How can I filter propane exhaust?
jenniferz5
| Posted in General Questions on
I have a new Navien combi with the exhaust pipe only a couple of feet off the ground and a few feet from my front door. The smell is awful, and the exhaust wafts all the way to the door and the garden 10 feet away. Are there any suggestions for filtering this? Can I make a “filter box” akin to the Merv-13 Covid filter box? Are there plants that won’t die that I could plant in front of the pipe? Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
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Replies
You can't filter it, you might be able to pipe it somewhere further away.
But propane's combustion products should be odorless. What you're reporting makes me think it's not burning properly. You should have the burner checked out.
Code requires certain amounts of seperation between combustion vents and operable things like doors and windows. You may also be required to have the vent located up some minimum amount off the ground too. My first thought here is to try piping that exhaust up over the roof line a little, or at least up above the first floor, to better disperse the combustion byproducts so that you don't notice them as much.
I also agree with DC's comments above: propane exhaust shouldn't really have much smell to it. If you're using a brand-new boiler, maybe it's just burning off some internal oils or something like that, and will get better after a short while. If it's been bad for a while, then you may have a problem that needs to be checked out.
Bill
I usually think of propane smell being a sign of a leak, not something you're supposed to hide. As others suggested, I'd be getting it checked out.
I will get it checked out. Thanks!
Consider getting a copy of the installation manual and reading the part about venting. It is not that complex.
Doing anything other than what is shown in the instruction is foolish would void the warranty and could kill you.
The instructions will have a calculation for the maximum length of pipe allowed with any given number of bends. You may be able to relocate the vent near the peak of your roof where any smell would not bother you.
Walta