Because most of the breaths you take every day are inside your own house, ensuring safe home air is vital. Today’s houses are tightly sealed to prevent energy loss, so pollutants including combustion byproducts may easily accumulate within the enclosed confines of the structure.
This applies particularly to gas-fired appliances like the water heater and furnace that draw air for the combustion process from inside the house, instead of from outdoors. This standard configuration may degrade indoor air quality and, under certain circumstances, could present a health threat due to potential exposure to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases.
Relocating gas-fired appliances out of the house to a location such as a garage is often not feasible. A workable option is customizing the closet for the water heater and/or furnace in a way to seal these devices off from the indoor environment. Here are some basics of a sealed combustion closet to ensure a safe home air supply:
- A gasket should be installed around the sealed combustion closet door so the door seal is air-tight. In addition, any pipe penetrations into the closet—to accommodate a gas line, for example, or the cold and hot water pipes for a water heater—must be sealed to prevent air leakage around the opening where the pipe enters the closet.
- In addition to the existing exhaust vent for the water heater or furnace, two separate air intake vent pipes must be added to draw fresh outside air into the closet. One of these twin intake pipes must be long enough so the open end of it terminates near the bottom of the unit, where the burners draw air into the sealed combustion closet. The open end of the other, shorter intake pipe should terminate near the ceiling of the chamber. Both intake pipes will typically extend all the way to the roof to draw in outside air for combustion.
Learn more about the benefits of a sealed combustion closet to ensure safe home air from the professionals at Paitson Bros. In the Wabash Valley, we’ve been your source for healthy indoor environment since 1922.
Jeff Paitson is a third generation business owner who continues to run the business with the same values that have been passed down from previous generations since 1922.
Jeff’s belief is that the business belongs to Jesus Christ; therefore 10 percent of the company’s profits go toward the Maryland Community Church.
Jeff is a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce member and in his spare time, he enjoys 
Ethan Rayburn is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute and a 2005 graduate of Purdue University.
An Eagle Scout, Ethan spent four years as a non-profit executive with the Boy Scouts of America before joining Paitson Bros. as a comfort advisor and later General Manager. In that role, Ethan has brought a renewed enthusiasm for customer care, integrity, value, and service to Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ethan enjoys singing and was a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. He also enjoys playing and coaching soccer, spending time with his family and two young boys, and volunteering his time and resources with his church, Terre Haute First Baptist Church, which he has attended from a very young age.
Paitson Bros
1 (812) 232-2347
Serving the Wabash Valley, IN Area Since 1922