Replies

1. 
   BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 02:31am | #1

   The 2000 IRC says that it can't be in a sleeping room unless the door is weather sealed and there are sources for outside combustion air.

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   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
1. 
   rick12 | Jan 07, 2009 02:54am | #2

   Thanks Bill. Can you explain the reason for the outside source and sealed door? If you have an outside source, why the sealed door? Also, do you know whether this is a new requirement as of 2000?

1. 
   BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 02:59am | #3

   Well it is a new requirement, because 2000 was the first year for the IRC.Not that familar with other codes, but the I am under the impression that it was start from the older codes and so that was probably not a totaly new requirement.I don't know for sure, but I suspect that there are two issues here. One is to guarantee that their is enough air for combustion so that it does not deplete the oxygen from the room and to prevent back drafting.But also, if there is any problem with the unit, that you won't get CO into the room.
   .
   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

2. 
   DanH | Jan 07, 2009 03:16am | #4

   Probably was not a code violation when installed, though it may be now. The closet should be provided with either a duct from the outside to supply combustion air or a grille (or maybe two) in the door to let in air from the house. And there should be return air vents for the furnace both inside the bedroom and outside, to equalize pressure.

   Not the ideal situation, but not a hazard per se, if properly installed. However, the occupant should get a CO detector and install it just outside the closet -- this is becoming code in most states.

   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
1. 
   rick12 | Jan 07, 2009 07:05am | #5

   Thanks Dan.

   Do you know why this may me a code violation? Is it because the closet is in a bedroom? Would the set up be code compliant if the closet was in the hallway or some other location in the house?

1. 
   DanH | Jan 07, 2009 07:13am | #6

   Certainly there are ways to have a legal furnace in a closet -- this is done fairly regularly in many parts of the country. But there are two basic hoops that must be jumped through:-- The closet must have adequate general ventillation and adequate combustion air. In newer installations the combustion air requirement must usually be satisfied with an external duct, but drawing air from the house was legal in the past and would be "grandfathered".-- There may be restrictions (as noted by others) regarding having a furnace closet in a bedroom, or in some other enclosed room. There are two potential problems here. One is the obvious problem of simply having the unit so close to sleeping humans in an enclosed room. The other, perhaps not so obvious, is the problem that, in an enclosed room, the furnace fan could end up either pressurizing the room or creating a vacuum in it, depending on return air duct placement. This could cause the burner to malfunction, creating both CO hazards and fire hazards.
   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel