We recently learned that leaking gas lines can cause plants to die. This colorless and odorless gas is harmless when breathed in small amounts (thats what we do all the time), but in enclosed spaces, a high concentration of CO can become extremely dangerous. The dosage effect of ethylene on impatiens. It used to be vented up to my roof and out. I am in the heating and cooling trade and the reason for the plants to die is because the exhaust pipe is probably pointing down which will drie up the soil that they are in. This ensures there will be adequate air flow for your air conditioner to operate efficiently. Tomatoes and white petunias are very sensitive to this and will show signs in as little as one hour. Sultzbaugh adds, We also need to look at the air-fuel ratio, which will require adjustment., Asked whether existing burner controls can be adapted to the addition of recuperation, Sultzbaugh explains, It depends on the type of control method being used. Fortunately, this is usually also the most practical heat to recover and reuse. The gas is then directed through the flue pipe and safely vented out of your house. Hasn't damaged the shrubbery, but I do need to keep the shrubs trimmed low enough that winter snow won't block the exhaust and intake. Natural gas ( NG) consists of more than 85% methane with varying amounts of ethane, propane, butane and inert gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and helium. A disadvantage is that the heat content of the incoming air has some variation, making precise combustion control more difficult. WebDuring very cold and windy weather the screening collects ice, blocking the vent and causing a furnace shutdown. Related article:Is Your Home More Humid Than it Should Be? As an example he cites a Tier 2 automotive manufacturer that has a plant with a monthly energy bill of $200,000 per month. WebBasically, cold temperatures cause plants to starve. This is generally true if the burner is clean and has been adjusted to top efficiency. These fuels are advertised as clean-burning. You are inGeorgia. Share Improve this answer Follow answered Jun 5, 2014 at 14:18 Steven 27.3k 9 51 86 3 The only inhibitor is scale. He explains, The cost of retrofitting little furnaces is disproportionately higher than one operating at, say, 45 MMBtu/hr or larger, so the economic case is more difficult to make.. The installer is going to put the PVC pipes about two feet away from a cherry bush, actually midway between the bush and the A/C compressor. The pipes are usually black or white and they exit the wall right next to your furnace. As Chuck mentioned, there is a major difference between CO and CO2. WebHowever after the second year the furnace exhaust killed the top 1/3 of one holly. Usually excess air is needed to get complete combustion as greater mixing occurs and more of the fuel particles will make contact with the oxygen. If you have a heat pump or an electric heater, you can ignore this advice. Tomato plants are very sensitive to certain pollutants found in the exhaust from fossil fuels. Ethylene from malfunctioning greenhouse heaters may lead to crop injury. Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death, is produced any time a fossil fuel is burned. The flame should burn clear blue. 1. Share Improve this answer Follow answered Jun 5, 2014 at 14:18 Steven 27.3k 9 51 86 3 Hilarious thread. Also, the young, upper leaves on the plant will twist around, sometimes turning upside down. Also, call your furnace maintenance firm to inspect the unit in question. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Why Mitsubishi Mini Split Making Clicking Noise? and fuel supply lines with leaks. After three days of exposureall flowers and buds had been shed. A heater that has been serviced in the fall will probably not be at peak efficiency as spring approaches. WebOne is that if a condensate drain is draining water from a high-efficiency furnace, this water can be acidic and damage plants. There are still a good many plants with major energy reduction potential, and the level of adoption is uneven. WebGrasses and perennials that grow more than 6 inches high should also be planted at least 2 to 3 feet away from the base of the unit because ventilation for the unit is also drawn from that area. If its placed near an air conditioning vent, you may want to move it to another room or area that either isnt being air conditioned or is far away from an air vent. The bush is an excellent indicator of how wide this vent's effect is. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Depending on the installation, you may not be able to. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Basically, cold temperatures cause plants to starve. This information is for educational purposes only. I'm updating an exhaust pipe on my furnace. So, be on the lookout for ethylene symptoms and fix the problem before its too late. If I can revive it or plant new I'll either add a slight angle to the exhaust or wrap the holly in burlap to protect it and see how that works. These fuels are advertised as clean-burning. And Why? Mine haven't complained yet. Different species handle the effects of air conditioning differently. Remember where the pipes exit the building and go outside. Why Furnace Is Making A Clicking Noise Troubleshooting Guide. Another consideration is that some exhaust products inevitably remain in the vessel to combine with incoming combustion air. Insufficient information to make any comment as it is not your old furnace. It has killed one of my bushes. 3 Places Mold Can Hide in Your Home Air Conditioning and Heating System, Tired of the Humidity? 5. VisitGeorgia. WebChoose shrubs that arent likely to grow or spread to an unmanageable size and avoid plants that produce messy berries that may fall into the air conditioner unit where they may cause problems. To keep small plants safe, protect them with glass. One of the problems is that carbon dioxide is most effective when light levels are the highest during the day and the carbon dioxide is mainly produced at night when the heater operates the most. A more likely problem is killing a treasured plant with exhaust gases. The only thing I would do is rout your dryer vent into the room during the winter. In fact, 1 ppm (part per million) of ethylene or carbon monoxide can cause serious damage. 3 Answers Sorted by: 1 No, it sounds like you have a high efficiency furnace and these will direct vent outside versus using the chimney stack to vent. Prune overhead branches to maintain 4 feet of clearance between the top of the unit and the branches and clear the ground around the air conditioner unit weekly. Why Is AC Mini Split Making Noise When Off? Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. These cookies do not store any personal information. Tankless Water Heater Exhaust Killing Plants By Andy Johnson | November 26, 2015 0 Comment [post_title] $1184.00 Description: Estrada cited a recent report from the federal electricity commission on plans to build new carbon plants, a tankless water heater, ruining their livelihoods and even killing residents. No other air pollutant causes a greater range of symptoms than ethylene gas. Each new greenhouse season Michigan State University Extension educators and specialists hear of ethylene and carbon monoxide problems in greenhouses somewhere in the Midwest. These chemicals can damage plants. Peace. Maybe there is something else going on that could be coincidental. However, if the smell is coming from the furnace exhaust pipe, then its completely normal. Other than that, yes it can go through the roof instead & again, But, both the intake & the exhaust have go up together. I'm concerned that the exhaust could harm the bush and also that the corrosive gas could tarnish the A/C. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. If you dump it outside, it will kill plants, grass anything that it comes in contact with." You can invite a professional to perform an indoor air quality test (this will help figure out if you have a leak or not). My high efficiency furnace vents warm (not hot) moist air. Im afraid I'm going to kill my plants with some kind of bad engine exhaust coming from my furnace. How To Stop AC Refrigeration Line From Vibrating? A regenerator uses two or more vessels or vessel sections containing a high thermal conductivity matrix. Chapman notes that smelting in the copper mining industry is an example of an industry starting to move in this direction. One square inch of vent cross section of outside air for every 2,500 BTUs of heater output is recommended. I'll say peace again, instead of idiot. 1 cu ft NG + 10 cu ft Air + Flame gives 8 cu ft Nitrogen + 1 cu ft Carbon dioxide + 2 cu ft Water vapor. It is important that the tester can measure as low as parts per million. Some plants, especially those with skinnier leaves, are especially sensitive to low humidity. Two types of heat recovery systems that are commonly used with industrial furnaces are recuperators and regenerators. You don't have to use all of the exhaust gas, but you could hook up a regulator or just turn on/off the valve that feeds the gas to the plants. All fuel-burning heaters need to be vented with a stack to the outside. Sorrymy dumbness I guess. Yellow or orange flames represent impurities or a wrong setting. ). Either that or the J I just put out makes it seem so. When designing the greenhouse layout, make sure the intake vent from one greenhouse is not close to the exhaust stack of another one. You might want to talk to the installer to see if it could be better positioned as to not damage you plants. A recuperator is a gas-to-gas heat exchanger that is installed on the furnace exhaust that preheats incoming combustion air. Exhaust passes through the matrix giving up a large portion of its heat before discharging. Can my Furnace and Water Heater share an exhaust? 3 Answers Sorted by: 1 No, it sounds like you have a high efficiency furnace and these will direct vent outside versus using the chimney stack to vent. If you spot these signs, stop misting those plants or switch from misting them daily to every other day or every two days. This partial combustion leads to the formation of various byproducts, starting from nitrogen dioxide and ending with carbon monoxide. Could wind be causing my high efficiency furnace exhaust to back up into the house? How do you know if you have ethylene damage on your greenhouse tomatoes? Common early symptoms are drooping tomato leaves, although they are still turgid and not wilted. WebSolved it by placing a cedar wood panel in front of the vent. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has some excellent information on carbon monoxide poisoning at their website, including fact sheets and other useful leaflets. Plants not exposed to ethylene (A). Unvented heaters can be fired with natural gas, propane or kerosene. In the worst-case scenario, the exhaust from your furnace can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Although the combustion exhaust itself is clean, the heating process may be producing corrosive or particulate byproducts that could damage or clog a high efficiency heat exchanger such as one with fins. High humidity can cause mold growth, damage to your homes structures, and more. How to take air samples in the greenhouse to test for ethylene and other air pollutants, Ethylene Contamination: Symptoms andSources in the Greenhouse, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, excellent information on carbon monoxide poisoning, 1998 Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Older type technology using relay logic is not readily adaptable. Normally furnaces and boilers are operated with about 50% excess air. You might want to talk to the installer to see if it could be better positioned as to not damage you plants. They usually have to work on the exact same atmospheric pressure to operate correctly. The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707. So, if a tester reads less than 1%, all that means is that there is under 10,000 ppm of ethylene. So be sure the utility company is prepared with proper equipment to help you. You could replace it with a little mini rock garden or something. WebBasically, cold temperatures cause plants to starve. Since I preferred to get rid of the chimney entirely (and did so when I re-roofed), we went with the out-the-side exhaust. WebOne is that if a condensate drain is draining water from a high-efficiency furnace, this water can be acidic and damage plants. Any thoughts? And Why? A recuperator is a gas-to-gas heat exchanger that is installed on the furnace exhaust that preheats incoming If the color of your plants leaves is fading or if the leaves are wilting, it could be because the plant is too close to an air conditioning vent. In theory, the combustion of gas should generate only water vapor and carbon dioxide. Is Your Home More Humid Than it Should Be? You cant detect it without specialized equipment. I'm buying a new Trane S9V2 furnace. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. See all author stories here. Search Products And Discover New Innovations In Your Industry. This colorless and odorless gas is harmless when breathed in small amounts (thats what we do all the time), but in enclosed spaces, a high concentration of CO can become extremely dangerous. In fact, 1 ppm (part per million) of ethylene or carbon monoxide can cause serious damage. Just make sure when you go in there, you may be breathing it to. Box 231, Crystal Springs, MS 39059. Inefficient combustion can emit unwanted and harmful pollutants into the greenhouse that can affect the plants and the people working with them. It both protects the plants from the blast and collects any lint and keeps it from view. I know you don't do laundry all the time but it will help a little, better than nothing. It has a heat value of from about 950 1050 Btu/cu ft. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. What is \newluafunction? Is It Worth Getting A High Efficiency Furnace? They are usually placed in the habitable areas (dining rooms, bedrooms, hallways, etc.) Share Improve this answer Follow answered Jun 5, 2014 at 14:18 Steven 27.3k 9 51 86 3 The vent is pointing upwards and the bushes have actually started dying off in in sections around the exhaust pipe so there is acutally green on the far side of some of the bushes and dry and brown on the side near the pipe. Your furnace can trigger allergy-related symptoms. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? By the way, combustion furnaces usually have PVC pipes as they dont have to withstand extreme temperatures, but they have to be able to cope with the acidic condensate. If your HVAC system is operating properly and only the exhaust is blocked, then the pressure switch will get triggered, and the unit wont turn on until you get the exhaust cleared. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Lastly, research your plants temperature and humidity needs. Are there tables of wastage rates for different fruit and veg? It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This shrub thrives in full sun and reaches a mature size of 10 to 15 feet tall with a spread of 5 to 10 feet. You do not have access to www.jlconline.com. Just make sure when you go in there, you may be breathing it to. If you have a flowery plant and notice that theflower buds are falling from the plant or if their leaves are wilting, this may be due to low humidity. Check for cracks by inspecting for light penetration while the furnace is running. When planting shrubs near your air conditioners outdoor unit, take several factors into consideration. Tomato plants are very sensitive to certain pollutants found in the exhaust from fossil fuels. Photo credit: Ethylene Contamination: Symptoms andSources in the Greenhouse, Michelle Jones, The Ohio State University. OP was discussing CO, not CO2. First, an air conditioner blows out hot air as it cools your home, and this heat can kill shrubs that aren't heat-resistant. 1-K kerosene is a low-sulfur petroleum product whose composition varies widely depending on what part of the world it comes from. Cold air blowing directly on plants often strips it of its moisture. Tom Dudek, Michigan State University Extension, and Randy Beaudry, MSU Department of Horticulture - JavaScript is disabled. This is a sign of too much moisture. Energy reduction equals emission reduction. lost in a matter of hours. Difference between "select-editor" and "update-alternatives --config editor". However, there are a few other health-related issues that can be caused by your heating system: If the unit is not regularly cleaned, then it can become home to various bacteria and fungi (the HVAC system can also harbor mold). This is generally true if the burner is clean and has been adjusted to top efficiency. Remember, ethylene is an odorless, colorless gas that is a harmful pollutant to your greenhouse crops. John Sultzbaugh is the Director of Engineering for Hauck Manufacturing Company of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Thanks for sharing! WebOne is that if a condensate drain is draining water from a high-efficiency furnace, this water can be acidic and damage plants. Although less commonly used than recuperators, regenerators are still widely used in high temperature furnaces such as glass and steel reheat furnaces. This will likely cause one greenhouse to pull in contaminated exhaust from the other. There are also CO detectors that are available, often from local hardware stores, for just a few dollars.
