MASONRY HVAC

Information may not be reliable

It’s called Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and some components involve a knowledge of masonry. Let’s look at what it might entail:

•    Heating: There are many kinds of heating methods, each with specific requirements. If you heat with a fireplace or wood stove, there is a chimney to be considered. In addition to the logs (hopefully oak), you may have blocks, bricks, and pellets—each with a different set of National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) standards.

•    Venting: Vents constructed of masonry must allow for the removal of moisture and accumulated dust in the same manner as vents produced with sheet metal.Filtration, both manual and electronic, will apply here.

•    Cooling: There are fewer concerns about cooling relative to chimneys themselves, but moisture and condensation should be considered where vents are constructed with masonry.

Wood Burning Considerations

The NFPA offers these general rules for wood burning stoves:

•    Have a professional install them. There are many NFPA requirements for the construction/lining of chimneys and the connection of wood burning equipment.

•    Some communities proscribe the use of wood stoves. Existing fireplaces will be fitted with gas burners.

•    This seems obvious, but keep combustible items away from your woodstove. The danger is sparking, as anyone who has ever burned planed pine will attest. Heat transfer may overcome the flashpoint of other combustibles, such as newspaper.

•    Chimneys should be inspected regularly. Some vendors will recommend that you have it done very fall, just before heating season. Some vendors will recommend that you have it done for every two cords of wood (or comparable pellet use) consumed. The specific needs can certainly be clarified by your local fire officials.


•    One of the advantages (among many) of burning pellets is that they are recycled wood and are, by definition, dry. NFPA standards specify burning dry wood to cut the smoke and reduce the creosote.

•    A fireplace should have a screen to keep sparks inside the firebox. Ash quantities will vary according to the fuel used, but pellets produce less ash.

•    Most important, according to NFPA recommendations, is that you have both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and alarms positioned where they can provide notification and sufficient time to vacate the premises.

Other Concerns

The above dealt with masonry chimneys that permit evacuation of products of combustion. How does that apply to gas appliances or oil furnaces? Both have NFPA venting and smoke concerns. Many homes are now built with metal or insulated pipe. The vendor who handles both the chimney construction or repair and the installation of heating units will be qualified to provide the answers you need.

Masonry is less a problem with air conditioning systems, largely because there is little, if any, acidity in the effluent produced. For that reason, masonry is often used for venting such equipment, particularly in homes that are entirely brick, stone, or concrete.

For More Info About HVAC services Visit Us.

Source: Click Here