Asthmatics Alert re: Furnace Installation

[jesse_the_k]

Installing a new hot air furnace is hazardous to your lungs. It's not just a bad smell. The plastic exhaust piping requires a chemical formally known as "pipe dope" to connect the new box to the existing vent. The furnace itself is coated in anti-corrosive materials that get burned off in the first hours of operation.

This lesson was learned the hard way. Four puffs of ventolin and a true N95 didn't stop the constant cough, so I bundled up and rolled around the block until they finished. Then MyGuy opened windows on all four corners (to a nice sunny winter day: 25°F w 20 mph breeze). I hope the vapors clear out thoroughly by the time I get back from the pool before dinner.

When we woke up yesterday it was chilly. Happily the emergency HVAC folks arrived within 65 minutes, and IDed the issue by smell -- incomplete combustion. The fix is a new furnace, which cost just 10% more than the 20-year-old busted one.