How many parts per million does it take to snuff out a match?

[rifter]

One of our recent installs. Once again I hilight the genius of our installers. Actually, at first glance it's no where NEAR as bad as PaysonHVAC's.




The problem? keeps tripping the high limit switch within 1 minute, when started cold. After the first trip, trips really fast. This is a "COZY" gas furnace. No blower. Radiant heat. Natural Draft Flue.

The 5 inch opening at the top of the furnace is connected to a 4 inch flue pipe (just metal taped together) which is then... Angled at about 20 degrees off horizontal and then...



...very cleverly crimped and shoved into a 3.5 inch flue pipe.

When I lit a match and held it 2 inches from the flue intake it went out immediately. (No draft, it just went out.) Quite obviously my wooden-match-CO-detector was not calibrated correctly. So I tried another one, and let it establish a larger flame. It went out too.


I'm pretty sure we're over the "safe" limit of CO here. Not to mention the temperature at the high limit switch was over 400 degrees...

[Edited by rifter on 11-30-2004 at 11:08 PM]

[PaysonHVAC]

"wooden-match-CO-detector ".
Is that for real? How does that work? I thought I needed to use my expensive Fluke (late Fluke that is, it got stolen last spring).
I could always learn a new trick.

Oh and you should re word this a little "Actually, at first glance it's no where NEAR as bad as PaysonHVAC's.
". That almost sounded like I am to blame for the stuff out here :-P You should say something like "no where as bad as what PAYSON-HVAC sees. I'm just a tech that works for these companies. Their not MY personal installers LOL! But I knew what you meant :-P


I can't believe they reduced your flue down TWICE.
Is that the only problem with it? It's not drafting properly? I bet gases are spilling out something aweful.

[karsthuntr]

I don't know about CO, but in a cave a Bic lighter that is lit in a cave with high CO2 will have the base of the flame above the metal part. The higher the CO2 the more of a gap there will be. If your bic will not light get out of the cave, you will pass out soon.