I had a "home energy audit" through my local gas company.
Had the door fan test to test for leaking air and Infrared camera to detect cold spots.
The auditor also tested for carbon monoxide. We have a hydronic boiler heating part
of the house, and a Heatnglo natural gas heater heating the other half.
In his report, the auditor reported "High Undiluted CO" for the the boiler (617ppm) and the
Heatnglo heater (212ppm).
We had a authorized contractor (vetted through the Gas company) out for a service call. He brought the Hydronic boiler to code and that issue is solved.
But, the heatnglo space heater (Natural Gas) "Paloma" model is stil emitting to much CO.
He said it had to be replaced and offered no other solution.
It cost $2800.00 USD and was purchased in 2007.
The contractor gave me these readings from a Bacharach Fyrite Pro Analyzer:
Efficiency: 68.3%
Excess Air: 143.2%
Stack Temp: 510 Farenheit
Primary Temp: 69.9F
O2: 12.9%
CO2: 4.5%
CO: 257ppm
CO air free: 671ppm
Draft: -0.02 WC
The contractor said the CO should be under 100ppm.
These tests were done at the termination point (outside).
The heater has a "snorkel" venting system, which goes
out the back of the heater and directly through the wall.
The dealer who sold the unit to me, sent out their serviceman
and he had a Fluke CO detector (did not have a probe) which he said
cost around $300.00 USD.
The serviceman started testing it at 6 feet away inside, and he reported a 0.0ppm reading. He proceeded to move the meter directly around the entire heater unit and behind, still reporting 0.0ppm CO.
He moved outside to termination point and reported a 45ppm reading.
Back to the contractor reporting high CO, who by the way, is not trying to win a contract to replace this heater, but is part of a company that is trying to do insulation work under a Gas company's rebate program. Until this unit is replaced or brought to standards, they will not accept the job, as they will not be paid by the Gas company.
The contractor opined that the dealer's serviceman is just trying to get out of replacing the unit. The heater has a limited lifetime warranty and the dealer sells other brands, not just the heatnglo product. Why would he stick out his neck over a safety issue?
Unfortunately I don't have the inside house CO number from the contractor, although the original auditor from the Gas company said it met governmental standards.
Soooo, I don't know what to do. I can't get into the insulation program that I want so badly in a 100+ year old home.
I called another hvac contractor, and he said over the phone "they probably tested it outside," which is what the dealer's serviceman said while he tested.
Hopefully someone can explain why the outside test is so important and the difference in meter readings.
Also, can anyone offer any opinion on the whole (head scratcher) situation.
I am perplexed and now my wife is worried about safety issues.
We can't really turn it off, because it heats a good part of the house and there is no substitute at this time (and it's harsh winter temps here).
Thanks in advance for reading this long winded story.
Here is a link to the warranty info from heatnglo:
http://www.heatnglo.com/Owner-Resources/~/media/Files/Site Downloads/Warranty_Policy.ashx
Here is a link to the "paloma" heater:
http://www.heatnglo.com/Products/Paloma-Gas-Stove.aspx
Had the door fan test to test for leaking air and Infrared camera to detect cold spots.
The auditor also tested for carbon monoxide. We have a hydronic boiler heating part
of the house, and a Heatnglo natural gas heater heating the other half.
In his report, the auditor reported "High Undiluted CO" for the the boiler (617ppm) and the
Heatnglo heater (212ppm).
We had a authorized contractor (vetted through the Gas company) out for a service call. He brought the Hydronic boiler to code and that issue is solved.
But, the heatnglo space heater (Natural Gas) "Paloma" model is stil emitting to much CO.
He said it had to be replaced and offered no other solution.
It cost $2800.00 USD and was purchased in 2007.
The contractor gave me these readings from a Bacharach Fyrite Pro Analyzer:
Efficiency: 68.3%
Excess Air: 143.2%
Stack Temp: 510 Farenheit
Primary Temp: 69.9F
O2: 12.9%
CO2: 4.5%
CO: 257ppm
CO air free: 671ppm
Draft: -0.02 WC
The contractor said the CO should be under 100ppm.
These tests were done at the termination point (outside).
The heater has a "snorkel" venting system, which goes
out the back of the heater and directly through the wall.
The dealer who sold the unit to me, sent out their serviceman
and he had a Fluke CO detector (did not have a probe) which he said
cost around $300.00 USD.
The serviceman started testing it at 6 feet away inside, and he reported a 0.0ppm reading. He proceeded to move the meter directly around the entire heater unit and behind, still reporting 0.0ppm CO.
He moved outside to termination point and reported a 45ppm reading.
Back to the contractor reporting high CO, who by the way, is not trying to win a contract to replace this heater, but is part of a company that is trying to do insulation work under a Gas company's rebate program. Until this unit is replaced or brought to standards, they will not accept the job, as they will not be paid by the Gas company.
The contractor opined that the dealer's serviceman is just trying to get out of replacing the unit. The heater has a limited lifetime warranty and the dealer sells other brands, not just the heatnglo product. Why would he stick out his neck over a safety issue?
Unfortunately I don't have the inside house CO number from the contractor, although the original auditor from the Gas company said it met governmental standards.
Soooo, I don't know what to do. I can't get into the insulation program that I want so badly in a 100+ year old home.
I called another hvac contractor, and he said over the phone "they probably tested it outside," which is what the dealer's serviceman said while he tested.
Hopefully someone can explain why the outside test is so important and the difference in meter readings.
Also, can anyone offer any opinion on the whole (head scratcher) situation.
I am perplexed and now my wife is worried about safety issues.
We can't really turn it off, because it heats a good part of the house and there is no substitute at this time (and it's harsh winter temps here).
Thanks in advance for reading this long winded story.
Here is a link to the warranty info from heatnglo:
http://www.heatnglo.com/Owner-Resources/~/media/Files/Site Downloads/Warranty_Policy.ashx
Here is a link to the "paloma" heater:
http://www.heatnglo.com/Products/Paloma-Gas-Stove.aspx
