New Page 27

In order for a forced air furnace system to properly and effectively distribute heated air throughout the house, return air ducts with vents must be in place. However, the return air vent in this picture is located right next to the gas-fired furnace. If the furnace or chimney flue for the furnace ever malfunctioned and pushed carbon monoxide (CO) back into the basement, the return air vent could draw the CO into the supply air and distribute it throughout the house creating a potentially deadly situation. This vent will need to be removed and the opening sealed. Return air vent openings need to be located no less than 10 feet away from fossil fueled fired furnaces or water heaters.

Forced air furnace filters need to be changed or cleaned every two months. The filter shown in this picture is a reusable filter that needs to be cleaned. A clean filter is especially important with a central AC system. A dirty or clogged filter will reduce the efficiency of the AC system and make the system run longer in order adequately cool your house.

A forced air furnace that also has an AC system installed serves two purposes during the cooling season: 1) it cools the air in your house and 2) dehumidifies it. A central AC system can produce up to 3-5 gallons of liquid condensate per day as it dehumidifies the air in your house. If this liquid condensate is not collected properly and drained through the condensate drain line, the collected water will overflow and run down through your furnace and eventually rust it out. The furnace cabinet in this picture has rust on it indicating a possible liquid condensate overflow problem. This unit should be serviced by a heating and cooling professional to ensure proper performance.

The ceiling joist bays in a basement will often be enclosed and used as return air bays for a forced air heating and cooling system. The enclosed ceiling joist return air bay in this picture shows a plumbing drain line running through the bay. This is improper as a leak in the drain line inside the bay could lead to contaminated air inside the house.

The forced air duct work in this picture is partially exposed inside the garage. The seams of the ducts are not sealed which could allow fumes from flammable liquids stored inside the garage or a car's exahust fumes to get in the air system inside the house. This duct should be completely sealed to prevent infiltration of any noxious or hazardous fumes into the house's air supply.

A central AC system is comprised of a compressor mounted on the outside of the house and an indoor evaporator coil locatd inside the air handler assembly in the interior of the house. The compressor in this picture is out of level and needs to be reset to level. Compressors that are out of level lose operating efficiency and will have to run longer to cool your house.

Heating