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They Didn't Use Duct Tape - It Brought A Tear To My Eye

By
Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

Coming around the side of this house I noticed that they didn't use duct tape - it brought a tear to my eye.

Now don't get me wrong, the rest of the job was ugly, unprofessional and should not have been done. 

But still, they didn't use duct tape!

These are the direct vent tubes for a high-efficiency, condensing gas furnace.

They are very efficient furnaces.

But the tubing is large.

I think people worry that birds will get inside and block things, or damage the mechanisms.

Often homeowners have screened them over.

And in this case they used real screening!

The danger here is that when it is very cold, and warm, humid air is blowing out of that upper tube, it can freeze on the screen surface and cause a blockage.

That danger does not exist on the lower tube, which is an intake.  It actually draws in fresh air, exchanging 10% or 15% of the air in the house when the unit is running.  This is more healthful as the system is not simply reheating the same stale air all the time.

The companies actually make a chicken-wire screen to cap the intake so no bird accidentally gets inside.

But they don't recommend screening the exhaust.

My recommendation:  sure, while it looks ugly, unprofessional and a bit comical, at least they didn't use duct tape!  Maybe a paradigm shift is in process!  Minds are being changed as duct tape, which has its good uses, is more regarded now as not good for HVAC equipment!

 

 

 

Posted by

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.

Office (703) 330-6388   Cell (703) 585-7560

www.jaymarinspect.com


Comments (35)

Keith Lawrence
Christie's International - Mahwah, NJ
ABR, SFR

I like the hack job on the vinyl siding to get the vent pipes out.  Home Depot sells the circular saw cut for about $40 to cut the hole.  That what my plumber used.

Apr 16, 2013 10:18 PM
Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

Darn, don't they make white duct tape? Then they could have done a custom screening / tape job. Not the neatest harry homeowner fix, I'm sure you've seen worse.

 

Apr 16, 2013 10:28 PM
Mike Cooper, Broker VA,WV
Cornerstone Business Group Inc - Winchester, VA
Your Neighborhood Real Estate Sales Pro

Well, they had the right idea, Jay, just poor execution.  8-)  Those pipes doe seem unusually large.  Is that the standard for an intake/exhaust pipe?

Apr 16, 2013 10:53 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jay, how does that 10-15% air change work----sounds interesting?

Apr 16, 2013 11:10 PM
Steven Cook
No Longer Processing Mortgages. - Tacoma, WA

Jay -- my only concern on the way these are situated is that if there is a moderate snowstorm with drifting, is the intake pipe on the side of the house away from where drifting might occur?  If not, it could find itself buried.

Apr 17, 2013 06:16 AM
Marc McMaster
RE/MAX Centre Realty - State College, PA
Putting my clients before myself

At least they were trying to do the right thing. They could have just taped the whole thing off!

Apr 17, 2013 06:59 AM
Christopher Campa
LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE - Gainesville, VA
Northern VA Realtor

Jay:  I love your blogs.  I learn something new every day.  Personally I can't stand Duck Tape because I had an uncle that fixed everything with the stuff, including couches.  The horror!

Apr 17, 2013 12:04 PM
Eric Middleton
Closer Look Property Inspections Inc. - Uniondale, NY
Professional Property Inspector

Jay -  Not to worry, the creative minds will find other uses for duct tape that we wil be writing about.

Apr 17, 2013 01:35 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Christiansens - it does and silly me!

Raymond - well, wonder no more!  They make colorful duct tapes now too!

James - what they did doesn't have my blessing!  Just that they used a more modern tape!

S&D - for all I know they "read about it on line..."

Apr 17, 2013 06:08 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

It is J&R, and, um, isn't!

Fred - you have probably never seen a high-efficiency condensing furnace.  That is literally a furnace exhaust tube, made of PVC.  To me it reminds of an elephant trunk!

Bob - I never heard that one, but I like it!

Mike - it pretty much smacked me when I walked around the corner!

Apr 17, 2013 06:10 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Keith - the tubing preceeded the siding!  That hack job was done by the siding guy!

Jeff - I see screening all the time.  And USUALLY with duct tape!

Yes Mike.  Sometimes they look like a bell.  The intake/exhaust fit together at the end.

Charlie - an HVAC guy explained to me that properly mixed the unit pulls up to 20% more air than it needs for combustion.  That extra essentially goes into the house air mix.

 

Apr 17, 2013 06:13 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Good point Steven.  These are considered high enough, for this area at least, but sometimes they are too low and I have to flag that.  It doesn't look it, but here the intake (lower one) is about 30" high.

Fortunately they didn't Marc!

Chris - it is an incredibly useful product and probably used in the most creative of ways more than any other thing!  But originally it wasn't called "duct" tape and it was never meant for HVAC!  Couches yes.

Eric - see my answer to Chris above!  Look forward to it!

Apr 17, 2013 06:16 PM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

These are closed combustion systems, how would the unit be drawing and distributing additional air to the house? Sounds like your HVAC guy spent to much time under an exhaust vent. 

Apr 18, 2013 01:45 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

What that guy Jim said :)  I would add that not only are they closed system the combustion area is always under negative pressure so a small amount of house air may be entering the furnace but it should not be happening the other way around.

Apr 18, 2013 03:52 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Hey, neither of you boys said anything about the lack of duct tape!  What's up with that?

Jim - I used to lay behind the vacuum cleaner when my mother was working, and letting the air blow on my face.  Maybe that's the problem...?  I also thought it was fun to talk into the blowing air!

The HVAC guy's thinking was that since it is drawing in 10-20% more than it needs, the additional is blown around the house.

Charlie - I just wrote Dr. Sherman at Lawrence Berkeley Labs to get his thoughts.  He has always been very generous with his time and my questions.  I'll post what he done did say me.

I should get him to autograph a couple of his books I have in my libarary!

You two still my BFFs?

 

;>)

Apr 18, 2013 07:03 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Wow, he answered me inside of two minutes!

Heah 'tis:

"I am not an expert on all the various equipment out there, but my understanding is that the whole combustion side is isolated from the building side.  Thus whatever air is brought in for combustion is exhausted back out.  None interacts with the house.

What might be true is that they bring in 20% more air than they need for combustion.   This makes for a lean burn, which they may want to manage in the combustion process.  The extra air goes back out again.  It is not that it is unbalanced.  It should not be distributed throughout  the house."

So, he is the ASHRAE director at LBL.  Even though he doesn't have specific experience, he is up on the concept.  I like the answer.

 

Apr 18, 2013 07:08 AM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

Sure I am Jay. Now Charlie, he's a lot tougher. You might have to send him chocolate. 

Funny, I had a system the other day without screens. Made note of it in the report. 

Apr 18, 2013 08:37 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Aw, he's gotten it already Jim.  Maybe he'd enjoy a wooden top!

Apr 18, 2013 09:23 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

And here I was thinking I was losing my mind---got it all duct taped back together now ---no sifting or screening necessary:)

Apr 18, 2013 09:59 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

For you, First Internet Date...

Apr 18, 2013 10:53 AM