Furnace ventilation

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
Heck, "word on the street" from my local contractors is that in the near future EVERY RNC house MUST have a fresh air ventalation system. )</font>


Ben here for 4 years already in Minnesota.

murph

 

[Sigarms]

Thats my point, each state is different.

 

[kenmac]

Not like that here ,yet , but talk is, it's comming .The only time you have to have fresh air here is , when the area where the appliances are installed, (W.H. / FAF) doesn't have enough air to support ventilation / combustion ,or if the appliances are sealed combustion chambers & all air for combustion / ventilation comes from outside.

 

[Jstpssng]

So it's just the lights that are causing the problems? Both heaters and the hot water are vented; and the stove only runs for a short time. (No pilots; it's either electronic ignition, or a match if the generator isn't running.) That would make sense actually; if the fridge was causing problems it would go out if nobody entered the camp for a couple weeks.

I'm still used to the old Servels; they caused a lot of deaths and problems. They were probably not maitained though, and possibly not so efficient. (We used to dry our boots overnight on the fridge vent.)

Guess I'll sleep a little better now... literally.

 

[Sigarms]

I found out three years later after I left a particular state that a good customer of mine had been killed.

He was a licensed contractor (HVAC) who installed a natural vent gas water heater in his own home.

He died of carbon monoxide that came from his own water heater that he installed himself.

A CO detector is a MUST in any home.

 

[kenmac]

No, I'am not saying that the lights are the problem or not problem. I can't see your equip . from here. If your fridge. isn't burning properly it too will produce CO.I thought you were talking about a old servel type fridge. There are still several of those around here & if kept properly serviced are safe. I don't know what type fridge you have ,but anyone that has gas equipment that don't keep it properly serviced & mantained is asking for trouble.I've been in the gas business for approx 30 yrs & the problems arise when folkes don't keep their equip. mantained. A CO. detector is a good back up , but don't just rely on it alone. I have talked to several makers of CO. detectors & haven't been able to get an answer as to how long the sensors are good for in their units 1,2,3 yrs etc;The machine that I use to check for CO. cost about $1500.00 or so, & is calbriated every week. I use this detector when a CO. call comes in where a customer's $25.00-$50.00 CO. detector went off. there is no substitute for mantaining your equip.Can't stress this enough.

 

[Jstpssng]

This is a brand new camp, we've only been using it a year. All the appliances are brand new. It was prefabbed in Canada, then hauled on site; in other words, pretty darned tight.

We had numerous problems the first winter, and not just with the propane; mostly because the job went to the lowest bidder. This summer we had a serviceman from a reputable company come in and check things out; he fixed several leaks, changed a few things, and generally brought things up to code.

Kenmac, I know you can't diagnose over the wires; but sometimes ignorance isn't bliss, and your comments are putting names on some of the things which I had heard third hand. I.E;While I may still sleep with a window open, I now know that it isn't normal to vent the fridge; vs. a case of him not wanting to do it. (We had a lot of that from the original contractors, mostly because of the travel time to get to the camp.)
I also now recognise how much more O2 the lights, oven, and stovetop require. I hadn't really thought about it before because I'm used to old, leaky camps where that didn't matter, but often had the Servel stuck in the shed or on the porch.

Also, the first place I ever stayed in with a Servel gassed 3 coworkers; 25 years later I guess I'm am still leery.

I do appreciate the comments; and have read your disclaimer in the fine print. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[kenmac]

When you say the service man repaired several leaks. Are you refering to gas leaks ? If so, not wise to go with the lowest bid. If this hut is small and of tight const ,I would say you need fresh air in that bldg.I don't have my mew gas code with me at the time ,but the code book that I have is the southern gas code which states :min air requirments are an opening size of 1sq.in. per 1000 btu. but not less than 100 sq. in. This is a general rule of thumb. Your situation you may require more or less fresh air .The gas appliances that are burning in that hut are using up oxygen to burn just like you ( + how many others are in there) are using up oxygen up to breath.I don't know if the gas appliances that you are using have ODS(oxygen depletion safety) on them or not.this is used on some gas appliances to shut the appliance down should the oxygen level in the room drop to a predetermind level.Gas appliances will use up oxygen where they are located ,don't matter if you have enough oxygen to live or not. ODS pilot systems are a great advancement to prevent deaths , that an appliance will hopefully shut down before someone dies ,but I wouldn't bet my life on it. I know that I said in an another reply that I have been in the gas business bor approx .30 yrs ,I didn't mean for that to imply that I know all there is to know . In this business , we all learn everyday.

 

[Highbeam]

"A CO detector is a MUST in any home"

Come on now, what if that house is all electric? I have one but likely wouldn't if not for the gas appliances.

 

[Jstpssng]

We now realise that bidding the job out wasn't the cheapest method in the long run. That's a lesson taught many times over the years, but never seems to be completely learned.

Yes, the technician was repairing gas leaks, and also corrected a couple of other errors. The system was originally pressure tested only;(leak down?) now each connection has been checked with liquid.
I'll have to check the BTU's on the gas lamps; they are probably what's sucking most of the oxygen out of the air, as the detector is most prone to go off after everyone's settled in for the night and no door's have been opened in a while.

I'll also check on the ODS; I didn't even know there was such a thing. They may not be foolproof, but are a good fall-back device along with the CO detector. Like anything though a little common sense is the best safety device. The more information I can learn the better off I'll be.

When someone thinks they know everything I start getting nervous. I'm learning a lot from what you are saying; which can help me make educated decisions now, and in the future.

Thanks for your help.