I called Ardent Heating in Barrie recently to repair a noisy vent exhaust fan on a 10 year old furnace. Ardent had repaired the same furnace 3 years previously so I called them for the repair. I called and booked the inspection, gave the serial and model of Carrier furnace and that was all the information that was exchanged.

Carrier furnaces guarantee that particular heat exchanger for life if you are the original owner, 20 years if you are not. General life expectancy of furnaces is generally considered to be in the 17 to 20 year range.

When I arrived at the house, it was a rental, the Ardent service person was working downstairs and my painter immediately told me that I needed a new furnace. The technician then came up and took me down and showed me the crack in the heat exchanger. He then told me Jason would be calling to give me some options on buying a new one.

I appreciate the fact that Ardent Heating identified that the heat exchanger was cracked and there was a possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning to anyone in the house.

This raised two questions in my mind:

The First question I asked the service technician why he had drilled a hole in my HVAC and tested for a cracked heat exchanger, to which he replyed that it was, “company policy to test any furnaces over 10 years old”. I then asked him if there was any regulation to enforce this policy, to which he replyed, “he didn’t know”. I had a discussion with the owner and requested a copy of regulation stating this was required. He did send a copy of TSSA link but no mention was made of any regulation for residential gas installation, it did mention Special Properties like ASSEMBLY or INDUSTRIAL occupancies.
Jason from Ardent Heating did comment that TSSA verbally approved of this type of testing and it was a safety issue etc etc but again, no regulation supplied to back up policy.
Jason, after the fact, also offered that they inspected every, Heat Exchanger, whether 1 year old etc, but did clarify that they only took the furnace apart and drilled through HVAC after ten years. So, although not being a furnace technician, how do you check after one year, if not by same visual inspection as after ten. Ten seems to be the magic number that is being thrown around by everyone…but no one tells the homeowner!

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Clean Your House – Change Your Furnace Filter

Recently I had my heating ducts cleaned in my house after finishing a renovation project. The duct cleaning company used a video camera to inspect my ducts before and during cleaning, what a sight to behold!   There were pieces of drywall left over from the original construction and of course lots of dust. I talked to many companies prior to choosing Anderson duct cleaning, and as they explained,  the main difference is two fold; one if you don’t use a service that actually contacts all the areas of your ducts you will not remove the dust that is attached to your ducts, and two; using a camera guarantees that all the dust and debris is being removed. Shawn, the owner,  also gave me a great tip, when doing any kind of work in your home that can generate dust, close off your cold air returns to stop any dust from entering your duct work.

A typical house contains dust from pollen, spores, pet dander, lint, bacteria, etc. Even regular home activities like cooking or dusting add to the dust in the air inside the house. Such dust particles results in irritation of eyes and on entering the respiratory system, may cause respiratory disorders, damage to the lungs, or in unique cases, even cancer.

I now have two transparent inspection plates in my furnace, one on the cold air return and the other on the supply side duct work. As Shawn explained, after the major duct cleaning, I will now only have to have my cold air ducts cleaned when I can visibly see dust starting to collect in the duct work.   Considerably cheaper than having whole system cleaned. The secret to keeping your supply side duct work clean is using a proper air filter. Shawn recommended staying away from cardboard edged filters as they often collapsed inside the cold air return and allowed dust and contaminates to pass.

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When you cozy up next to a crackling fire on a cold winter day, you probably don’t realize that your fireplace is one of the most inefficient heat sources you can possibly use. It literally sends your energy dollars right up the chimney along with volumes of warm air. A roaring fire can exhaust as much as 679.6 cubic metres (24,000 cubic feet) of air per hour to the outside, which must be replaced by cold air coming into the house from the outside. Your heating system must warm up this air, which is then exhausted through your chimney. If you use your conventional fireplace while your central heating system is on, these tips can help reduce energy losses.

Fireplace Tips and Suggestions

• If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
• Check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
• Add caulking around the fireplace hearth.
• Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a 1.2m (48”) window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney.
• When you use the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly – approximately 2.5 cm (1”) – and close doors leading into the room. Lower the thermostat setting to between 10 C – 13 C (50° and 55°F).
• Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.
• Use grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.

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Your furnaces heat exchanger is the most valuable part of your furnace. The heat exchanger creates the separation of harmful gases and the warm air used for heating. The four main problems encountered with heat exchangers are Rust, Cracked, Clogged and Overheating.

Rust – This is by far the most common problem found with heat exchangers. Air conditioners and humidifiers mounted above the heat exchanger are two of the major causes of rust creation.  A leaking air conditioner drip tray, a condensate line leak, both of which can cause rust and eventual failure of your heat exchanger. Humidifiers are by far the most common source of rust in your furnace.  Cheap design and hard water, coupled together, create the perfect match for allowing moisture and water into your furnace. The common drum humidifier which rolls through a tray of water, the level of which is controlled by a float, commonly gathers calcium and other hard water particles, which then causes the float to fail and water enters your furnace.  The majority of humidifiers I inspect have no inside parts and the water line has been disconnected or turned off. The cold air return plenum usually has signs of water leakage from the humidifier down to the furnace. This is always an indication that a furnace technician should be called in to throughly inspect the heat exchanger. A visual inspection can not be relied on to detect all possible damage and partial dismantling of the furnace is usually required.

Cracked – Furnaces can be damaged by careless shipping or by being dropped by the installer. This can lead to a cracked heat exchanger that would not be visible to the naked eye or casual visual inspection. High temperatures can also cause cracks in the heat exchanger or maybe a faulty casting or fault in the alloy.

Clogged – This condition is usually caused by accumulation of condesate or soot. Having flue passages cleaned in high efficiency furnace heat exchangers can be a very expensive process.

Overheating – One of the common causes of overheating is the lack of air flow across the heat exchanger. Having a new furnace installed without ensuring adequate duct sizing is a common cause of this problem. Always ensure work is done by competent technician who will ensure duct size and fan blower is adequate for the furnace being installed.

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Napoleon Home Inspections is proud to welcome aboard two highly qualified inspectors. Carl Kolbe is an experienced building inspector with over 10 years in the building industry and Brent Rowe is a graduate A.Sc.T. both fully trained and with excellent credentials. Napoleon Home Inspections has been based out of Barrie ON for the past five years and has built a solid reputation jumping into the fore front by introducing introducing their Fair Pricing Policy and a 100 % Money Back Guarantee Policy.  These industry leading commitments have lead to such a large increase in business that the “Barrie Home Inspector” has had to expand to meet the needs of the Simcoe County area.

In accordance with our Mission Statement to always provide exceptional service to our clients we have now added Thermal Imaging technology to our inspection process. This exciting new technology is allowing Professional Home Inspectors to detect hidden deficiencies by reading the heat signature radiated of the products used to build your home.

Thermal Imaging is an invaluable tool for energy loss detection. Our Thermal Imaging Camera has the ability to show air leaks and missing insulation. With a minimum of 10 deg F temperature differential we can identify where insulation was not installed, has slipped or was just installed improperly. Imagine the difference in your heating bills with just having a couple areas of missing insulation.

As always our goal to keep our clients as informed and educated as possible. We endeavor to do this by constantly exceeding training requirements and qualifications of all major home inspection associations and also investing in the latest technology to ensure we always provide a superior service in comparison.

As always, CAVEAT EMPTOR – buyer beware

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Fresh Air Mix Boxes – Barrie Home Inspections

During my inspections of Barrie’s many new homes I have come across many furnaces with a Fresh Air Mix Box installed. I always point this feature out to my clients but as many of them are totally unaware of the purpose of this feature I decide to give a brief explanation for those home owners who wondered what the purpose was.

The Fresh Air Mix Box is designed to allow your HVAC system to introduce air from the outside into your house. The difference in air temperature can vary radically so this is where the mix box does its work. Air from your furnace is mixed with outside air combining the two to create warm air.

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First item to check is to make sure your filter is properly sized for your furnace. Ensure that the filter completely fills the holding area, with gaps at top, bottom or sides. Also the filter should be thick enough to seal off any avenues for air to bypass the filter.  Another item to check is your owners manual for the furnace and check that you have the right style of filter for your furnace. Some people buy universal re-usable filters that might provide too much resistance for the modern high-efficiency furnaces used today. If no manual is available check on the internet for manufactures site and look up specifications for model of furnace you have. If no specifications are available, send them an email, most companies gladly provide information on requests from customers. Clean or replace your disposable furnace filter periodically during the winter–check the filter monthly. Brush and vacuum the heat exchanger surfaces every year, if recommended by your owner’s manual. Before the heating season, clean the blower blades and seal any air leaks in ducts with several wraps of duct tape. (use the metallic duct tape only)

A little maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your forced-air equipment working properly. Start by cleaning or replacing the filter. With forced-air furnace systems, air returning to the furnace’s blower first passes through an air filter designed to catch dust and debris and help clean the air before it’s recycled to your home. On new homes, check all your ducts by removing grills and vacuuming any debris that you can reach. If extremely dirty, notify builder and have him clean the ducts. This is only possible on new construction.A good furnace filter can help reduce allergens but isn’t designed to significantly improve air quality in your home. For that, you’ll need a special air filter (talk to a heating specialist about this).

When typical filters become clogged with debris, they cut down on a furnace’s efficiency and, over time, can cause parts to wear out faster. Change filters quarterly or sooner if they look dirty. Pleated fabric filters are a good, inexpensive choice for reducing dust and allergens.

Here’s how to change a replaceable filter:
1) Turn off the power to the unit.

2) Look for the door or panel that conceals the blower; sometimes this is marked “Filter.” Lift this door or panel off of its holding hooks or unscrew its retaining screws to remove it.

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Basic Information

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