carbon monoxide detectors canada image
Q. c.h&a, system went out,we installed 2 1,000 sq.ft wall heaters vent free 1 in the front room to heat front room and kitchen,approximately 1000 sq.ft. The other in a hallway 4ft. x 33 ft,,to heat 3brs,1 bath.all ceiling fans are running.with this much space,and them being vent free should i be concerened with carbon monoxide?We are going to get some detectors today,but my wife and I woke up tired,not normal for us.But kids are energetic.Anyway should I be cocerned? thanks in advance.
Answer
You can have a "vent free" gas appliance that will throw off some heat, water vapour, traces of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, and may, if it's not maintained properly, operated or installed correctly, kill you and your family in your sleep...Or, you can have a "direct-vent" heater that uses outside air in a sealed combustion system, which only puts HEAT into your home, allowing you and your family to sleep in safety, knowing that even if the burner acts up and starts to produce carbon monoxide you aren't going to be breathing it!
I apologize for being abrupt. But I feel very strongly about the inherit dangers of these things. Especially if it is in a sleeping area! I only wish you had asked this question before you purchased and installed them. There is a very real reason these appliances are not even legal to install anywhere in Canada and parts of the US.
My personal and professional opinion is to remove them from any sleeping area!
To answer your question directly...Yes!!! Be very concerned. And watch those appliances like a hawk. Make sure your monoxide detectors are in perfect shape on a very regular basis.
You can have a "vent free" gas appliance that will throw off some heat, water vapour, traces of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, and may, if it's not maintained properly, operated or installed correctly, kill you and your family in your sleep...Or, you can have a "direct-vent" heater that uses outside air in a sealed combustion system, which only puts HEAT into your home, allowing you and your family to sleep in safety, knowing that even if the burner acts up and starts to produce carbon monoxide you aren't going to be breathing it!
I apologize for being abrupt. But I feel very strongly about the inherit dangers of these things. Especially if it is in a sleeping area! I only wish you had asked this question before you purchased and installed them. There is a very real reason these appliances are not even legal to install anywhere in Canada and parts of the US.
My personal and professional opinion is to remove them from any sleeping area!
To answer your question directly...Yes!!! Be very concerned. And watch those appliances like a hawk. Make sure your monoxide detectors are in perfect shape on a very regular basis.
Could furnace have a failing secondary heat exchanger?
Stuck in t
Our 18 year old Carrier Weathermaker has a strong, sour smell coming from the PVC pipe to the outdoors. In the past week, the furnace fan also often continues after the heat has stopped, so cold air is being forced through our house until I turn off the gas and electric to the furnace and press the manual button on the side of the fire box (my term, as I know little about this stuff).
I am looking at having the furnace replaced because two service people said that this is a major problem and that carbon monoxide could leak into the house. Just to avoid the obvious, I should mention that the air filter is clean and that the limit switch was replaced recently in an effort to fix the fan problem. The fan problem and sour smell continues. I also see a small amount of condensation/water in the furnace.
I read on the internet that Carrier settled a suit alleging that secondary heat exchangers were designed of poor materials and could fail early. As a result, Carrier agrred to replace the secondary heat exchanger if it failed (both parts and labor).
Because I have no idea whether this is the problem...any experts out there who could tell me if it might be?
Thanks.
Answer
It sounds to me like the secondary heat exchanger may have failed, causing the furnace to shut off the heating element but not the fan. That would explain why you are getting cold air blowing through the house - because the thermostat thinks it should still be in heating mode, and so keeps the fan going, but the furnace thinks (probably correctly) that it's not safe to keep the flame on.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real risk in the case of a cracked secondary heat exchanger, so if I were you I would not wait long to replace your furnace. I would also make sure you have a CO detector in every bedroom in your house, so if things do deteriorate to the point where your furnace is leaking CO into the house, you know it instantly and don't asphyxiate in your sleep.
And you are right, there was a class action settlement in both the US and Canada relating to these faulty heat exchangers, although I believe many of the heat exchangers that cracked early on (and caused the class action lawsuits to launch) were the result of installers selling oversized furnaces, which tend to cycle more frequently and therefore cause more wear on components.
In any case, the Carrier settlement is not likely to help you out very much because your furnace is so old and the settlement was prorated based on furnace age. You might get a couple of hundred dollars towards a new furnace. They may pay the full amount to replace the heat exchanger (it should cover both parts and service - don't let the HVAC company charge you a cent) but a furnace isn't really expected to last more than about 20 years, so maybe you just lost out and have to replace yours a couple of years early.
I know the cracked heat exchanger problem has made a lot of people unhappy about Carrier but in fact they are really one of the best furnace companies on the market, and I know several installers who won't install anything else. I installed a Bryant furnace in my own home 13 years ago and it has never caused me any problems (Bryant and Carrier are both made by the same company.) The Carrier Infinity ICS furnace is probably the best furnace on the market - and won't have the same heat exchanger problem you're experiencing.
It sounds to me like the secondary heat exchanger may have failed, causing the furnace to shut off the heating element but not the fan. That would explain why you are getting cold air blowing through the house - because the thermostat thinks it should still be in heating mode, and so keeps the fan going, but the furnace thinks (probably correctly) that it's not safe to keep the flame on.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real risk in the case of a cracked secondary heat exchanger, so if I were you I would not wait long to replace your furnace. I would also make sure you have a CO detector in every bedroom in your house, so if things do deteriorate to the point where your furnace is leaking CO into the house, you know it instantly and don't asphyxiate in your sleep.
And you are right, there was a class action settlement in both the US and Canada relating to these faulty heat exchangers, although I believe many of the heat exchangers that cracked early on (and caused the class action lawsuits to launch) were the result of installers selling oversized furnaces, which tend to cycle more frequently and therefore cause more wear on components.
In any case, the Carrier settlement is not likely to help you out very much because your furnace is so old and the settlement was prorated based on furnace age. You might get a couple of hundred dollars towards a new furnace. They may pay the full amount to replace the heat exchanger (it should cover both parts and service - don't let the HVAC company charge you a cent) but a furnace isn't really expected to last more than about 20 years, so maybe you just lost out and have to replace yours a couple of years early.
I know the cracked heat exchanger problem has made a lot of people unhappy about Carrier but in fact they are really one of the best furnace companies on the market, and I know several installers who won't install anything else. I installed a Bryant furnace in my own home 13 years ago and it has never caused me any problems (Bryant and Carrier are both made by the same company.) The Carrier Infinity ICS furnace is probably the best furnace on the market - and won't have the same heat exchanger problem you're experiencing.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar