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More CO problems?

sarahm73
sarahm73 Member Posts: 27
in THE MAIN WALL
I posted a few weeks ago about concerns of low level CO poisoning after a furnace issue revealed a blocked chimney in the house I rent with my two young kids.
I've been doing a lot of research on faulty heating systems/lack of maintenance etc so this never happens again. The issues with the furnace and chimney have been corrected and I am looking for a new place as I just don't trust my landlord.
However, I took a look at the two water heaters in the basement yesterday and discovered this!

Comments

  • sarahm73
    sarahm73 Member Posts: 27
    More photos.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,122
    And all of those suggest backdrafting.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • sarahm73
    sarahm73 Member Posts: 27
    That's exactly what I thought. It completely blows my mind how irresponsible some landlords are with children's lives.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,210
    The blocked chimney *may* have caused that. That looks like oil soot which would have gotten there via the water heater's exhaust pipe. But it needs to be checked out nonetheless.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    sarahm73
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,609
    @sarahm73
    The evidence of flame roll out in the pictures may have happened during the other incident with the boiler. It can also be a symptom of inadequate combustion air.
    If you can post the pictures of the rating plates off all the appliances as well the vents allowing air into the mechanical room it can be evaluated.
    Please tell us you have purchased and installed a CO detector that provides an actual ppm readout and max level. The first time this happened, you where justified to blame the landlord. Now that you are aware, it is your responsibility to protect your family.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    HVACNUTsarahm73
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,037
    Do you know if those signs were there before the furnace and chimney repairs?
    Since the repairs, is there documentation of sufficient draft, combustion analysis, combustion air?
    If not, I would have everything rechecked and recorded, or ask the landlord to sleep in the boiler room for a week during the winter.
    Like @Zman said, a good CO detector, preferably 115v with battery backup (on each level of the home).
    sarahm73
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,122
    The OP hasn't commented since May.........
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,609
    ChrisJ said:

    The OP hasn't commented since May.........

    There are several active posts on this issue from same person.
    I am trying to be sure they are proactively protecting themselves...
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
    j a_2sarahm73
  • sarahm73
    sarahm73 Member Posts: 27
    Hey guys!
    Sorry I haven't been on here for a while. I actually got the hell out of that place during the summer. I couldn't risk my family's health any longer and would never be able to trust the landlord again.
    To clarify, those photos of the melted water hearter were taken after the repairs were done on the furnace. Nobody bothered to replace them when the work was done. I assume that they contributed to the CO issues.
    I did also install a new CO detector in addition to a low level table top version. Interestingly the lox level one shows the highest detected level and one day I got a reading of 12 ppm. Not horribly high but this is after the issue was addressed. I assume it was from the unventilated gas oven. Anyway, enough was enough. Found a beautiful, well maintained home with detectors in every room. First thing I did was inspect the furnace for signs of anything being amiss. Thank you all so much!
    HVACNUTZman

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