Alaska Home Inspectors

Troy Bloxom

I inspected a 1983 home in Settlers Bay that had a sealed combustion, gravity direct vent, natural gas, wall mounted heater in the garage. It was installed with the burner at about 8" from the floor. It did draw the combustion air from the exterior.

The question is:
Should it be installed with the burner at 18" because when; not if; the heat exchanger fails it will be a hazard.

We install all the sealed combustion F/A furnaces and boilers up on a stand so what would make this different??
I pulled the information on the unit off the web and nothing is mentioned about elevation installation in a garage. In fact it was promoted as a heater for a garage, right next to the Ferrari in the picture.

I called it as a hazard, and recommended that a ceiling mointed F/A unit heater be installed.

Troy

Kevin Jones · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject:

Troy the IC words it:

M1307.3 Elevation of ignition source. Appliances having an
ignition source shall be elevated such that the source of ignition
is not less than 18 inches (457 mm) above the floor in garages.
For the purpose of this section, rooms or spaces that are not part
of the living space of a dwelling unit and that communicate
with a private garage through openings shall be considered to
be part of the garage.

It does not differentiate between sealed or open combustion. It is improper to have nay source of ignition within 18 inches of the garage floor. This includes electrical devices (receptacles). Your were correct to call the system out as a potential hazard.
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Kevin D Jones
Quality Home Inspection
AK License #39
ICC Combination Residential Inspector
Level 1 Certifed Thermographer
ASHI Certified Member