Whats Wrong With These Pictures

Garritt

Went to a job this week for the manufacturer. 1.2 m btu, 250 gal. tank. Vented with warm air square duct. 12" inch through the roof, calls for 16". Massive rollout - dont know why people don't think anymore at work.

billtwocase

what the hell

were they thinking? common sense out the window. peace

lee_7

I have never seen anyone use square ductwork as a smokepipe. That is nuts!!!

Big Will

As long as no one was hurt

That is Funny and scary. Its the kind of thing were the customer walks me into the mechanical room and I am just speechless. I have never seen that done. But I guess if you have no idea whats right and whats wrong it makes perfect sense. Its not so funny when the mistake is found after someone ends up in the hospital.

mickey_2

square smoke pipe

Sorry to disagree guys. But if the duct is properly sized,sealed and is the right gauge sheet metal I don't see a problem. In 40 years there have been many times where square was the best way to go. In fact many commercial vent systems are square. Just because it's not the norm doesn't mean it's wrong.

Unknown

mickey

I have seen this type of venting before and was thinking the same thing.

Dave

Home Depot Employee

While I agree that square/rectangular breech is common commercially, this install has no rise on the hood, no rise on the horizontal and definitely is not sealed properly given the cloth duct tape. Rectangular breeching is typically heavier gauge metal and welded, certainly not warm air duct.

Unknown

HDE

Agreed,,, but if you re-read mickey`s post I think you`ll find he mentions that.
Besides,, is this not better than rjbphd saw in one of your esteemed stores not long ago?

Dave

Home Depot Employee

My main point was connector rise, beside the welded comment
Sorry, didnt realize you and Mickey always gave the final answer-My apologies
My store?

Unknown

HDE

Well,, I didn`t say "your store", but what one is supposed to think when you`re identified as you are?

Dave

Home Depot Employee

Assumptions limit your thinking.

Your post is Dave as your name, would you be Dave Lennox?

Unknown

HDE

Could be,, but I have been posting honestly without hiding my name, or appearance!

Dave

steve_29

At least they didn't do it in Flex! :-)

Charlie from wmass

Gee even brick chimneys come round and sqaure. Square is easier on the brick layer but needs to be larger than a round. This is why most commercial stacks are round and home ones are square. On the big ones the savings on bricks is worth the extra cost of a skilled bricky. so 16" round would be what 20" square? Due to the turbulence in the corners on the flue gases.

bob young

YOU have never seen black iron run to a chimney breeching ????its usually rectangular as are brick & masonry chimneys unless you build a round smokestack. smoke don't care about shape as long as there is enough of it.

mickey_2

If you noticed I said I was sorry to disargee with the post. As for having the final say on anything look somewhere else. When I started in the field my grand father told me the he had forgotten more than I will ever know, I'm still trying to learn all that he forgot. In this business there is no room for arrogance.

billtwocase

look closely

Anyone who opened those pics can clearly see that there are faulty joints that are clearly allowing exhaust to escape before it enters the chmney. I don't think this was about square or round or even the use of duct work, but is this the way it should have been done in this case. Clearly no when you see the potential for health hazzard. How fire proof is the ceiling above the ducts? I don't think these ducts were installed originally with the intention of safely exhausting from any appliance. JMO. peace

Maine Ken

Which section of NFPA anything allows for duct work to be used as venting material? Sealed or not, duct work is still duct work.

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billtwocase

exactly Ken

[Deleted User]

It's not as much the shape, even though square corners is where you get eddy currents. Round is better for velocity. I'm unable to see the clearance to combustables. But the fact that the instructions call for 16" round and they have 12" round going isn't good. 16" seems a bit much though. Was that a typo?

Home Depot Employee

Right on Mickey

Just my dry sense of humor when Dave quipped that it had been said, like the string of comments was to be over.

Henry

Please read your 2009 NFPA 54:
12.8.5 (2) When a single-wall metal pipe is used amd has a shape other than ropund, it shall have an equivalent effective area equal to the effective area of a round pipefor which it is substituted and the minimum internal dimension of thepipe shal be 2 inch.

This allows any shape of vent as long as the area is the same as a round pipe. This applies also to Canada.

The shown installation is completely illegal as they have not followed the manufactureres recomendations nor the gas code.

Voting member B149, Canadaian National Gas Code
Henry