Desa VP1000BT Determining FRESH-AIR Flow for Heater Location, Unusually Tight Construction

BLUE FLAME 10,000 BTU

PROPANE/LP GAS HEATER

AIR FOR COMBUSTION AND VENTILATION

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Unusually Tight Construction

The air that leaks around doors and win- dows may provide enough fresh air for combustion and ventilation. However, in buildings of unusually tight construction, you must provide additional fresh air.

Unusually tight construction is defined as construction where:

a.walls and ceilings exposed to the outside atmosphere have a continuous water vapor retarder with a rating of one perm (6x10-11kg per pa-sec- m2) or less with openings gasketed or sealed and

b.weather stripping has been added on openable windows and doors and

c.caulking or sealants are ap- plied to areas such as joints around window and door frames, between sole plates and floors, between wall-ceil- ing joints, between wall pan- els, at penetrations for plumb- ing, electrical, and gas lines, and at other openings.

If your home meets all of the three criteria above, you must provide additional fresh air. See Ventilation Air From Outdoors, page 5.

If your home does not meet all of the three criteria above, proceed to Determining Fresh-Air Flow for Heater Location.

Confined and Unconfined Space

The National Fuel Gas Code (ANSIZ2123.1, 1992 Section 5.3) defines a confined space as a space whose volume is less than 50 cubic feet per 1,000 Btu per hour (4.8 m3 per kw) of the aggregate input rating of all appliances installed in that space and an unconfined space as a space whose volume is not less than 50 cubic feet per 1,000 Btu per hour (4.8 m3 per kw) of the aggregate input rating of all appliances installed in that space. Rooms communicating directly with the space in which the appliances are in-

stalled*, through openings not furnished with doors, are considered a part of the unconfined space.

*Adjoining rooms are communicating only if there are doorless passageways or ventila- tion grills between them.

DETERMINING FRESH-AIR FLOW FOR HEATER LOCATION

Determining if You Have a Confined or Unconfined Space

Use this worksheet to determine if you have a confined or unconfined space.

Space: Includes the room in which you will install heater plus any adjoining rooms with doorless passageways or ventilation grills between the rooms.

1.Determine the volume of the space (length x width x height).

Length x Width x Height =

______ cu. ft. (volume of space)

Example: Space size

18 ft. (length) x 16 ft. (width) x 8 ft. (ceiling height) =

2304 cu. ft. (volume of space)

If additional ventilation to adjoining room is supplied with grills or open- ings, add the volume of these rooms to the total volume of the space.

2.Divide the space volume by 50 cubic feet to determine the maximum Btu/ Hr the space can support.

_____ (volume of space) ÷ 50 cu. ft. =

(Maximum Btu/Hr the space can sup- port)

Example: 2304 cu. ft. (volume of space) ÷ 50 cu. ft. = 46.1 or 46,100 (maximum Btu/Hr the space can sup- port)

3.Add the Btu/Hr of all fuel burning ap- pliances in the space.

Vent-free heater _________ Btu/Hr

Gas water heater* ________ Btu/Hr

Gas furnace ____________ Btu/Hr

Vented gas heater ________ Btu/Hr

Gas fireplace logs ________ Btu/Hr

Other gas

appliances* + ___________ Btu/Hr

Total = ________________ Btu/Hr

Example: Gas water heater

40,000 Btu/Hr

Vent-free heater + 10,000 Btu/Hr

Total = 50,000 Btu/Hr

*Do not include direct-vent gas appli- ances. Direct-vent draws combustion air from the outdoors and vents to the outdoors.

4.Compare the maximum Btu/Hr the space can support with the actual amount of Btu/Hr used.

__________ Btu/Hr (maximum the

space can support)

__________ Btu/Hr (actual amount of

Btu/Hr used)

Example: 46,100 Btu/Hr (maximum the space can support)

50,000 Btu/Hr (actual amount of Btu/Hr used)

The space in the above example is a con- fined space because the actual Btu/Hr used is more than the maximum Btu/Hr the space can support. You must provide additional fresh air. Your options are as follows:

A.Rework worksheet, adding the space of an adjoining room. If the extra space provides an unconfined space, remove door to adjoining room or add ventila- tion grills between rooms. See Ventila- tion Air From Inside Building, page 5.

B.Vent room directly to the outdoors. See Ventilation Air From Outdoors, page 5.

C.Install a lower Btu/Hr heater, if lower Btu/Hr size makes room unconfined.

If the actual Btu/Hr used is less than the maximum Btu/Hr the space can support, the space is an unconfined space. You will need no additional fresh air ventilation.

WARNING: If the area in which the heater may be operated is smaller than that defined as an unconfined space, provide ad- equate combustion and ventila- tion air by one of the methods described in the National Fuel Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1, 1992, Section 5.3 or applicable local codes.

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