Mozz
Everyoneâs fine, itâs in the caution range, and everyoneâs O2 is fine. Why is it highest where thereâs no fuel source? The reading is a 6 at the furnace and wood stove, and all of downstairs, and a 9 in the kitchen and bedrooms. (The stove is electric.)
The alarms went off in this order: laundry room (downstairs), the kitchen (up), and the furnace one (down) didnât go off until 2:00 this morning. Wood stove was never running. Well it is now, I turned off the furnace. But it was never running when all this happened.
The oil burner is dirty and heâs fixing that. Is that the beginning and end of this? Why wouldnât it be higher by the furnace? Is it a heat-rises thing? We have an attached garage but it wasnât that.
Would a long exposure to low levels reveal itself in an O2 reading? Everyone's O2 is at 98%.
Answer
These type of problems are always difficult to solve on the other end of a computer screen. A site visit by a professional HVAC tech with a combustion analyzer and trouble shooting skills or a well trained energy auditor would be recommended.
For HVAC companies I would look for IHACI, ACCA, ASHRAE, and NATE trade association
BPI is a national organization that focuses on CAZ or combustion zone testing for energy auditors and contractors.Many HERS Raters are also trained in these procedures.
My guess would be a cracked heat exchanger which would mean you need to replace the furnace. The unit produces CO but should not mix with conditioned air. A cracked heat exchanger can cause this and would explain why you have higher readings away from the unit.
It is also possible that your unit distributed the CO through the return air (air going into furnace) throughout the homes supply (air coming out of registers). The return air from the rooms was weaker due to pressure imbalances having the CO sit in those rooms and produce higher level readings
The alarm might have tripped when the unit was not running because your furnace was mixing the air.Once the mixing ceased the air might have settled and the alarm tripped
A test should be done on the flue gas of the furnace.
A test should be done to qualify your draft.
forget about the O2 reading your concern is the CO reading. Certainly an entire household in the 6-9 range is unacceptable.
You should be glad you had these sensors as CO is a silent killer and has been associated at low levels with a whole host of health issues.
Good luck
These type of problems are always difficult to solve on the other end of a computer screen. A site visit by a professional HVAC tech with a combustion analyzer and trouble shooting skills or a well trained energy auditor would be recommended.
For HVAC companies I would look for IHACI, ACCA, ASHRAE, and NATE trade association
BPI is a national organization that focuses on CAZ or combustion zone testing for energy auditors and contractors.Many HERS Raters are also trained in these procedures.
My guess would be a cracked heat exchanger which would mean you need to replace the furnace. The unit produces CO but should not mix with conditioned air. A cracked heat exchanger can cause this and would explain why you have higher readings away from the unit.
It is also possible that your unit distributed the CO through the return air (air going into furnace) throughout the homes supply (air coming out of registers). The return air from the rooms was weaker due to pressure imbalances having the CO sit in those rooms and produce higher level readings
The alarm might have tripped when the unit was not running because your furnace was mixing the air.Once the mixing ceased the air might have settled and the alarm tripped
A test should be done on the flue gas of the furnace.
A test should be done to qualify your draft.
forget about the O2 reading your concern is the CO reading. Certainly an entire household in the 6-9 range is unacceptable.
You should be glad you had these sensors as CO is a silent killer and has been associated at low levels with a whole host of health issues.
Good luck
Monitor 40 ... I have two of these heaters in my home. What maintenance is required before I fire them up?
NEWTOME
They've been off all summer (I didn't turn off the pump, though). I use K1 fuel. My fuel supplier said it's not worth having someone come out and inspect them 'cause there's always big bills for replacement parts, more than the heaters are worth. Besides vacuuming the dust off, is there anything else I can/should do to ensure a safe heating season? Thanks!
Answer
First off, make sure that you have a carbon monoxide monitor/alarm in the room where you have these heaters. Then at least if combustion gases are leaking you will be warned before CO levels get fatally high.
These heaters are pretty reliable and rugged. If it ran o.k. last season then chances are it should operate reasonably well this season. In addition to vacuuming the dust you should look for leaks at fuel fittings and use a flexible mirror to look for obvious corrosion, cracks, holes, etc. in the burner area.
There are several things that should be maintained, inspected and adjusted at least every 3 and 6 years so depending on when you had the last inspection you may want to do one or more of the following things. Many of them require special tools and instruments so you'll have to decide if you call in someone to do it or not.
Check bearings, clean all fans, clean pwb board/check wire connections, clean cabinet, clean grill, clean drip pan, clean strainer, check for debris, check flame detective plug, air flow check with special Manometer guages, set air to fuel ratio.
Some things that may need to be replaced:
Combustion Burner Pot Assembly
Combustion Burner Ring
Front Chamber gasket
Filter cartridge at tank
Flame detective plug packing
Damper o-ring
Small and Large O-ring at exhaust flue
O-gasket for ignitor
Combustion chamber gasket at Base
Heater Cover packing
First off, make sure that you have a carbon monoxide monitor/alarm in the room where you have these heaters. Then at least if combustion gases are leaking you will be warned before CO levels get fatally high.
These heaters are pretty reliable and rugged. If it ran o.k. last season then chances are it should operate reasonably well this season. In addition to vacuuming the dust you should look for leaks at fuel fittings and use a flexible mirror to look for obvious corrosion, cracks, holes, etc. in the burner area.
There are several things that should be maintained, inspected and adjusted at least every 3 and 6 years so depending on when you had the last inspection you may want to do one or more of the following things. Many of them require special tools and instruments so you'll have to decide if you call in someone to do it or not.
Check bearings, clean all fans, clean pwb board/check wire connections, clean cabinet, clean grill, clean drip pan, clean strainer, check for debris, check flame detective plug, air flow check with special Manometer guages, set air to fuel ratio.
Some things that may need to be replaced:
Combustion Burner Pot Assembly
Combustion Burner Ring
Front Chamber gasket
Filter cartridge at tank
Flame detective plug packing
Damper o-ring
Small and Large O-ring at exhaust flue
O-gasket for ignitor
Combustion chamber gasket at Base
Heater Cover packing
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