Glad I checked the heater vent before firing it up this spring

Started by Tom Brennan · · 2 replies
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#1
Small thing but worth sharing. Every year before I light the Raypak for the season I pull the vent cap and look down the flue with a flashlight, been doing it since the first one back in the late 90s. This year found a decent clump of leaves and what looked like a chunk of an old hornet's nest sitting right on the baffle. Would not have caused a fire but it definitely would have messed with draft and probably tripped a safety switch on startup, maybe worse. Took two minutes with a shop vac to clear it. It's in the binder now as an annual line item, right before the pilot light step. If you have a gas heater sitting outside all winter near trees, worth the two minutes before Memorial Day.

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#2
Honestly don't have a gas unit to speak of so can't weigh in on the flue check itself, but Tom's binder habit is the real win here, the stuff that gets caught because it's written down beats the stuff you remember to do every time.
#3
No gas heater here so this isn't really my wheelhouse, but Tom, when you say chunk of hornet's nest, was that from last season or did something move in over the winter after you shut it down. Asking because if critters are actively trying to nest in there every year that's a different problem than just leaf litter blowing in, might need a better screen on that vent cap instead of just checking it each spring.