Irritated Eyes, Clogged noses, slight soar throad !!!

[Jim Davis]

Originally posted by plain spoken

Originally posted by Jim Davis
You really need a contractor that knows what he is doing and the one you have doesn't have a clue!

What crystal ball did you look at to determine this? Since you do not know what he did or did not do how did you reach this conclusion?

Not a crystal ball but an eye ball. Any contractor that pulls the burner door off a furnace and looks at a flame to determine if it is good or bad would serve the public better as a cook at Burger King.

[plain spoken]

While this contractor may or may not have given the unit a complete inspection, we do not know what all he checked. My point was that the allegation that he did not have a clue is a little strong for someone not knowing all the details.

It could be that this family is just experiencing seasonal allergies or flu that have absolutely nothing to do with the furnace installation. It could be the dust as discussed and it could be CO as mentioned. Maybe it was checked, maybe it wasn't, but the homeowner should request one.

[Edited by plain spoken on 12-22-2004 at 02:23 PM]

[Jim Davis]

The people have the symptoms mostly at night, they seem to go away when they leave the house. This is the first thing people are asked when CO poisoning is suspected. The symptoms the people are exhibiting are very similar to CO symptoms. Anyone that doesn't carry a Carbon Monoxide Analyzer with them on any heating call, especially a complaint of illness, is providing a grave dis-service. Thus the contractor doesn't have a clue, and I am being nice!

[plain spoken]

Just read your profile. Your comments make more sense now.

Not arguing that CO should be checked, just hard for you to make such a accusation from the limited amount of info provided about the contractor. But hey, you are entitled to your opinion.

[Jim Davis]

On my first post I talked about a lady and her kids that had similar symptoms and her contractor didn't test either, just looked. She said he was a really nice guy. I am sure he would have sent flowers to the funeral(this is an opinion) He didn't have a clue either. After thousands and thousands of these I am not voicing an opinion but instead a fact! The story above will be in Air Conditioning News in the future.

[lumberg]

Sounds like CO should be the first thing for which to test, especially since the test would have a clear-cut result. If that test is negative, go from there.

I didn't realize those behind-the-register filters were so bad. I was just saying they existed.

conrad--no prob! Just about everyone does it once.

[jonny2]

Originally posted by Jim Davis
Your alarms will allow 70-399ppm in your house for hours and not go off. If the furnace is tied to a water heater it could be causing it to make CO.

Both of them are in the basement and the exhaust pipes merge at some point going up the roof. The contractor used the existing set up from the older furnace, which was about 60% efficient and 120,000 BTU. The new one is 84% efficient and 90,000 BTU. Does the additional info help?

[jonny2]

Originally posted by johnl45
Is your home at the proper humidity level?

I've one of these digital thermometer / hygrometer devices that reads slightly over 42% humidity. The actual humidistat is set to 32% and the humidifier seems to work when the furnace is running. Is it normal for humidity level to be higher than what is set on the humidistat?

[jonny2]

Originally posted by jdenyer
I feel that NormChris is on the right track. I assume this is a gas furnace. Gas furnaces can also produce some oxides of nitrogen which is a respiratory irritant. That could explain the sore throats, burning eyes, burning nose etc. Sounds to me like something is not venting as it should. It could also be dust blowing out of the ducts with a stronger blower, that would at least explain the stuffy nose, but burning eyes and sore throat leads me to think it's a venting issue. Any funky new smells?

No, I can't tell there is any new smells. What can one do about the possibility / probability of oxides of nitrogen? Could you clarify what you mean by the "venting issue"?

Thanks

[jdenyer]

Oxides of nitrogen are a byproduct of combustion, so is carbon monoxide(CO). CO has no odor or irritant properties but oxides of nitrogen or NOX for short is an irritant. NOX is mainly an irritant and not toxic like CO is. By venting issues I mean that something maybe causing combustion gases to come out of the vent pipe, ie flue, chimney etc. The biggest danger here is CO poisoning. The cause could be a blocked flue or chimney, negative pressure in the furnace room, insufficient draft etc. My bet is on insufficient draft, your vent pipe leading up to the roof is simply not generating enough draft to vent the furnace. Why? It was sized for a much larger furnace with a lot more heat going up the stack, now you put that new efficient smaller furnace in, whats gonna happen? Less heat going up the stack equals less draft, there might not be enough draft to suck the byproducts of combustion out of the furnace, these byproducts then "spill" into the air in your home. That is why the install manuals that come with new equipment tell the installer to make sure the vent system is a certain size. If I were you I would call a reputable HVAC company to come out and check this out. If you feel you are not getting anywhere then you could call your local fire department to come out and investigate. CO poisoning is nothing to mess with. If you feel flue like while at home and it clears up a little while after your out of the house, you are probably suffering from chronic CO poisoning. Not trying to scare you, just want you to take it seriously. Let us know what happens.

[tim koel]

Originally posted by BoltonNC

Originally posted by lumberg

You can buy filters that you cut to size and actually put behind the registers also.

This is the worst advice ever given on this board.

DO NOT put filters behind your registers unless you want higher utility bills, shorter lifespan of the equipment, and the possibly to crack the heat exchanger and kill everyone in the house! [/B]

THANKYOU! People don't change the furnace filter much less the ones behind supply grills!

[mo-flo]

i would check where the wtr. htr. flue pipe joins with furnace flue pipe.....furnace is most likely fan forced venting and wtr. htr. is natural draft venting,....you need a directional y-fitting for the common vent,...this would insure that wtr. htr. is not back-drafting,....just a thought.

[non-hvac tech guy]

Keep in mind that most UL-listed CO alarms that have the digital readouts maintain a "peak level observed" that can be seen by pressing the peak level or simiar button (like on the Kidde Nighthawk ones). While they will not alarm below those high levels, they do record any CO levels that they observe (down to 5ppm or so from what I've read) and you can see that by pressing peak level. I make it a habit to hit that button and look at the result on each of my CO alarms (Nighthawks) once a day so I know if low levels of CO are/have been lurking.

Might be worth trying that on yours and seeing if any CO levels have been observed that didn't trigger the alarm action.