Boiler Room – Increase Ventilation

http://www.cntenergy.org/media/Boiler-Room-Increase-Ventilation.pdf
The Problem
Anytime you maintain, retrofit, or replace a gas heating system you also need to be concerned with air quality. Combustion air is needed by all oil and gas heating systems to support the combustion process. This air is provided in some homes by unintentional air leaks, or by air ducts that connect to the outdoors. The combustion process creates several byproducts that are potentially hazardous to human health and can cause deterioration in your home. You can protect yourself from these hazards, as well as maintain energy efficiency, by ensuring that your chimney system functions properly and that your gas heating system is properly ventilated. In some cases, installing a sealed-combustion furnace or boiler can also help. The Solution a general rule of thumb is 2 in2 of ventilation for every thousand BTUs of heating input for mechanical equipment. Thus, if the input of a heating system is 200,000BTUs, the appropriate dimensions for a louver would be 20” x 20“. It is important to consider all mechanical equipment in the boiler room when sizing ventilation, not just the boiler or furnace.