|
||||
Homeowner Notice - Poorly Designed Furnaces Can Cause Attic Fires: Was your home built between 1983 and 1990? · Is your furnace located in the attic or crawl space? In 1995, fire investigators began to see an increase in fires in homes with horizontal furnaces in attic spaces. Examination of the furnaces involved in these fires revealed that the tubes in the burner assemblies had failed, which in turn caused a failure of the heat exchanger. As the burner assembly fails, small gas ports begin to enlarge due to cracking and continued operation. As the heat exchanger fails, high pressure air is allowed to pass through the cracks into the burner chamber which can result in flames being pushed out the sides of the furnace through the air openings. This becomes a fire hazard when the flames ignite with combustible material in the attic. Being that most attics are not equipped with heat or smoke detectors, fires in attic spaces can burn for a period of time before they are discovered, resulting in serious property damage and possibly life threatening circumstances. U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION: SAFETY ALERT“WASHINGTON, D.C. – THE U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION (CPSC) IS WARNING CONSUMERS IN CALIFORNIA THAT CERTAIN GAS-FIRED HORIZONTAL FORCED-AIR FURNACES MANUFACTURED BY CONSOLIDATED INDUSTRIES (FORMERLY PREMIER FURNACE COMPANY) PRESENT A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF FIRE. THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 30 REPORTS OF FIRES AND DAMAGE TO HOMES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FURNACES, AS WELL AS FAILURES OF BURNERS AND HEAT EXCHANGERS THAT CAN LEAD TO FIRES. THE FURNACES WERE INSTALLED EXCLUSIVELY IN CALIFORNIA. CONSOLIDATED MANUFACTURED APPROXIMATELY 190,000 OF THESE FURNACES FROM 1983 THROUGH 1994 UNDER MANY DIFFERENT BRAND NAMES. MOST OF THE FURNACES WERE MANUFACTURED UNDER THE PREMIER/CONSOLIDATED LABELS. ALL OF THE FURNACES CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE FACT THAT THEY ARE EQUIPPED WITH STEEL CONTROL RODS INSTALLED ABOVE THE BURNERS. THESE STEEL RODS WERE REQUIRED TO SATISFY CALIFORNIA AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS FOR NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS.” EXAMINATION OF THE FURNACES INVOLVED IN THE ABOVE FIRES REVEALED THAT THE TUBES IN THE BURNER ASSEMBLIES HAD FAILED, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED A FAILURE OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER. AS THE BURNER ASSEMBLY FAILS, SMALL GAS PORTS BEGIN TO ENLARGE DUE TO CRACKING AND CONTINUED USE. AS THE HEAT EXCHANGER FAILS, HIGH PRESSURE AIR IS ALLOWED TO PASS THROUGH THE CRACKS INTO THE BURNER CHAMBER WHICH CAN RESULT IN FLAMES BEING PUSHED OUT THE SIDES OF THE FURNACE. ADDITIONALLY, CARBON MONOXIDE, AN ODORLESS, CORLORLESS, POISONOUS GAS, THAT IS PRODUCED DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE FURNACE, CAN BE RELEASED THROUGH CRACKS IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER AND WILL MIX WITH THE AIR THAT IS BEING CIRCULATED THROUGH YOUR HOME. “MANY OF THESE FURNACES ARE STILL IN USE. THE COMMISSION IS WARNING CONSUMERS TO HAVE THEIR GAS-FIRED FURNACES INSPECTED IMMEDIATELY BY A LICENSED HEATING CONTRACTOR.”
|
|
|||
|
