Make Up Air- Carbon Monoxide Safety Issue.

[andrewlamberson]

Our Safety Coordinator at work alerted me to a possible issue with how I am venting the fumes from molding. He brought me an article from a Nascar Model Car Forum discussion problems with where the make up air is coming from  with basement spray paint booths. (hobby booths ....under 500cfm)

The concern was that one of the easiest places for that air to come from is from the flue of your furnace. So instead of venting your carbon monoxide out the flue...the fan for your ventilation is pulling that air into your work space and that is NOT a good thing! If you are getting a headache while molding....it may not be the plastic fumes!!    It was bad enough for one guy that his MRI was showing damage to his brain...likely from the carbon monoxide!

So...I'm going to do 3 things this weekend while molding:
1. Put a carbon monoxide tester (with digital reading) by my work area to see if there is an issue.
2. Close the door between my work area...and the furnace! And tape the bottom.
3. ALWAYS have the window across the room open...even when it's single digits outside...like this week.

I'll post the results of my carbon monoxide detector testing.

[BassDetective]

Excellent advice.  This is a real issue.  Most furnaces and other gas burning appliances are regular vents - meaning they rely on a positive air flow/pressure up the via working on the principle that hot air rises.  Most have an opening near the bottom to help with this process.  If your basement is tight (meaning you get very little air from exterior) that fan will pull air down the vent.  This applies to all fuel burning appliances:  gas, oil, coal, ect.

[Jason]

Great catch Andy!  Thanks for the heads up.

[ghostbaits]

Glad I live in a semi-tropical area! LOL!!! No more furnaces inside!

Seriously though, good info Andy!!!

Jim

[pjmcla]

I was wondering how you ( Andrew ) could be venting to the outside and still be in a "warm" area.  It would have to be tough on the heating bill I would think.
I am much closer to Ghostbaits than Andrew, but injecting is a 60 degree and up  affair for me.

[andrewlamberson]

Well....it does get a bit chilly..

My vent from my primary work area...microwave area...sits in a box covered by a 300 CFM range hood that vents through a clothes dryer vent to the outside.

I now (recent change) send my "make up air" down the stairway with a fan blowing upstairs. This not only gives me make up air...it pushes any fumes down out of the stair well.

A few days ago I rigged up a bathroom fan onto the table section where I inject ....and direct that air (via 3" bath fan venting) towards the basement window that has a big fan in it. If it is below 15 degrees outside...it gets a" bit chilly" with the air coming in that window.


 The other am it was -15...so I just used my range hood fan..and the makeup air from the upstairs fan....and slowed down a bit to make sure everything was venting ok.

But I still ALWAYS use a respirator!!!!

By the way...IF I don't control the make up air...the Carbon Monoxide tester started to register !!!!   So I was pulling air from my furnace flue!!!!

We only heat our house to 64 degrees during the winter....so I suspect I might just freeze you out using my set up!!!!

Minnesota Temperature Guide:

80 degrees and above: TOO HOT to do anything
60-80 degrees: Swimmin' weather!!!

50-60 degrees: PERFECT!

40-50: Nice spring/fall day at 50 degrees we start wearing short sleeves in the spring. At 49 ...long sleeves in the fall

30-40:" Chilly...but "good sleeping weather" if you keep your bedroom window open (we do).

15-30: "Cool"...but not making ice very fast for ice fishing. Bedroom window still open.

0-15: "Colder...but not too bad" Better get out a warm coat. "We'll get some ice now...." and "just crack the bedroom  window open a bit"

0 to -15: Ok...now it's starting to get cold. Makin' Ice!!!! Zero seems to be the magic number that gets us excited about going fishing!

-15 to -20: Ok...apparently it's winter in MN. Just where did I put those gloves??

-20 to -25: GREAT!...the ice will be thick enough to drive on now. I'm even going to start wearing a hat!

-25 to -30: Time to start complaining about living in MN

-30 or lower: Start thinking about sending out resumes to the southern states.

[Denny Welch]

Andy...I was doing a little research re exhause fans and ran across this thread.  Your information is point on and your temperature guage is a crack-up.

[Jason]

I just wanted to bring this up - given the time of year.  Andy shared some of the most relevant info ever in this post for pouring in your basement.  Thanks again Andy.  Jason

Our Safety Coordinator at work alerted me to a possible issue with how I am venting the fumes from molding. He brought me an article from a Nascar Model Car Forum discussion problems with where the make up air is coming from  with basement spray paint booths. (hobby booths ....under 500cfm)

The concern was that one of the easiest places for that air to come from is from the flue of your furnace. So instead of venting your carbon monoxide out the flue...the fan for your ventilation is pulling that air into your work space and that is NOT a good thing! If you are getting a headache while molding....it may not be the plastic fumes!!    It was bad enough for one guy that his MRI was showing damage to his brain...likely from the carbon monoxide!

So...I'm going to do 3 things this weekend while molding:
1. Put a carbon monoxide tester (with digital reading) by my work area to see if there is an issue.
2. Close the door between my work area...and the furnace! And tape the bottom.
3. ALWAYS have the window across the room open...even when it's single digits outside...like this week.

I'll post the results of my carbon monoxide detector testing.

[DF]

 Don't forget that gas fired hot water heater, it could cause the same problem as a furnace. Like BassDective said all fuel burning appliances.