After a renter's carbon monoxide detector went off, they checked their gas appliances.
When the tenant checked their water heater, they found a bizarre setup, so they asked Reddit's r/Plumbing community, "Is this dangerous?"
Here's what to know
After sharing a photo on the Reddit forum, the renter wrote, "I'm trying to inform my landlady that this is not a normal water heater exhaust appearance, but I don't know what I'm looking at." The original poster added, "I shut off the gas and heater."
Based on the image, commenters said the gas water heater appeared to be vented through undersized PVC and told the poster to stop using it immediately.
One wrote, "Very dangerous. If this is real and not rage bait then you have a serious health hazard here. Fire hazard as well." Another user similarly wrote, "Oh my god turn that heater off right now."
A commenter who said they were a gas technician wrote that "What you have is a natural draft hot water tank connected to a PVC venting system. This is not allowed… Because the 2-inch diameter pipe is too small, most likely there is some spillage of carbon monoxide, which is a dangerous poisonous odorless gas. This needs to be fixed immediately."
What can be done?
Because renters usually don't select contractors or approve installations, unsafe work can be easy to miss until something seems wrong. Thankfully, the renter stressed, "My landlady has been very supportive and helpful through so much," adding, "I blame the people who installed it."
The renter added, "Thank you! I appreciate you and everyone else here, you very well may have helped save my life."
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Where can I learn more?
Questionable venting, landlord responsibility, and carbon monoxide exposure show up in each of these stories.
• One renter fearing an appliance explosion begged strangers to confirm the risk.
• A homeowner found a gas reading of 180 ppm near a furnace after smelling gas and calling for help.
• A tenant said their fireplace was leaking carbon monoxide before a baffling landlord response.
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