Carbon monoxide detector needed with ventless fireplace
Q. We recently bought a 20-year-old home with a ventless gas fireplace and began using it as soon as we moved in. Within days, everyone in our family was sick, and there was black soot everywhere. I called a fireplace contractor who told me ventless fireplaces pose a serious health hazard. Shouldn't this problem have been disclosed by the sellers, and shouldn't it have been reported by our home inspector?
A. If the previous homeowners had used the fireplace, they should have known about the problem. In such cases, the usual seller response is, “It worked fine when we owned it!” Likewise, the home inspector should have tested the fireplace to see if it was working properly. However, if your inspector ran it for only a few minutes, which is common during a home inspection, the adverse performance may not have been apparent.
In my opinion, ventless fireplaces should never have been approved for sale to the public. The manufacturers of these fixtures insist they are foolproof, but since when has there been a man-made device that is exempt from potential failure? The obvious answer is “never,” and with ventless fireplaces this matters because failure can be life-threatening.
Your situation also raises the issue of carbon monoxide alarms. CO alarms should have been present in the home and should have been tested by your home inspector. Functional CO alarms could have alerted your family to the faulty venting before anyone was sickened by the exhaust.
Q. I often hear water dripping in my downstairs bathroom. It seems to come from inside the walls, yet there is no sign of a leak, and the sound comes and goes. Occasionally, there is also a bad smell that lasts for a short time. A leak detection service resealed the wax ring under the toilet and said the dripping noise is from plastic drainpipes in the walls. I still hear the drip and still have the smell occasionally. What should I do?
A. The dripping sound and the occasional odor may be unrelated problems. It may be that water is dripping on the interior of a plastic drainpipe, causing the sound, but not actually related to leakage.
The odor, on the other hand, may indicate faulty venting of one of the drains. These conditions should be checked by a licensed plumber who is skilled at troubleshooting.
Q. I have an accepted offer on a home and just found out there is a utility easement on the property for the gas, electric and phone companies. Can I buy back the rights to those easements? If not, how do I find out what could be potentially done to my land?
A. Utility easements in residential neighborhoods are common and are typically not problematic for property owners. Easements enable utility companies to maintain their lines and equipment when maintenance is needed. It is highly unlikely that the utility companies will relinquish their rights to these easements, but this is most likely not a cause for concern.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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