Last week in Battle Creek and the surrounding areas was quiet on the surface. The Battle Creek airport did not record a drop of rain from Monday through Sunday, and October is now running more than an inch and a half behind normal. Afternoons topped out between 66 and 70 degrees every day, but nights fell into the upper 30s and low 40s, with Monday morning at 34. The air barely moved: average wind speeds stayed under 5 mph all week, and Thursday averaged less than 1 mph. Fog or mist showed up on five of the seven mornings, thick enough Wednesday and Saturday to cut visibility to a quarter mile or less. The house threat from a week like that is not water coming in. It is exhaust from the furnace and water heater that does not get out the way it should.
Cold nights mean the furnace is cycling again, and the water heater runs every morning no matter what. Older gas furnaces and standard gas water heaters send their exhaust up a metal flue into the chimney, and that only works when warm exhaust rises and pulls the rest along behind it. On a still, foggy morning after a mild afternoon, a cold chimney can draft weakly, and some of that exhaust can roll back out at the water heater’s draft hood instead of going up. Newer high-efficiency furnaces and power-vent water heaters push their exhaust out through white plastic pipes on the side of the house. A dry fall week is when leaves pile up and blow against those pipes, and a blocked intake or exhaust pipe will shut the unit down, usually on the first cold night. The tells: a carbon monoxide alarm that sounds or chirps, headaches or a stuffy feeling that clears up outside, heavy condensation on windows near the furnace room, rust or soot around the top of the water heater, a furnace that starts and then shuts off, or a blinking error light on the furnace.
What to do this week: test every carbon monoxide alarm and check the date on the back, since alarms wear out. You want one on every level and near the bedrooms. Walk outside, find the furnace and water heater vent pipes, and clear away leaves, mulch, grass clippings and anything stacked against them. In the basement, follow the metal flue pipe from the water heater and furnace to the chimney and look for loose joints, gaps, sagging sections or rust. Keep boxes, laundry and storage away from both appliances, and put in a clean furnace filter. If a carbon monoxide alarm goes off, do not stay inside to look for the cause. Get everyone out, then call 911 or your gas company from outside.
That is the work A.W. Crooks Plumbing, Heating & Cooling does every fall. We check the draft, venting and burners on furnaces and gas water heaters, reconnect and replace failing flue pipe, clear and correct blocked vent pipes, and repair or replace the equipment when it is past saving. We are Battle Creek’s residential plumbing and heating company since 1912, serving Battle Creek first and the surrounding areas within about 60 miles. We offer 24-hour service, 7 days a week. Our office hours are 7 days a week, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with no weekend upcharge during office hours. The Furnace Tune-Up special is still live, and so is the Water Heater Check. Start with Furnace Repair or Water Heaters. Call (269) 962-5441, email tctc@mitctc.com, or contact us.
Quick vent walk: carbon monoxide alarms tested and in date? Outside vent pipes clear of leaves and mulch? Metal flue pipe tight from the appliance to the chimney? No rust or soot at the top of the water heater? If you found a loose flue, a blocked pipe, or an alarm that keeps chirping, get it handled before the furnace starts running all night.