KMOX – Flue Season
December 22nd, 2006
“The Home Improvement Show with Scott Mosby”
Saturday, December 23, 2006, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Topic: Healthy Flues for a Safe Home
We’re taking your calls during the show at 314.436.7900 or toll free at 1.800.925.1120
The discussion is about the risk to home and safety of malfunctioning flues, and how to identify when such a problem exists in your home.
Rusted Flue Cap
Bricks were pulled out of flue
Both buckets of “stuff” was cleaned out of flue
You can barely see the bricks showing in the clean-out opening
Clay flue is missing pieces and needs to be replaced
Bricks in flue
Water damage on sheetrock around flue could indicate condensation and not a
leaky roof.
View our current Mosby Newsletter on chimney flue’s below as we have also posted it here for our Home Improvement Listener’s.
The Holidays Are Also “Flue” Season
A Mosby Total Home Solutions expert was called to a Jennings home to evaluate a sweating chimney. Whenever there is visible moisture inside a home, the easy assumption is a roof or flashing leak. But the Total Home expert knew to go down into the basement. What he discovered was the flue lines coming from the water heater and the furnace were clogged, thus preventing them from venting out through the chimney.
The only visual clue this homeowner had that something was amiss was by identifying interior condensation. A carbon monoxide detector would have also signaled an alert long before the sweating appeared.
Faulty Ventilation = Carbon Monoxide
If flues and chimneys aren’t ventilating properly, carbon monoxide may accumulate in your house. People living with faulty ventilation may feel unwell when they are at home in the winter, experiencing persistent “flu-like” symptoms. Their symptoms subside when they are out of the house for extended periods.
The short list of health problems caused by carbon monoxide includes headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, excessive yawning, heart palpitations and chronic bronchitis. Extreme exposure can result in collapse, unconsciousness or death. It is imperative that you have carbon monoxide detectors placed properly throughout all levels of your house.
Click here for more information on carbon monoxide.
Be Alert to Sights & Sounds
Install carbon monoxide detectors, and should they sound, seek immediate help. Should you see misplaced moisture in your home, do not assume it’s a leaking roof or flashing. Let a Mosby Total Home Solutions expert investigate all areas of your home to find – and fix – the real source of ventilation problems. We want you to have a happy and SAFE holiday season.
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