with my health, even by a tiny margin, so I need to know what the actual danger is. For instance, if the asbestos is properly sealed within the walls, is everything fine? Does this kind of heater have some sort of internal insulation that keeps it contained?

Mine didn't have any asbestos. When we moved, the workers tore it down and found nothing but bricks inside. It probably depends on the manufacturer, but if you're looking at a newer model, I highly doubt there's any asbestos in there since it's been banned for ages. Nowadays, fiberglass or rock wool has completely replaced that old stuff for insulation.

I'm pretty sure these are those old units from the royalist General Electric factory, and they're packed with nothing but green asbestos glass wool inside.

It’s honestly tragic how much asbestos is still being used. It hasn't even been fully banned by law here yet 😲, which is why so many people in cities like Split or Omiš have ended up suffering from asbestos-related illnesses due to their time working at the Salona plant.

While digging through some old archives, I came across a claim from a fellow forum member suggesting that asbestos hasn't been used in TA furnaces for quite some time now... though, honestly, you can never be entirely sure about those things.

James Cruz6 said:I was digging through some old archives and found a user claiming they stopped using asbestos in TA furnaces ages ago... but you can never be too sure.

Look, I don't know what your budget looks like, but honestly? Old, sketchy equipment should just be tossed and replaced with something modern. Why on earth would you want to risk your health dealing with asbestos? There are plenty of ways to heat a home today, including new thermal units that pull way less power than that old thing you're running. Just take out a small loan if you have to; it’ll pay for itself in lower utility bills down the road. Or better yet, grab a heat pump. I know tons of people who ditched their space heaters for AC units with heating capabilities and swear their electric bills actually went down. Plus, you get cooling in the summer—and let's face it, summers are only getting hotter. They're even cheaper to buy during the off-season. Just make sure you haul that old furnace to a proper hazardous waste site so that asbestos gets handled the right way.

We just picked up a brand-new unit that looks absolutely pristine, though honestly, its design hasn't changed a bit in thirty years, and it actually comes from the same manufacturer. We have air conditioning, but living here in California, using it for heat is just as miserable—at least for me—because it dries out the air so much that I end up with nothing but dry skin and headaches; I never actually feel warm, so I really can't stand AC. We were gifted our old one, so we managed to scrape through last winter with it, but this time we decided to skip the AC altogether and bought a thermal mass heater instead, only to find out about the whole asbestos issue afterward. Now, before we even think about turning it on, I'm terrified and just want to know if there's any asbestos in it.

In my city, everyone was rushing to get their hands on these heaters; we actually had to reserve ours well in advance because it seems like everyone suddenly decided AC wasn't enough anymore. It’s especially helpful since whenever we get a bit of heavy storm activity down here—which happens quite often—the power goes out, leaving you freezing while the thermal mass keeps the house warm. There used to be some high-quality German models available, but they sold out completely and aren't being restocked, and even the ones coming from those royalist manufacturers were incredibly hard to track down.

Anyway, maybe someone who knows for sure will chime in... thanks either way!

kisha said:We have central air, but here in California, using it for heating is just as miserable—at least for me. It dries out the air so much that on top of having skin like parchment, I end up with a splitting headache...

I alternate between the AC and a Terra Cotta heater, and if you want my honest opinion, those clay heaters are even worse at stripping moisture from the room. What actually saved me was picking up a small humidifier; it’s this little gadget shaped somewhat like a handheld iron. You just pour in some distilled water and it emits a cool mist. Honestly, it makes a world of difference. I no longer wake up with a throat and nose so parched that I can't even manage a sentence until I've had a few sips of water.