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View Full Version : PSA- Furnace Vents and Snow Build UP!


mom2binsd
02-02-2011, 08:22 PM
If your furnace vents to the outside make sure that the recent snow hasn't blocked it....it will cause your house to smell of gas and can be hazardous...usually the newer energy efficient furnaces vent at the foundation (ours is older and vents through the chimney).
newnana
02-02-2011, 08:28 PM
um, how do I know if my furnace vents to the outside?:bag
mom2binsd
02-02-2011, 08:30 PM
I called my FIL who lives nearby and changes my furnace filter all the time.
KLD313
02-02-2011, 08:31 PM
Good tip. Usually they will shut off before it becomes dangerous. I used to be in the business so we saw a lot of this.
SkyrMommy
02-02-2011, 08:42 PM
If you have a newer furnace too it might be a closed combustion system with the intake of fresh air next to the exhaust. Check to make sure the intake is free and clear as well or your furnace will run but not produce any flame/heat as the oxygen needed is blocked.
DebbieJ
02-02-2011, 09:03 PM
Be sure to check your dryer vent as well! Or be lazy and don't do laundry until the snow melts. :)
gamma
02-03-2011, 08:30 AM
Thank you for posting this! I am in the process of replacing my very old furnace which is vented through a fireplace chimney. It make the fireplace unusable. I had planned on having the new one vented directly outside. However, after spending yesterday digging ice and snow away from my foundation and clearing leaders to stop the melting ice and snow from pouring into my basement, I dont want another issue to deal with. I never thought about the vent being blocked by snow! Thank you sooooo much!
AngelaS
02-03-2011, 09:39 AM
Ours was blocked yesterday morning when we got up and it was 58 degrees in here. I posted it on FB and about ten friends had had to dig theirs out as well.
wimama
02-03-2011, 11:13 AM
If you have a newer furnace too it might be a closed combustion system with the intake of fresh air next to the exhaust. Check to make sure the intake is free and clear as well or your furnace will run but not produce any flame/heat as the oxygen needed is blocked.

Our intake was blocked, as was our dryer vent. sMy BIL plows peoples driveways and yesterday morning he encountered one couple that was very drowsy when he found them. Their furnace vent was blocked. It can be very serious if they are blocked.