New post on RealMatcher: Did Your New Furnace Make Your Water Heater More Dangerous?

[Chris Morrell]

There's a new blog post on RealMatcher:

Today, with the installation of more efficient heating systems that vent their combustion gases through fan-assisted plastic vents, it is often left up to the fuel burning water heater to create enough heat by itself to make a sufficient draft to vent the combustion gases through a chimney that was originally designed for much more heat provided from both appliances. The water heater's oversized chimney now needs a chimney liner.

Read full blog post: Did Your New Furnace Make Your Water Heater More Dangerous?

[John Harrison]

Too clear up a bit of confusion.

As we all know a furnace does not run 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
So even with an older furnace during a cool summer day wouldn't the water heater have been a danger?

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by jharrison

Too clear up a bit of confusion.

As we all know a furnace does not run 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
So even with an older furnace during a cool summer day wouldn't the water heater have been a danger?

Indeed, natural venting can pose a risk under a variety of conditions ... but I would not expect the draw in a chimney on a "cool summer day" to be as likely to produce spillage as a cold winter night. Would you?

I'm sure you will agree that carbon monoxide does not need to come into a home "24 hours a day 365 days a year" in order to pose a danger. It could take just one cold night to kill enough people in one home to bring incredible misery into the lives of hundreds who loved them. I think an investment in a chimney liner is worth preventing that - and I make that recommendation whenever I find these upgrades. Perhaps you will, too.