It is almost that time of year. Christmas.
For our little ones, excitement is in the air. Santa is coming, and he will be arriving via the chimney! As a child, it wasn't hard to imagine this event - Santa would use some magic spell to elongate himself into some whispy being so that he could fly down the flue with his bag of toys in tow. My family's home happened to have a wood burning fireplace, so it wasn't that hard to believe, at the time. I've heard some other versions of this event, including some where Santa would come through a window if the house in question didn't have a chimney.
Today's new homes rarely have a 'chimney'. They also rarely have a wood burning fireplace. Today's gas fireplaces usually vent out the back of the unit and don't go up through the roof at all. In fact - most new furnaces and hot water heaters do the exact same thing - so how is poor old Saint Nick delivering his horde of goodies to our little ones in the newest residential communities?
However he does it, it is important to remember that these gas appliances have venting systems and that they all need regular inspection and could require maintenance to ensure that the gas appliances are operating safely. Your furnace and hot water heater venting systems should be checked for leaks, cracks, sags, deterioration and blockages and obstructions which could include snow, ice, frost, and even leaves. It is important to familiarize yourself with your gas appliance venting systems so that you can perform simple routine maintenance that could prevent a furnace or water heater breakdown, a costly service bill or repair bill to your system or your residence in case of a freeze-up and most importantly - it could save your life. An improperly operating gas appliance could emit carbon monoxide, both in the home and outside the home, and if it's outside it could get into the house or into your neighbour's as well.
Not all appliances vent through the roof. Most high efficient furnaces, hot water heaters and boilers are being vented out the side at ground level. This gives you good access to the venting to check for blockages, but it also could lead to blockages if the area around the vents is not maintained. Be sure to check that the vents don't get buried by snow or that the vents don't frost themselves over - simple maintenance that should be done regularly - like shoveling the walk (unless your my neighbour...) In the summer, especially with water heaters, make sure that leaves or other such debris doesn't get sucked up into any intakes.
If you have a metal chimney that goes through the roof - it is also important to inspect the venting both in the house near the appliances and at the roof level. Look for deterioration, rust, holes and leaks into the house - at the roof level it is still possible that snow drifts could block the chimney and frosting could also occur.
If you don't know where your vents are, especially with a high efficient system, take a look around the house for plastic venting pipes - most should be white plastic (and look like PVC). Some older homes might have grey or black plastic as well.
If you can't find it and want to have your system examined, contact a heating contractor - www.horizonheating.ca...
I'm involved with an industry task force that will be touring Alberta in the new year with a presentation on vent safety for high efficient products. There are some concerns out there that the products are changing too quickly and that the consumer (and even some contractors) don't know all that they need to know in order to maintain a safely operating space and water heating system. Stay tuned for more information.
In the meantime, keep your furnace filters clean.
Matthew
