Natural Draft Furnace?

[Aaron Scheuerer]

around what year did natural draft furnaces phase out and forced draft furnaces become the regular in newer construction?

[Jerry Peck]

around what year did natural draft furnaces phase out and forced draft furnaces become the regular in newer construction?

Natural draft appliances have not phased out. At least not down here.

[Aaron Scheuerer]

hmm....that was a question on my exam I can't remember if they had "they have not phased out " as an answer. Thanks man!

[John Kogel]

You've got a good memory that will help you survive as an inspector. :)

[Bob Harper]

1987 National Appliance Energy Conservation Act set min. efficiency for gas furnaces and water heaters at 78% AFUE. This killed the standing pilot, required a 'draft inducer' blower to get it going, and loss of the draft hood for most furnaces. Water heaters managed to keep the standing pilot. The FVIR requirements for gas water heaters began a three phased rollout starting 1July 2003.

The DOE has been struggling since 2007 to come up with a schedule for requiring all furnaces all over the country to meet or exceed 92 AFUE but so far it is a complete shambles. Certain states, such as Minn. have outlawed atmospherically vented furnaces and water heaters for the most part due to their rigid weatherization codes as well that the Metropolitan Area Aircraft Noise Attenuation Act of 1987, which required especially tight construction in specific zones in and around the MSP airport and others. Therefore, there may be local ordinances regulating appliance efficiency, too. For instance, some restricted communities do not allow for vertical chimneys or vents notwithstanding in other multi-family homes such as townhomes, the outdoor exhaust terminal and intake may not meet the ASHRAE requirements for setbacks and thus force them to use only mid-efficiency units.

HTH