Furnace flue

[Jeff Beck]

I'm not used to seeing Heat Fab flues.

From the mfg data sheet the red material appears to be GE RTV 106 sealant. I couldn't tell how it's supposed to be applied but this looks to be pretty sloppy (to say the least).

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This is an old furnace (June of 1989) and I've called for a replacement. Would you say anything about this? My thought is if the client tries to save a little money by keeping the flue when they replace furnace it could be a problem waiting to happen.

Thanks

[Jim Katen]

I'm not used to seeing Heat Fab flues.

From the mfg data sheet the red material appears to be GE RTV 106 sealant. I couldn't tell how it's supposed to be applied but this looks to be pretty sloppy (to say the least).

It's not supposed to be there at all. That flue pipe has a built-in silicone seal that needs no further sealant.

This is an old furnace (June of 1989) and I've called for a replacement. Would you say anything about this? My thought is if the client tries to save a little money by keeping the flue when they replace furnace it could be a problem waiting to happen.

Thanks

Why did you call for a replacement? What was wrong with the furnace?

- Jim in Oregon

[Jeff Beck]

Poor choice of words, I didn't call for a replacement but warned of it being past its design life. I also couldn't find an installation manual on the Comfortmaker site. The product number isn't listed so I wonder what repair parts are available. The client is concerned about the reliability of the furnace and is thinking of replacing it.

The Heat Fab installation manual does allow for GE RTV 106 or a Dow Corning sealant (even though there is a seal in flue) but doesn't explain why it's needed or where it's supposed to be applied. So I'm wondering why it's there.

As I said in my original post, I haven't seen a lot of these flues and I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. Is this type of flue problematic?

[Jim Katen]

Poor choice of words, I didn't call for a replacement but warned of it being past its design life. I also couldn't find an installation manual on the Comfortmaker site. The product number isn't listed so I wonder what repair parts are available. The client is concerned about the reliability of the furnace and is thinking of replacing it.

Parts for these furnaces aren't usually a big problem. With the exception of the heat exchanger, I think you can replace pretty much any part with an aftermarket version.

The Heat Fab installation manual does allow for GE RTV 106 or a Dow Corning sealant (even though there is a seal in flue) but doesn't explain why it's needed or where it's supposed to be applied. So I'm wondering why it's there.

Here are some guidelines:

Download Attachment: Heat fab seals.pdf

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As I said in my original post, I haven't seen a lot of these flues and I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. Is this type of flue problematic?

Not that I'm aware of, though I've seen very little of it as well. My impression is that it's a very good product.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jeff Beck]

Thanks very much for the help Jim.

Jeff