What is a combustion air vent?

What is combustion air? Combustion air is a source of oxygen needed to burn fuel such as natural gas or liquid propane (LP). You can’t produce a flame in a furnace without proper combustion air. The image above shows the combustion air as a vent in the garage to pull air from the attic.

Is fresh air intake necessary with high efficiency furnace?





This goes to say that high efficiency furnaces have an inbuilt fresh air intake and do not use the air inside your home. They are designed to draw air from the outdoors. That said, you will still benefit from installing a fresh air intake as these intakes improve indoor air quality and also wick excess moisture.

Where is the fresh air intake?

In many homes the fresh air intake is simply an open duct ran from an outside vent into a basement, or any room housing the home’s furnace. Fresh air intakes can be in multiple locations throughout your home, especially in newer homes built to modern building codes requiring homes to be much tighter than older homes.

How do you vent a furnace room?

This is done simply by putting vent openings in the furnace room to connect it to other rooms in the rest of the house and allow air to get in. This will work as long as the rooms combine to meet the 50 ft3 per 1,000 BTU/hr input requirement. The most common way to add vents to the room is to install a louvered door.

What is a combustion air switch on furnace?

The airflow switch is a burner/boiler safety device that proves (makes sure) that the combustion blower is running and providing the minimum amount of air pressure for safe light off, before we try to light off the burner. The airflow switch is wired in the preignition interlock circuit of a flame safeguard control.

Why is there a vent on my furnace?





A furnace vent allows for any gases and exhaust created by combustion to be removed from the home. If your furnace is not vented, it can lead to dangerous conditions, like carbon monoxide building up within your home. To get your furnace inspected, give us a call today. Should my furnace exhaust pipe be hot?

Can you vent two furnaces together?

Can two furnaces vent into the same chimney and can they be on different levels of the home? Yes they can.

Where does a furnace pull air from?

Depending on what type of furnace you have will determine whether the air is drawn from inside or outside the home. High efficient furnaces draw the air from outside the home and circulate it into the house. However, older furnaces usually would draw air from inside the home and recirculate it into the home.

How do I know where my furnace vent is?

Take a mental note of where they exit the building and head outside. Once outside, look for the intake and exhaust pipes. They should be near where your furnace is on the inside. Normally, they are a set of curved pipes (PVC, CPVC, or ABS) near the foundation, although sometimes they are on or near the roof.

Should a furnace room be vented?



2. Furnace Room Ventilation. Your furnace room also must include an effective ventilation system to circulate air, prevent fire hazards, and protect your family. Your contractor should install an intake vent to facilitate air combustion and an exhaust vent to expel carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals.

How much room is needed around a furnace?

As a general recommendation, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service experts to conveniently repair it. You also need to ensure the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Can I close the door to my furnace room?

If your boiler room doubles as a storage space, don’t place items flush against the furnace. Make sure it has enough breathing room – and enough air moving throughout the space. This means having a door vent or leaving the door open so air can easily flow in and out.

Can I store things next to my furnace?



Safety first

Don’t store anything near your furnace that’s combustible at low flash points – like gasoline, paint and paint thinners. Always keep the area free of dust and debris – vacuum and clean around your furnace and water heater tank to prevent dust buildup.

Should I leave the furnace room door be open or closed?

Keeping an open door may help your furnace ventilate and evenly distribute heat on the floor that it is on. On other hand, if you have pets or kids, then you may want to keep the door closed so that they don’t have access to the furnace and other equipment near it.

Can you have a bedroom next to a furnace?

It’s not recommended to have a furnace in your bedroom closet due to the toxic fumes that a furnace emits. Keep the furnace as far away from the air you breathe as possible.

Can you put furnace in closet?



The heat can safely escape if there is space around the furnace. Do not install your furnace in a storage closet. Any type of flammable material, including insulation, needs to be removed before installing the furnace.

How safe is a gas furnace?

Gas Heaters Are Safe to Use

The main concern with a gas heater is the leak of carbon monoxide, which is a toxic byproduct of the combustion of gas. Furnaces vent out CO through a flue, and there is very little chance that it will flow into the house.

Can you sleep in a room with a gas heater?

You should never leave your gas heater on while sleeping, especially if it is a faulty gas heater. There are several health problems caused by a faulty gas heater. For instance, it can increase the carbon monoxide levels in your room. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that you do not notice in your room.

What heater can I leave on all night?



Infrared heater Similar to sunlight, this type of heater uses rays to warm up objects and people rather than the air around them. It’s a safe and natural process and can continue overnight. Ceramic heater The ceramic plates inside this type of heater get hot while the air outside plastic casing remains cool.

Can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas heater?

When properly maintained and adjusted, gas heaters produce low amounts of carbon monoxide. One cause of carbon monoxide poisoning from unvented heaters– incomplete combustion caused by lack of air–has been virtually eliminated in newer heaters by use of Oxygen Depletion Sensors (ODS).