Garage Heater Inspection Under Sale Pressure
An attached 24 ft × 24 ft garage has a 45,000 BTU/h natural-gas unit heater suspended with its bottom 48 in above the floor. The flue runs 2 ft horizontally and then terminates 12 in below a bedroom window that can open. The gas line has a shutoff and a connector, but the drip leg is missing. The homeowner stores a lawnmower with gasoline, a propane cylinder, and paint thinners in the garage. The heater has been there 20 years. The homeowner wants a safety inspection signed so the house can be sold. The technician finds flame roll-out stains at the burner access panel and 35 ppm CO near the heater while it runs. The homeowner says, 'Just sign it-it's been fine and I need this to close.'
1. Identify which conditions are code violations or safety concerns and which are acceptable, and explain your reasoning.
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The 48 in elevation of the heater's ignition source is acceptable-the typical garage requirement is at least 18 in above the floor-but elevation does not address everything. The flue termination 12 in below an operable bedroom window is a serious venting defect; products of combustion can re-enter the home. The missing drip leg is a code or installation defect. Storing gasoline, propane, and thinners near a gas appliance is unsafe, and a propane cylinder in a garage is a fire-code and safety concern.
Flame roll-out stains and 35 ppm CO indicate a combustion or venting problem, not normal aging. The 20-year service life does not make it compliant. I would not sign a clean inspection.
2. How would you handle the homeowner's request to sign the inspection? Include what you say and do.
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Explain that signing would misrepresent the condition and could endanger the buyer. I would shut down and tag the heater if CO or roll-out indicates unsafe operation, document readings, and provide a written deficiency list with photos. I would not accept pressure to falsify a report.
Offer to quote repairs: correct the vent termination, add the drip leg, investigate the heat exchanger and burners for the cause of roll-out, and advise removal of flammable storage. If the customer refuses, record the refusal and that the appliance was left off. The sale pressure is not a reason to skip safety.
3. What documentation and follow-up would protect the technician, the seller, and the buyer?
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Document date and time, appliance model and serial number, measurements including ambient CO, draft if available, and gas pressure, plus photos of the roll-out stains and vent termination. Note deficiencies, actions taken such as gas shutoff or tagging, customer statements, and signature or acknowledgment. Provide a copy to the homeowner and note that the buyer should have repairs verified by a qualified person.
If a real-estate transaction is involved, avoid giving a pass without correction. Follow up with the repair invoice and a final combustion test after repairs.