Seattle Home Inspection Newsletter

BACKDRAFTING EXHAUST GAS HAZARDS - brought to you by Seattle's Home Inspection Team

We found this in a home in West Seattle yesterday. The furnace and hot water heater shared the same closet. The furnaces cold air return was broken, and sucking air out of the small space pulling the exhaust out of the burner chamber under this hot water heater.

The sheet metal is loose on the joists
that make up this furnaces cold air
return. Not only causing the hot water
to backdraft, but very efficiently
distributing these potentially lethal
gasses throughout the home.


This hot water heater has exhaust rollout. If your water heater has these stains please have it checked out.

What makes this so dangerous is that the exhaust gasses from this water heater are getting circulated throughout the home by the furnace! I repeat, EVERYONE with gas appliances, attached garages or in multifamily MUST HAVE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS. What you can't smell can kill you!

Read more on backdrafting at our website.


If you find this information useful, don't keep us a secret!
List us on any of your favorite networking / bookmarking sites
Bookmark and Share

3 comments • JJ and Suzanne Greive - Seattle Area ASHI Inspections • February 26 2010 10:49AM

Comments

Amazing what we do to ourselves to try and see how fast we can kill ourselves.

Posted by Gene Allen Realtor Hampton Roads Real Estate (Resh Realty Group) 6 months ago

Hello JJ & Suzanne,

Thank you for your post and important message.  Love your saying - "What you can't smell, can kill you"! 

Rita

 

Posted by Rita Minion (O'Brien Realty) 5 months ago

Thanks Rita,

I always make a big deal about carbon monoxide.  My clients would be really upset if I missed a roof leak for example, but they will be dead if they are exposed CO.

 

Posted by JJ and Suzanne Greive - Seattle Area ASHI Inspections (Home Inspections of Puget Sound) 5 months ago

Participate

(optional)
What does the graphic say?