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Photograph of rusty, unsafe gas furnace (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comCritical Defects in Heating Systems

This page provides information about critical defects in heating systems that could present life safety issues or be very costly.

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Critical Defects in Heating Systems

Critical defects are defects which form an immediate, significant safety hazard or defects which are quite likely to involve significant repair or replacement cost, and which involve components or systems which are necessary to occupy and use the building.

Below on this page see our RECOMMENDED ARTICLES list of critical heating system defect topics.

An inspector should not fail to detect these critical defects when examining any building component or system. Methods for detection and diagnosis of these defects are discussed in this document and in its references.

Sooty gas burner (C) Daniel FriedmanHeating system inspection and critical defects cover a rather broad range. See the list of specific critical defects below.

Pay careful attention to:

Life Safety Hazards:

Such as evidence of unsafe chimneys, missing or damaged safety devices (relief valves, emergency shutoffs), and visual evidence of dangerous overheating or leaks.

Responsibly conducted, an inspection of a gas-fired furnace, for example, might discover that the furnace has been exposed to severe rust-producing conditions which risk an unsafe heat exchanger and a carbon monoxide hazard which could be fatal to building occupants.

Even though the heat exchanger may not be visible, the contextual clues around the furnace, if they are visually obvious, should be translated into a level of concern by the inspector, and where appropriate, translated into a recommendation for action.

This does not mean "failing" every furnace to be on the "safe side", it means responsible inspecting and reporting.

Costly defects:

Such as evidence of a heating system at or near the end of its life of safe, reliable operation, or evidence of a buried oil tank which is likely to be old and for which there is no record of leak testing, should be reported.

 

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Continue reading at DIAGNOSE & FIX HEATING SYSTEMS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see HEATING SYSTEM FAQs - questions & answers posted originally in this article

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CRITICAL DEFECTS in HEATING SYSTEMS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.


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