Furnace venting

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dnewton3

Do not worry about rain getting into either the exhaust or intake. Both systems are designed to deal with moisture. In fact, there's likely a p-trap in the system so that there's no gases that pass back into the system. If you remove the door and really study the system, you'll see what I mean. Both intake and exhaust have a tie into a drain (or at least should) that will exit the unit. I'd just stub them out like the clean install you modified and leave it at that.

Yeah, I'm going to just leave them as-is. And you are correct, there are drains for both in the furnace itself, which then dump into the drain for the house, I plumbed that in when the furnace was installed.

 

[Andrew1972]

I am floored that meets code. If any snow builds up the cold exhaust does nothing to melt snow and snuffs out your boiler or furnace. I would clear my grandmothers vent from snow where 8’ drifts would set off CO detector or shut down furnace.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: madRiver

I am floored that meets code. If any snow builds up the cold exhaust does nothing to melt snow and snuffs out your boiler or furnace. I would clear my grandmothers vent from snow where 8’ drifts would set off CO detector or shut down furnace.

The original or modified version? There's now 22" between the inlet and the ground, 34" on the exhaust vents. BTW, the exhaust isn't overly cold, that's why there's very little snow there. It's kept the area relatively clear. Also, this area never drifts, it's on the sheltered side of the house and situated about 2.5' above the driveway. My house is on a bit of a hill, it's a weird setup.

 

[dnewton3]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

Originally Posted By: dnewton3

Do not worry about rain getting into either the exhaust or intake. Both systems are designed to deal with moisture. In fact, there's likely a p-trap in the system so that there's no gases that pass back into the system. If you remove the door and really study the system, you'll see what I mean. Both intake and exhaust have a tie into a drain (or at least should) that will exit the unit. I'd just stub them out like the clean install you modified and leave it at that.

Yeah, I'm going to just leave them as-is. And you are correct, there are drains for both in the furnace itself, which then dump into the drain for the house, I plumbed that in when the furnace was installed.

It's kind of funny at times when folks don't understand how some systems are made to work. I once helped a family re-roof their small house; just a first layer over-lay. Obviously the furnace and bathroom exhaust fans had vent covers on them, but the DWV stacks did not. The wife asked me why they didn't have covers to keep rain out. To which I answered that those are tied into the drain system in their house, and it just joins up with the sink/shower/toilet waste water and heads on out to the sewer. Hence the term "drain/waste/vent" stack. She had no idea how it worked. Once she saw and understood, it made sense to her. Same goes for furnace intake/exhaust combustion vents; some folks think they need to be covered, but they don't. What little rain might get it just gets treated like condensate and is drained via the normal route. (not the same as the flue exhaust of a mid-eff system; those should be shielded from direct rain. But we're talking about condensing high-eff units here.) You apparently already understood that, but someone else reading this may have just learned something!

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: irv

Unionized has nothing to do with it as the same type of work, whether unionized or not also exists out there. Many certified trades people exist that are not unionized. The trick is to pick a good, reliable, dependable company that has great reviews or references from friends and family that will back/correct their work if a problem arises.

My point wasn't so much about unions (I'm neutral on that subject), but that the professional trades often chastise us DIYers and they espouse the requirement to hire and use professional, trained, certified people to get the job done correct. In many cases they are justified, because many people are hacks and they create dangerous situations with plumbing, electrical, etc.. When I do call the pros in, it irks me when I find them doing things incorrect, whether they are union or not. You are correct that the trick is to find and support competent people. Regarding the vent, I questioned in my mind if rain intrusion was a non problem when most pictures on the internet were similar to how Overkill has his exhaust elbows. With zero experience with PVC high efficiency vents, I figured maybe Overkill did have some issue. Live and learn. What about my comment about bird or rodents getting into the vents? Is that also not a problem? I'm completing a $400 repair today on a greenhouse unit heater due to a pesky starling wanting out of the cold.