Furnace Experts? I need your help.

[shane_c]

So the dog has ripped at this hose before and put a hole in it. When Direct Energy came over to clean our furnace they said it's pretty much a useless hose and to just put a piece of duct tape over it. So today the dog had some fun and finished it off. The top and bottom are ripped apart. What is this hose for, intake, exhaust, something else? Is it safe to run the furnace as it is now?

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/617/img04853we.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5115/img04839id.jpg

[Flames_Gimp]

if iits the exhaust, no it isnt safe to run it at all.

[vanisleflamesfan]

3 threads about furnaces on the first page. That has GOT to be a CP first.

[Nufy]

It looks like the Combustion Air supply for the furnace.

Takes cold air in from the outside to be burned in the furnace burner.

The insulation is to keep condensation from forming on the ducting and rusting, causing mold etc.....

Just put some duct tape over where the dog chewed on it and you will be fine.

[Nufy]

Oh and its not a useless piece of hose.

Without it the furnace takes oxygen from inside the house for combustion and you then run the risk of incomplete combustion in the furnace and can increase the Carbon Monoxide levels in the house.

Serious stuff.......

Just FYI..........

[shane_c]

Oh and its not a useless piece of hose.

Without it the furnace takes oxygen from inside the house for combustion and you then run the risk of incomplete combustion in the furnace and can increase the Carbon Monoxide levels in the house.

Serious stuff.......

Just FYI..........

Thanks for the reply. There's not enough there to connect with duct tape. I suppose I could make a makeshift connector with a garbage bag for now and duct tape that on there.

[Nufy]

Cut off the bad stuff and re-attach.

Looks to be only 1 - 2 feet right ??

Theoritically the outlet should br below the flame source but I don't
think a few feet wil matter.

[shane_c]

Cut off the bad stuff and re-attach.

Looks to be only 1 - 2 feet right ??

Theoritically the outlet should br below the flame source but I don't
think a few feet wil matter.

So cut the bad stuff off and use a garbage bag to fill in the rest?

[Nufy]

No just re-attach the vent to the hose.

The metal can thingy that is hanging there.

It is usually used to keep rodents from crawling into your house.

[Robbob]

It is the combustion air. Pull back the insulation and duct tape any holes and then reapply the insulation. IF it is totaly wasted try getting a short piece of the 5" insulated flex and splice it together using duct tape. If you really want to do a good job, use a piece of 5" pipe (around 6") and put the flex on each side and tape.

The can should be about a foot off the ground.