need some input

[wreck]

Hey everyone. Does anyone have a tank set up in their furnace room?. I currently have my set up built into the wall but on my access side its my furnace room. Im a little worried if sw will corrode or be hazardous to anything in the furnace room?

Thanks.

[mike31154]

Hard to say without a tad more detail, such as, is it the basement, photos? As a good rule of thumb, a little ventilation goes a long way! I have plans for a basement sump which will be in the general vicinity of my furnace. Furnace or no, I'll need to think about ventilation, humidity, etc.

[wreck]

I will get some photos. Its in the basement, furnace, air exchanger and electric box and water heater in there. I dont have a door on the room. Virtually everything is at opposite end of the tank and sump

[mike31154]

I'm no HVAC expert, but if you have an air exchanger you should be ok with respect to ventilation. Still, a bit of additional ventilation in the basement to keep the humidity down may be a good idea. If the components you're concerned about are a good distance away, then a bit of salty humidity at the other end of the room shouldn't be a huge concern. But I'm just guessing here, hard to gauge without seeing the set up. Age of your home & overall air tightness will determine if additional ventilation is required. Saskatchewan winters are typically pretty dry (air wise). The house may actually benefit from a bit more humidity.

[wreck]

Thank you for the replies!!

[e46er]

Im a heating guy.... I wouldn't worry so much about your furnace as I would your electrical panel..... my tank has rusted out my fireplace louves 15 feet away in 2 years.
I'd install a bath fan or someth I ng if possible and put it on a humidistat or timer to clear out the excess humidity.

No matter how you look at it salt or not water water will produce humidity which is bad for electrical components- your panel and all the wiring in the furnace
The duct work will rust over time as well. Get some type of ventilation in the room. What type of furnace and hwt do you have? If not direct vent you can't exhaust air out as a negative pressure will draw products of combustion into your house.
PM me for further questions or details.

[wreck]

Hey the furnace I have is a high effiecient vented out the wall. The hot water heater is a gas high efficient vented out the wall.
I will def pm you thanks!!

[mark]

Have my sump and fuge in the same room as my furnace/HRV/HWT/panel and only corrosion noticed since the install in early 2006 is salt buildup and pitting on the return duct directly above the sump (return/skimmer area so bubbles) and on a fan motor directly above the fuge but all within about 2 feet of the water surface.

Nothing on the return duct a foot over from the sump, on the copper pipes with the HWT and AC, electrical or even cheap tools also in the room, but then room is probably more than 100sqft.

Am a little concerned went measuring out the salt from the dust cloud, so will do away from furnace and go slow.

[corpusse]

I had my 180 in my furnace room for about 4-5 months as I redid the basement floor. No issues other then it was a real tight fit. No electrical panel though. It was nice the utility sink was only a couple of feet away!

[CM125]

+1 on the panel, doesn't take long to build up enough humidity to start rusting the breaker screws. Should be easy to install a bathroom fan in there though.

[e46er]

Just because it's high efficent doesn't mean it's direct vent. Do you have 2 pipes off each appliance both going outside?
Personally id frame the sump off with a door and a good seal so you don't have to deal with the panel and a garenteented electrical night mare in a short time

[wreck]

Awesome input. I think the first thing is to seal that sump cabinet up.

[wreck]

E46er I sent you a pm

[e46er]

E46er I sent you a pm

Didn't get anything. .....

[wreck]

Re sent

[Cody]

Not that I am an expert but I haven't had any issues with my sump being utilized in my mechanical room. It sounds like my setup is identical to what you are describing, but I don't have my electrical panel in there which is the only difference. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I find it a very convenient arrangement for doing any maintenance on the tank.

[e46er]

^Ductwork rusting not the end of the world some circuitry on your furnace rusting out- costs you a service call and maybe some labour. Any leaks in your return air duct and it sucks in super humid air over time could rust out your heat exchanger and blow products of combustion throughout your house.

The panel is a HUGE issue
The breakers in the panel rust and seize in position and can't trip properly you have an overload on a circuit-boom house fire.
This summer my capacitor on my AC went and it tripped the 100 amp breaker if that breaker was seized in place
I would need to go buy a tent because my house is now ashes.
Insurance could possibly chalk it up to negligence Now no house no stuff. This is of course based on you getting yourself and family out alive.
I usually cycle all my breakers including the main 1-2 tines a year just to make sure that doesn't happen.
I could go on and on about why it's a bad idea to have a large open top body of saltwater close to the mechanical for your house. There are bandaid fixes but best way is to seal off the sump room so it's tech. In a separate room, but st the end of the day I don't live there.

Wreck Ive replied to your PM.

[Cody]

What kind of humidity are we talking here in order for a house to burn down? In fact it seems like I could benefit from a little added humidity in the house. I certainly don't want to get involved with any kind of advice that could lead to a potential loss of somebody's home, but for me, it seems to be fine.

I do have a bathroom fan that through an access panel is technically the same room, so I run that once in a while to ventilate.

[e46er]

A lot.

But your mechanical room door isn't opened regularly either so with a sump in there humidity will build up fast.
Over time it could seize your breakers.
Call an electrical company and ask if there is any potential danger putting a large open top body of water with water movement and evaporation in close proximity to your panel.

But your panel isn't in that room so it doesn't really apply to you.

[Cody]

I appreciate the info, I think I'll continue to ventilate best I can, even though electrical isn't a problem for me.

[mike31154]

A bit of reading on the subject of corrosion in electrical panels & the primary causes. Seems we need to be aware of more than a fish tank or bathtub in the basement. I guess no matter what your set up, it's a good idea to have a peek inside the panel from time to time, or have an inspector do it if you're uncomfortable taking the panel cover off yourself. Perhaps make it at least an annual routine, like replacing the battery in your smoke/CO2 detector.

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/HolmConf.htm

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electrical_Panel_Moisture.htm

http://blog.schneider-electric.com/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality/2013/10/29/electrical-enclosures-warm-dry-keeps-condensation-away/

[wreck]

Great discussion!!. I replied by email to you e46er. Im not familiar on how to upload pics on the forum or I would