Clear Attic Furnace Flue
Heat leak in attic caused by furnace flue pipe i ve been in my home for 5 years and have had consistent ice dam issues in the minnesota winter.
Clear attic furnace flue. The roof is a t shaped gable roof. Where the system is routed to the outdoors through an existing masonry chimney containing flue products from another gas appliance or where required by local codes then 3 venting of type 29 4c stainless steel must be used in place of pvc material. This article series describes b vent metal chimneys used for gas fired appliances. Municipalities may require a minimum of 30 clear inches in front of the furnace which can be accomplished in a small room if the door to the room opens in front of the furnace.
Combustion in gas furnaces produces some carbon monoxide which is a toxic gas. The top of the t has soffit vents and a ridge vent. It seems like this happens at random but mostly when it is really cold outside like 15 f or colder and it doesn t have to be snowing. Seems our furnace flue as it should comes up through the house through the attic and vents out through the roof.
2015 irc m1305 recommends that the furnace have a level working space of at least 30 inches by 30 inches in the front of the appliance. The stem of the t has soffit vents and no vent at the top. Type b vents ceiling floor wall clearances b vent clearances to combustibles clearance distances for a b vent to combustible materials in floors walls ceilings attics roofs. Masonry flue or shared flue venting.
Remove the insulation between the joists where the flue is located to clear an area about 18 inches away from the flue on each side. Apply a thick bead of high temperature caulk the flue on one side. Most of the time this gas escapes through the vent pipes but if the pipe and furnace are not properly maintained the gas may not be dispelled. It is colorless and odorless and produces symptoms similar to the flu.
The issue is the flue itself gets nice and warm which means there is effectively a heater going in the attic when the furnace is active. Recently moved into home in eastern ma zone 5 and have a 2 story 3k sqft home. A furnace in the attic is a design that works for all homes. There are 3 gas furnaces and ac units.
The furnace is located in the stem. See also condensing boilers furnaces. The furnace btw is natural gas and drives a hot water baseboard heat system. I ve noticed that when i get a light dusting on a snow free roof the first place to melt is the channel between two truces that goes from where my furnace flue exits the roof up to the peak.
When you place a furnace in the attic to take advantage of its. One of the furnaces is in the attic. If you don t have a crawl space or a basement then it can be a challenge to place a furnace on the ground floor of the structure.