topic Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There??? in Home

Any Furnace Experts Out There???

coffee drinker — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 23:21:17 GMT

We have a gas furnace with the intake/out-take pipes on the outside of the house about 2 feet from the ground. The problem exists in the winter when it snows. If these pipes get clogged with the snow, the furnace will shut down. When there is a heavy storm, which happens quite often in the northeast, it's a real PITA having to outside to clear these pipes. We have to trudge thru the snow the entire front of the house and half-way to the side where the pipes are located. No kids in our neighborhood because it's a 55+ community. Our community has people clearing the snow from driveways and walkways, but they are not contracted to clear these pipes. Our furnace guy "suggested" going thru the inside of the master closet to bring the pipe higher. That was his only suggestion and we don't care for this idea of having to rip thru floors, carpeting and sheetrock. We've been told it's not as easy as just extending the pipes or we would have had this done. I'm wondering if any of you have had this problem and how you remedied it. Everything has to be legal and safe since we're dealing with gas and carbon monoxide -- think that's what it is.

Maybe there's a furnace guy/gal who reads this and has some suggestions.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

Allegheny — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 23:51:45 GMT

Your issue is interesting. We are in the northeast also. Our intake/out take pipes exit outside our house from our basement, but are a good 4-5 feet above the ground. I know when we asked about applying a screen over them to prevent birds or bugs coming in, we were told we could not hinder the flow in any manner.

Since you live in a 55+ community, are there any other homes similar to yours? If there are, I wouldn't hesitate to knock on their door. In the meantime, I would call different furnace installers and ask them about possible solutions. Hopefully they would be willing to discuss on the phone without coming to the house, cause you know if they come and look they will charge you.

I'll keep your post in mind and ask some of my innovative family members.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

Kachina624 — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 00:12:58 GMT

I've never heard of this and have always lived in houses with gas heat. All my pipes are on the roof and nothing ever gets clogged except the satellite dish.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

In-x-s — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 02:10:05 GMT

I know that can be a huge problem. How about some time of shelter over the pipes and out a ways to prevent the snow from piling up right by the vent?

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

presleycat — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 02:40:09 GMT

There are safety guidelines that must be followed when venting gas appliances. Check with your local building inspector to see if a permit was required to make the installation of your furnace. If the venting doesn't meet the safety code requirements (and it sounds like it doesn't) the Building Inspector has the right to make the contractor re-do the work at his own expense.

The Building Inspector can also tell you what the regulations are for the venting.

If all else fails check your furnace to see if there are any stickers showing the name of the company that sold/installed the furnace and venting and contact them directly.

Please make sure you take care of this unsafe situation before the snow flies. Good Luck

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

PinkyPetunia — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:18:00 GMT

It sounds like you are talking about a gas hot air furnace that is power vented out the side of a building that has no chimney. I have the same issue with high snows blocking the exhaust pipes (hot water heater, too). The safety features shut down the systems if they detect an issue.

There isn't an easy solution. If the snow doesn't fall too heavily, the heat of the exhaust melts the snow, but if the wind is blowing strongly and right into the vent, the snow can build up. I make sure to go out and remove snow from the area myself. In my case it's not hard to reach and I have to go out anyway to walk the dog regardless of the weather. I also have a clothes dryer vent in the same area and I have to make sure that doesn't get snow covered, too. I have shielded the vents with a piece of plywood (like a lean-to) with the sides open so as not to hinder airflow and this has worked but it does require vigilance.

Have you asked your Community Manager about this problem? What do others in your development do to take care of this issue?

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

BOYINTX — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:28:50 GMT

Why are their no children ? A 55 year old neighborhood ? What is it Sun City ?

I cannot be around gas as It smothers me. Maybe get some heaters on Q ? cAN YOU GET HOT WATER WITHOUT GAS ?

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

Meeras — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:30:51 GMT

you have interesting issue..

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

ID2 — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 10:24:39 GMT

Wow OP how long have you lived there? This would NEVER pass inspection! You need to get this fixed pronto!

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

Nuttmeg — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:38:29 GMT

On 10/20/2014 ID2 said:
Wow OP how long have you lived there? This would NEVER pass inspection! You need to get this fixed pronto!

This passes code. A better solution would have cost a builder additional construction costs. it would have increased the price of the homes. Please check with your HOA.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

goodstuff — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:26:44 GMT

If I were you, I'd consult another heating contractor (or a couple of them) and get the issue fixed. You need competent, on-site analysis and solutions. An internet chat board probably isn't your best resource.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

Suzeecat — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:43:10 GMT

I had the same problem several years back when we had a blizzard in Michigan. We had a new furnace and it was installed by a reputable dealer so I'm sure it was up to code, but you can't always anticipate such a problem. I don't think it's a health hazard with respect to fumes (although I could be wrong) since the furnace stops running. Heating contractors probably suggest to people when calling for service during heaving snow periods that they check it before they send someone out.

If it's too hard for you to keep the area clear, I would suggest that you contact whoever negotiates the snow-clearing contract to have that service added. No doubt you are not the only ones having this problem! If that fails, maybe you could catch the people doing the shoveling and offer them a cash "tip" to clear it.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

pink-rainbows — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 21:02:03 GMT

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

coffee drinker — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 22:19:34 GMT

Thank you all for your replies. I'll try to respond to some that I can remember.

BoyinTX: We do not live in Sun City -- more like Snow City. J/K - The reason there are no kids here is because we live in a 55 and olderadult community -- no persons under 18 allowed.

ID2: The furnace/vents are OK/legal according to building inspector.

Pink Petals: We seldom travel extended periods of time in the winter.

I've talked with some neighbors and some just say they've extended their vent pipes themselves without authorization from our Association Board. This is not the thing to do -- could cause serious problems. My next step is contacting our Board to see if they'll advise me of what people did that complied with the Board. Any outside modification to homes has to be approved by them. I know some just do what they want, but we comply with the R&R.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please pass them along.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

gardenman — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 22:33:03 GMT

A crude solution would be to put a large, flatter container filled with ice melt under the vents. A couple of inches of ice melt in a litter box type container under the vent might serve to keep the snow from building up. You might have to build a large flat box to accommodate the ice melt (rock salt) but if you're melting the snow as it falls, you shouldn't suffer from buildup. This would create a very briny solution that will likely overflow and harm your lawn long term, but as a short term solution it should work okay.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

pattypeep — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 22:49:07 GMT

I concur with the poster that suggested checking first with your county building dept. Then, if it appears to be per code, get a hold of a gas furnace company. This brings back memories of what my dh and I went through when we first built our house. We came home from work one day with our carbon monoxide detector blaring. We immediately called the gas co. and they checked the house with their special little gizmo. We had a high amount of monoxide through the house. We were mortified as we had four pets in the house. Come to find out, the contractor put the intake and output pipes too close together on the outside wall and much of what went out came back in. And ~ it was inspected !! We recalled that we had felt nauseated and not up to par for several weeks. Praise the Lord for the carbon alerts. I hope that your issue is resolved and that you do not need to pay a bunch of money.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

gabstoomuch — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 22:49:44 GMT

I am lucky my vent is high, above an exit out of my cellar. But this must be a common problem. Even calling Home Depot or Lowes (or going there) and asking might point you in a direction. Most of the guys (I find) are retired contractors and give pretty good advice (and sometimes saves money because there are "do it yourself" solutions that you may not know about.

My first thought about extending the line could be dangerous (and I have NO idea, but it was what crossed my mind). I have a feeling the distance of pipe from furnace to exit is just long enough to monitor and trigger a back-up of gas fumes, hence triggering the furnace shuts down for safety. Extending the distance could let the fumes back up for longer, and become more dense, before tripping the shut down, and that would scare me, personally.

I would ask around the DIY home stores, you cant possibly be alone in this problem?

Good Luck!

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

gardenman — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:12:13 GMT

Another alternative would be soil heating cables placed below the vent and plugged in when snow is expected. Soil heating cables are used to heat seed beds and are waterproof. They'd generate enough heat to melt the snow as it falls. You don't even have to bury them, just lay them on the soil beneath the vent and plug them in when snow is forecast.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

coffee drinker — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 23:11:50 GMT

On 10/21/2014 gardenman said: Another alternative would be soil heating cables placed below the vent and plugged in when snow is expected. Soil heating cables are used to heat seed beds and are waterproof. They'd generate enough heat to melt the snow as it falls. You don't even have to bury them, just lay them on the soil beneath the vent and plug them in when snow is forecast.

Gardenman,

Thank you for that suggestion -- I checked those cables on Amazon--very interesting. We may look further into them. We do have an outdoor outlet, but naturally, it isn't close to where these vents are. Amazon showed extension cords, but I wondered if they could be plugged into a "regular" indoor house outlet.

Re: Any Furnace Experts Out There???

gardenman — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:41:00 GMT

coffee drinker. Officially you should always plug any outdoor electrical device into a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet. In reality few people do. For the ultimate in safety use a GFCI, but for intermittent use of soil heating cables only when it snows, you're probably okay skipping using one as long as you're careful. If you're using an extension cord from inside your house and you're not electrically grounded (holding onto a metal sink faucet, metal drain pipe, metal appliance with a grounded skin, or standing in a pool of water) while plugging in or unplugging the extension cord from inside your house, you're probably completely safe. It's not all that easy to electrocute yourself or lots more people would be doing it.