On Feb 19, 2009, at 6:08 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
I was a little concerned that it might asphyxiate someone standing
next to the house, but he said there is no danger. I gather they
put the pipe up in the air anyway. The pipe does not have be heavy
or insulated.
The present chimney goes up to the roof.
I have some gas heaters that vent through the side of the house. It
was a mistake not to run a vent up past or through the roof. The hot
water vapor condensed on and stained the side of the house.
Another problem here, but probably not there in Atlanta, is that
vented water vapor freezes on the side of the house and up on the
soffit. In cold weather here an ice layer buildup several inches
thick is not uncommon. Maximum ice buildup is immediately to the
sides of the path of the flue gas up the sides of the house and
across the soffit. The advantage of my small heaters is they run
under thermostatic control without using any electricity, so are
useful for emergency heat.
Electricity often goes out here, due to high winds and icing, but gas
rarely does because it is underground. A study was done that showed
electricity service reliability would be similar to gas if
transmission and distribution were put underground. The
installation cost is a lot higher but it is paid back eventually in
reduced maintenance costs, at least in the environment here. There
are also the fringe benefits of avoiding the blight on landscape
transmission lines represent, and avoiding loss of life due to
electrocutions and aircraft-line or snowmobile-line collisions.
Transmission lines sag under heavy winter loads and the snow builds
up in some places to the point line-snowmobile collisions happen.
Loss of power due to avalanches can also be reduced. I don't
understand why power companies, even here, fight underground
transmission so adamantly.
One good thing to happen here is the option at subdividing for
covenants that require underground utilities only. This makes for
much improved views and improves property values in communities where
this is done.
Best regards,
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
