My house is finally headed toward selling, and I've got a short list of repairs that the buyer wants done before the closing mid-March. Many are simple things that I know just how to handle, a few are certainly beyond my skills and I am arranging for pros to handle- but there are two that are things that are in a grey area where I'm not sure whether they're things I should just handle myself or get a pro to do.
First- the furnace flue in the lower of the two attics (house is a tri-level) "Furnace flue in the attic show signs of rusting
and deterioration at the lower attic. Small holes are developing."
The full report has a small picture that somewhat shows the flue in question- I've not had the chance to get over and look at it in person yet, but I'm wondering is this something someone who's reasonably handy should be able to handle themselves? Or is it something that I really need to have a pro do? (and if so, what kind of contractor? HVAC?)
Second- For the gas hot water heater: "Combustion venting appears to be inadequate. This can starve the unit of needed
oxygen and may allow spillage of flue gases into the living area. The addition of combustion air vents are needed to remedy this deficiency."
For reference, this hot water heater is installed in the small half-bath in the house's basement. The room is roughly 5' by 10'. The furnace is located elsewhere (in the crawlspace).
I did a bit of reading up on this, and as I'm understanding this just means that I need to have some kind of ducting to the outside (or into the crawlspace, according to my reator) that allows more air from outside of the house into it. I really think this is unnecessary as it's worked just fine for the 50 or so years that the house has been standing without it, but they have asked for it. Can I just install a vent through the drywall next to the HWH into the crawlspace and call it good?
Thanks!