Author Topic: Chimneys (Read 14409 times)

Rupert · « **Reply #20 on:** October 24, 2016, 08:35:36 pm »

Thanks. If you are not interested in the subject, just don't read.

I think that housing furnace flues should be piped to roof height. They always have been until now. I asked why that is and wonder if the codes are adequate on this subject.

bridgecity · « **Reply #21 on:** October 24, 2016, 08:47:02 pm »

Our furnace, hot water heater, and dryer all vent on the same side of the house, all within about 10' of each other, and all about 5' from grade. My house has a 6' setback on that side, and I believe the neighbour's is the same, so about 12' apart. I haven't noticed any condensation issues.

AB will probably ask why I'm not using metric

tpl · « **Reply #22 on:** October 24, 2016, 08:51:59 pm »

Our furnace exhaust, water heater exhaust and the furnace combustion air inlet run up inside a chimney and extend a couple of feet out the top. They were black pipes and when the furnace was replaced they were replaced by the white stuff. Quite difficult to do they furnace guys said. but no holes through walls.

The positioning of two basement windows, the dining room window and the gas and electricity meters left no code legal place for them to be unless they were run up the outside of the house to nearly the roof anyway so much neater to go through the existing chimney

ArticSteve · « **Reply #23 on:** October 24, 2016, 09:04:54 pm »

Rupert, you seems to beating around the bush here. What's the real issue? That your neighbour is slowly poisoning you with natural gas combustion gases.

Rupert · « **Reply #24 on:** October 24, 2016, 09:15:16 pm »

Well, could that be an issue for anyone? Being in contact with gasses that we never were before. Many house holders will be renewing furnaces down the road and this will be an issue for them. The issue is moot if the flue is taken to roof height...for small dollars seemingly. Perhaps more if piping an existing chimney.

ArticSteve · « **Reply #25 on:** October 24, 2016, 09:39:52 pm »

OK, I take it that one of your neighbours has installed a fan driven direct vent heating appliance (furnace) and this has greatly altered the state of your universe.

The issue is moot if the flue is taken to roof height...for small dollars seemingly

Needs to be taken 3 feet above roof height. On a 2 1/2 story house that would be ridiculous, plus on a fan powered system the intake and exhaust pipes need to be approximately the same length.

The code in Ontario is 1 meter from and opening window, door or air intake.

Rupert · « **Reply #26 on:** October 24, 2016, 09:58:40 pm »

Well thanks for your expert knowledge...the thing is, it answers nothing. I wonder where these numbers came from...and I know them already. What I am asking is are they at all adequate. Who has decided upon these numbers? Based on what information.
Yeah, we never had 2 1/2 stories before did we.
We never had flue gasses around our ankles either.

tenpenny · « **Reply #27 on:** October 24, 2016, 10:11:48 pm »

We have a real fireplace that burns wood, like it's supposed to.

Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

HeliDriver · « **Reply #28 on:** October 24, 2016, 10:18:00 pm »

Are we comparing apples and oranges here?

Yes, furnaces used to vent out through the roof. But they were also around 60-70% efficient, so I'm assuming a bunch of unburned gas and other nastiness went out the chimney, too.

AFAIK, it's only the modern high-efficiency furnaces that can be direct vented out a side wall. If the furnace is 95% efficient, how much pollution is actually going out the vent anyway?

Or maybe the emissions are the same, just the amount of heat being pumped out the vent has been reduced?

ArticSteve · « **Reply #29 on:** October 24, 2016, 10:55:22 pm »

Are we comparing apples and oranges here?

No. Rupert is being intentionally incoherent. Since he won't respond directly about what has set him off, lets assume a neighbor has installed a power vent heating appliance next to his house. Some of which can be annoying loud at first notice.

As most already know, traditionally an oil or gas furnace would suck air from inside the house and then use that air to fire the appliance and up the brick lined chimney the gases would go. Many of these chimneys had 2 or 3 vertical chambers and allowed wood burning fire places as well.

Then came along the high efficiency gas power vent furnaces that most homes are built with today or retrofitted with.

In addition to all that are passive direct went gas fireplaces and hot water heaters; passive and power vent.

I would say that a central vacuum vented out the side of a house next to a neighbor would pose a larger health problem.

Ex-airbalancer · « **Reply #30 on:** October 25, 2016, 06:58:06 am »

Quote from: bridgecity on October 24, 2016, 08:47:02 pm

Our furnace, hot water heater, and dryer all vent on the same side of the house, all within about 10' of each other, and all about 5' from grade. My house has a 6' setback on that side, and I believe the neighbour's is the same, so about 12' apart. I haven't noticed any condensation issues.

AB will probably ask why I'm not using metric

I am better at metic liquid measurements

Besides you are not BWII

Great_Big_Abyss · « **Reply #31 on:** October 25, 2016, 08:27:59 am »

Geez, I just did this. Had a new high-efficiency furnace installed that is. They ran pipes out to the back of the house and through the wall. One for intake (for combustion, not fresh air for the house) and one for exhaust. Made out of white PVC they are.

We often have our bedroom window (at the back of the house) open at night, even when the heat is on. I definitely haven't noticed any problems so far with the exhaust being in that area. Maybe a little noise when the furnace kicks onto it's second stage (when heating the house first thing in the morning from 17C to 22C. It woke me up once last week, but hasn't since

I'm in a Duplex. My furnace exhaust is now about 10 feet from a neighbour's window. Maybe I should have asked his permission and the state of his feelings before doing something totally within code on my own damn property.

Gurgie · « **Reply #32 on:** October 25, 2016, 08:46:35 am »

I use my chimney for my woodstove... and boy does that sucker pollute when I get it going!!

Rupert · « **Reply #33 on:** October 25, 2016, 09:53:22 am »

I would say that a central vacuum vented out the side of a house next to a neighbor would pose a larger health problem.

So sorry that your next door neighbor did this to you. Hopefully not on to your patio. I understand that they can be very noisy and now you say carcinogens are present. I would think that the health aspect would be mostly a wash since the same aspect would be experienced from an indoor regular vacuum that most folk use. Still I suppose that you would be getting the neighbors portion in addition. Anyway possibly harmless but a friends installation was extremely noisy.

If tpl's installation is exhausted at roof height...why can all not be so. You can't have your bedroom window open if that is going to blow in can you.

I'm in a Duplex. My furnace exhaust is now about 10 feet from a neighbour's window. Maybe I should have asked his permission and the state of his feelings before doing something totally within code on my own damn property.

So I take it that your neighbor has complained.

Ex-airbalancer · « **Reply #34 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:14:46 am »

Quote from: Rupert on October 25, 2016, 09:53:22 am

I would say that a central vacuum vented out the side of a house next to a neighbor would pose a larger health problem.

So sorry that your next door neighbor did this to you. Hopefully not on to your patio. I understand that they can be very noisy and now you say carcinogens are present. I would think that the health aspect would be mostly a wash since the same aspect would be experienced from an indoor regular vacuum that most folk use. Still I suppose that you would be getting the neighbors portion in addition. Anyway possibly harmless but a friends installation was extremely noisy.

If tpl's installation is exhausted at roof height...why can all not be so. You can't have your bedroom window open if that is going to blow in can you.

You should be more worried about smoke from wood burning fireplace than the exhaust from any NG exhaust

OliverD · « **Reply #35 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:31:43 am »

Quote from: tenpenny on October 24, 2016, 10:11:48 pm

We have a real fireplace that burns wood, like it's supposed to.

I've got two! Love them. Obviously they don't do a ton for heating but the ambience is nice, and I have fans that draw in cold attic air so the fireplaces don't suck all the warm air out of the house.

Rupert · « **Reply #36 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:32:47 am »

You should be more worried about smoke from wood burning fireplace than the exhaust from any NG exhaust

How do you know that.

At least the smoke from a wood fire goes up the chimney. The house that I lived in 60 years ago had a coal fire and nothing else. We all had to huddle around the fire to keep warm in winter. You woke up in the morning with a dew drop on your nose. Fireplaces here are accompanied by central heating. I think I would take the latter every time.

ltruong · « **Reply #37 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:35:47 am »

here in Alberta I'm pretty sure they're all the same. Furnace and hot water tank are next to each other in the basement. About 6 feet from exterior wall. exhaust and intake are about 4 feet from the ground and around 5 feet from each other. I do not think you want your exhaust to be through all your floor going to the roof because that would pose a higher risk of leak inside the house.....more piping.

both pipe are 4inch PVC pipe and the exhaust pipe is barely warm......

OliverD · « **Reply #38 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:38:18 am »

Quote from: Rupert on October 25, 2016, 10:32:47 am

You should be more worried about smoke from wood burning fireplace than the exhaust from any NG exhaust

At least the smoke from a wood fire goes up the chimney.

Why don't you use the quote functionality? Much less work than copy/paste/edit.

Rupert · « **Reply #39 on:** October 25, 2016, 10:47:21 am »

Yeah, have not mastered that yet. It seems to include the whole post when you only want to quote a sentence of it. Takes up a lot of space...must be doing something wrong.

Author Topic: Chimneys (Read 14409 times)

ltruong