Rooftop inspection reveals exhaust gases venting into California family's home

After a California family had a technician service their rooftop AC, they discovered exhaust gases were spewing into their home.

Needing advice on what to do, one of the home's residents turned to Reddit's r/Roofing community and asked, "What do I say to the roofing company?"

Here's what to know

In the Reddit thread, the homeowner detailed the incident. The leaking gas water heater was 26 years old, and the homeowner planned to replace it once the roof work was finished. Before that work, an HVAC technician serviced both the indoor furnace and rooftop air conditioner and discussed the water heater with the homeowner.

But once a contractor for the gas water heater arrived at their home, he "discovers the gas water heater's exhaust vent pipe had been disturbed… and was allowing combustion gases to vent into the house."

The original poster then noted, "Kids and wife all got sick within the last week (classic cold symptoms only for them, whereas I had a cold and a headache for a few days) … Did my family almost just die of CO poisoning?"

Several commenters suggested having the roofing company address the issue with its crew, but recommended keeping the conversation nonconfrontational.

One user wrote, "I would let the roofer know, not as a 'gotcha' but just so maybe they can tell their team to make sure they're reinstalling exhaust vents properly when they wrap up the job." 

Another commenter, who self-identified as owning a roofing company, suggested, "You should mention it just so they can be mindful moving forward within their company, but it's not their fault. We come across this often and to be honest if something is loosely attached that could potentially shift and kill an entire family, what kind of sh*t job are the HVAC or plumbers doing in the first place?"

A third user wrote that a similar thing happened to them last year, but "they fixed it with no additional charges." Another joked that since "nobody died or was catastrophically injured," it was "a win." The OP responded, joking back, "I think survival of the homeowner is assumed in the roofing estimate."

Where can I learn more?

Other homeowners have discovered water-heater venting problems after roof or chimney work. These stories cover those cases, along with backdrafting warnings and carbon monoxide risks.

• After chimney work, professionals warned a furnace-water heater vent could send exhaust the wrong way.

• A Wisconsin family shut off its water heater after a roofer installed an unsuitable vent cap.

• A home inspection flagged water heater backdrafting, and plumbers warned repairs could be expensive.

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