Thursday, January 20, 2011

Home Heating Safety Alert 家用取暖安全警報

Winter Weather Warning: CPSC and USFA Issue Home Heating Safety Alert

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA) urge consumers to play it safe as winter weather blankets the United States.

According to USFA, home fires spike in winter months. Cooking and home heating are the leading causes of residential building fires during the winter. The risk of fires also increases with the use of supplemental heating, such as space heaters.

CPSC estimates that home heating was associated with an average of 33,300 fires and 180 fire deaths per year from 2005 to 2007.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is also a serious threat in the winter months. Any fuel-burning appliances in the home, including furnaces and fireplaces, are a potential CO source. Carbon monoxide is called the "invisible killer," because it is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas.

There has been an increasing trend in unintentional, non-fire CO deaths associated with consumer products since 1999. CPSC staff estimates there were 184 CO poisoning deaths on average per year from 2005-2007 compared to 122 deaths per year from 1999-2001. Since 1999, the majority of CO deaths have been associated with heating systems and portable generators.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are an important line of defence in the home, and they give consumers valuable escape time. About two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms, or in homes where consumers have removed the alarm's batteries or where the batteries are dead. Recently, there were tragic deaths in homes where alarms could have made a difference:

In Citra, Fla., a fire killed five children on November 8. Their home did not have smoke alarms.
In Penfield, N.Y., a 54-year-old man died of CO poisoning in November. Prior to his death, the home's CO alarms reportedly beeped and were removed from the house.
CPSC and USFA recommend that in addition to having working smoke and CO alarms, consumers should follow these safety tips to prevent fires and CO poisoning:

Preventing Fires Place space heaters on a floor that is flat and level. Do not put space heaters on rugs or carpets. Keep the heater at least three feet from bedding, drapes, furniture, and other flammable materials; and place space heaters out of the flow of foot traffic. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
To prevent the risk of fire, NEVER leave a space heater on when you go to sleep or place a space heater close to any sleeping person. Turn the heater off when you leave the area. See CPSC's electric space heater safety alert for more space heater safety tips (pdf).
Never use gasoline in a kerosene space heater. Even small amounts of gasoline mixed with kerosene can increase the risk of a fire.
Have fireplace flues and chimneys inspected for leakage and blockage from creosote or debris every year?
Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire, and keep it open until the ashes are cool. An open damper may help prevent the build-up of poisonous gases inside the home.
Store fireplace ashes in a fire-resistant container, and cover the container with a lid. Keep the container outdoors and away from combustibles. Dispose of ashes carefully, keeping them away from dry leaves, trash or other combustible materials.

Preventing CO poisoning Schedule a yearly professional inspection of all fuel-burning home heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, water heaters, chimneys, flues and vents.
NEVER operate a portable gasoline-powered generator in an enclosed space, such as a garage, shed, or crawlspace, or in the home.
Keep portable generators as far away from your home and your neighbours' homes as possible - away from open doors, windows or vents that could allow deadly carbon monoxide into the home.
When purchasing a space heater, ask the salesperson whether the heater has been safety-certified. A certified heater will have a safety certification mark. These heaters will have the most up-to-date safety features. An unvented gas space heater that meets current safety standards will shut off if oxygen levels fall too low.
Do not use portable propane space heaters indoors or in any confined space, unless they are designed specifically for indoor use. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for proper use.
Never use gas or electric stoves to heat the home. They are not intended for that purpose and can pose a CO or fire hazard.
More information can be found in CPSC's Safety Alert, Winter warning on portable generatorReplace batteries.

Related News:
2013/12/24 CTV News - Two deaths and multiple emergency calls for carbon monoxide poisoning
2013/12/25 World Journal - 多市逾百宗一氧化碳中毒
2019-12-03 MingPao - 匹特草原商場傳6人一氧化碳中毒

Monday, January 3, 2011

Noisy Water Heater Repair & Troubleshooting Guide 製造噪音的熱水爐


Noisy water heater troubleshooting guide helps you explore the common sound problems in residential water heating and how to troubleshoot annoying and loud noises like rumbling, ticking, pounding, hissing, clicking, knocking...

Water heater noise is usually associated with the two main conditions; water hammer and mineral build-up (sediments), but there are also other reasons for a noisy heater and strange sounds in plumbing.
It is common to experience the annoying noise your water heater makes after a short period of service. Even if your heater is installed in the area away from the living or sleeping room, you might hear a noise in the plumbing that travels with a vibration wave from the heater. Some users complained that the noise appears only at night, some saying in the morning, right after the unit was turned ON or after the shower.
The noise, for example, can come either from the gas heater due to the droplets on the crusty formations and sediments; or is associated with the hissing sound on electric units and formation of limescale on the immersed heating elements.

The most common symptoms of water heater noise

  • Pounding noise
  • Rumbling noise
  • Ticking noise
  • Popping and crackling noise
  • Sizzling noise
  • Hissing sound

Pounding Noise

Why my water heater is making a pounding noise?
Mineral buildup and water hammer are the main causes of the pounding noise your heater makes.
When water is flowing through the plumbing system, and it is stopped suddenly, the high-intensity shock wave travels through the pipeline, making a vibration in the piping system, followed by the pounding, banging and thumping noise.
Pounding noise, including knocking sound are associated with the water hammer occurrence. Details on how to solve the problem with the pounding/knocking noise the system produces, you can find in the article about fixing water hammer.  A solution is to install the water hammer arrestor.
Pounding noise can occur due to lime formations and sediments at the bottom of the tank. To eliminate the noise, some professionals recommend installing a water softener or flushing the system occasionally. How to troubleshoot sediment problem and noisy water heater due to the limescale; check out the article about sediments and lime build-up.

Rumbling sound

Aluminum hydroxide gel in tank or plumbing is one of the main causes of the rumbling noise in the heaters, while the mineral buildup can also be a factor. The aluminum hydroxide gel is the result of the chemical reaction between the anode rod and the water conditioner.
These blue, green or gray gel beads tend to accumulate in the heater drain or faucet aerators.
A solution for the water heater noise problem is as follows:
If the heater is new and has no lime build-up, simply turn the heater off, remove the anode rod and flush the system thoroughly. Bring the anode back and run the heater.
If there is a lime buildup, use one of the recommended delimers (phosphoric acid for example or one recommended by the manufacturer) and follow the procedure for flushing the deposits.

Ticking sound

Ticking noise is usually caused by fluctuation in pressure in the piping system. If your heater is an energy-efficient unit, the odds are that it has heat traps installed. Due to temperature change; expansion and contraction of the elements, the heat trap ball is rattling in the nipple.
If there is no other way to eliminate this ticking noise, simply remove the heat traps from the heater. There will be only a minor reduction in energy efficiency, without affecting the safety of the heater's operation.
Another reason for ticking sound might be in the plumbing pipes, due to expanding and contracting against a loose strap or wood framing while making a hot water draw. One of the solutions for this sound is to track down where the ticking noise is the loudest, secure the pipe or install plastic spacers.
The simplest solution: Turn the temperature on your heater just a few degrees down.

Popping and crackling sound

Lime (CaCO3) in the heater is the result of the water hardness, present almost in every home plumbing, more or less. More lime is created as the water is heated longer and due to higher usage in the excessive hardness environment.
Popping and crackling noise are one of the symptoms where water is trapped under the lime deposits. A Solution for the noisy water heater due to lime buildup is simple, flushing the heater with the proper acidic compound (delimer recommended by the manufacturer).
If the flow is stopped abruptly, it will cause the popping or crackling noise.
Another reason for crackling might be condensation dripping on the burner or any other hot part's surface.

Sizzling noise

The main reason for sizzling sound in your gas water heater is due to condensation or leaking problems; when the water drops are dripping down the flame, in the burner or hot surface.
Condensation is created when the hot flue gases are in contact with cooler surfaces. Condensation will form inside the vent, and the drops of water will hit hot surfaces every few seconds making the sizzling sound. It can be seen by looking in the combustion chamber where the flame will first grow very bright and then very dim.
Keep in mind that on some older units, even half a gallon (2 liters) of water vapor can be produced every hour of operation.
Condensation should stop when the entire heater is heated above 115°F (46°C). If the problem is with leaking, the solution is to locate and repair, or replace the leaking element or tighten the loose fittings. 
A sizzling gas heater can be very normal as the natural gas has very high moisture content and therefore in products of combustion.
On the heating elements of the electric water heaters, due to limescale, water trapped next to the element will also make the sizzling noise, boiling the water to steam.

Hissing sound

The hissing sound is mainly found on electric water heaters, with the corroded heating elements, when water gets in contact with the electrically hot part of the element.
The same sound is heard when the heating element is ON, water that is trapped under the scale, formed on the elements, turns into the steam. This is also an indication that your water heater needs flushing as the efficiency is getting lower.
Also, the water heaters can make the hissing noise when the air is escaping through the TPR valve. By turning down the temperature, the sound can be eliminated. If the noise and leaking come together, you might want to consider replacing the TPR valve.

Conclusion

Water heater noise can be reduced by disconnecting the heater and with regular flushing. This is the most common solution. If the water is too hard, you might want to consider installing a softener but consider a negative influence of softer water on the anode rod.
Use the following article to learn about the lime build-up and deliming process.
The noisy water heater is not dangerous but is a good indication that either you have missed regular maintenance, and the unit needs one, or one of the mentioned elements have to be replaced. If the unit service is hard or you don't know how, check out this company, they will provide you with three free estimates, so you can choose either to make a service call or just do it.

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