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Old 2015-03-04, 2:56pm
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Speedslug Speedslug is offline
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Join Date: Mar 21, 2009
Location: Winnebago, MN
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You may not be as safe as you might think Patsy.

That replacement air that is bringing the odors from upstairs down into your basement may also be pulling exhaust gases back down your chimney from your furnace and your water heater.

That would be dosing the whole basement with carbon monoxide and other burnt fuel gases which have been known to kill people.
Carbon monoxide exposure everyday for months can become a major stressor on your body and could leave you vulnerable to other illnesses even if it does not actually accumulate enough to send you to the ER yourself.

I think they used to call it sick building syndrome.

Other than making you sick with a low grade undefined illness with mild headaches and body aches this situation can also leave you open to having any insurance claims denied because you did not have every single one of your ducks in a row and insurance companies start looking for reasons to deny a claim before they ever begin trying to figure out what happened in a claim investigation.

It really is that important to make sure you have a dedicated source of make up air that the kids won't close on you or the dog won't lean against or the wind can't blow shut.

I don't know what gas you are using but I feel I also have to point out that propane and basements can be a very explosive combination.

Propane gas is heavier than air and will sink down around your feet kind of like that fog they used in movies to make things look scary.
The problem is that will actually pool all over the entire floor until it gets high enough to find the pilot light on the water heater or the spark in the furnace when it turns on and then it will go off 'boom' just like in the movies.

It would be better if you are using natural gas for your torch. Natural gas is lighter than air and will not settle into a pool on the floor. It will try to go up and not get concentrated like propane will.
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