Appliance Safety

As part of our home energy audit we test the safety of all the gas appliances in the home, such as furnaces, water heaters and stoves. It is not uncommon for us to find serious health hazards due to issues with these appliances. This is one of the out-of-site and out-of-mind issues that may never be an issue until something changes in the home. For example, in older homes appliances are often drawing combustion air from inside of the home. Because the house is leaky there is plenty of fresh air to provide proper combustion; however, if new windows are installed and a large amount of the air infiltration is reduced, suddenly there may not be enough ventilation for proper combustion. Now the home may have issues with combustion by-products spilling into the house, back-drafting of the burner flames or carbon-monoxide.

Another issue we assess when doing our inspection is evidence of a cracked heat exchanger in an older furnace. The heat exchanger is a piece of metal that transfers the heat between the furnace flames and the air that is circulated through the home. The two chambers must be completely isolated from each other as the burners give off dangerous combustion by-products. When the heat exchanger develops a crack due to years of contraction and expansion, the combustion products are sucked into the duct system and distributed throughout the home. If you notice dark streaks around the supply registers and they cannot be removed with gentle wiping, this could be soot from the furnace which is a clear indicator of a cracked heat exchanger.

A gas leak is another issue that is commonly undiagnosed for years. Usually leaks occur at the gas fittings right near the appliances. In the case of furnaces and water heaters, these appliances are in the crawlspace or attic and the small leaks dissipate into the air. But sometimes the gas can reach inside the house causing low-grade respiratory illness and headaches. And, small gas leaks usually get worse over time which can lead to a serious safety issue. It’s much better to catch them early and make the repairs.