Welcome to my Homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories about inspections I have done and facts I think are interesting to share with you. Come back often to see what's new.
-Glenn, a.k.a. The House Whisperer
| Double Whammy |
| Written by Glenn Stewart |
| Thursday, 11 March 2010 04:43 |
This is a photo of a brass flexible gas line installed through the sheetmetal cabinet of a heating furnace at a recent Clayton home inspection. 
This installation was permissible during the 1960s and 70s, but became problematic as time went on. There were reports of the flexible gas pipes cracking and/or the soldered connector ends coming apart; and in some documented cases, the leaking gas caused fires and explosions. In the late 1990s, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began warning consumers about these dangerous, older brass flexible gas connectors used to connect home appliances to gas supply pipes: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml97/97187.html The other issue shown in the photo is that the thin-wall flexible gas line is resting on the sharp edge of the sheetmetal hole. In older furnaces, the blower bearings would wear out over time and dust would accumulate on the spinning squirrel cage fan setting up mechanical vibrations. The vibrations could result in the sheetmetal edge cutting through the flexible gas line producing a gas leak, which usually leads to an explosion and fire. During our inspections, we carefully inspect all gas appliances in the house for potential. If you haven't used Pacific Coast Inspections yet... Book an inspection with us and receive a free roof inspection by a licensed roofing contractor. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 11 March 2010 04:47 |
