Closeness, there are times when we desire to be close to someone and other times we need our space. The funny thing about space, even a house needs it.
Homes when built are often required to have so much space from one another. Property boundaries define the space the house sits on. Inside the house there are numerous requirements for spacing of pipes, wires, chimneys and furnaces. These borders are usually either for safety, function or both. They are either defined in the building codes, by the manufacturer or again by both. Those that build homes or put in equipment would be assumed to know their spaces.
That did not appear to be a consideration when I inspected a new townhouse not long ago. The unit has a walk up attic which the builder had finished. The buyer and I assumed this had been done because the unit was the model home.
The problem I found was the furnace, which was in the attic and not the basement, had been walled off when the attic was finished. Not necessarily a problem, especially since the unit was high efficiency, thus both the exhaust and intake air were piped to the exterior. The issue was the wall that divided the now mechanical room from the finished space had been built right up against the furnace.
Every heating system has manufacturer defined clearances around the equipment. Some units have “zero” clearance for tight spaces like in a manufactured home. But generally speaking most equipment has to have space around it.
This unit’s space was infringed upon by the contractor who constructed the wall. Since the unit was new, the installer left the manual inside the unit.
How convenient for the home inspector.
This manufacturer states this furnace requires 6 inches of space at the side wall. You don’t need a tape measure to see the insulation here is closer than 6 inches. Now the problem becomes what to do. Move the furnace? Move the wall? Bump out the wall? No easy solution.
Sometimes closeness isn’t all that desirable.
James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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