Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

AT THE SITE

Flammable Vapor Sensors There are many things a flooring contractor has to worry about on the jobsite. Finishing wood floors, in particular, poses a unique set of concerns: adhesion, air flow, dry times, other trades on the jobsite, and even pets in the home. But a new issue recently has caught the attention of our industry: the flammable vapor sensor on some hot water heaters.

trouble shoot the job are taking advantage of the situation,” says Snyder, “so instead of a simple $35 repair, the homeowner is left with the cost to replace the entire unit. That can run about $1,200 or more with labor.” A call to AO Smith, a leading manufacturer of hot water heaters, revealed that different units react differently to the sensor tripping. In some cases, it may be possible to turn off

There have been numerous reports in recent months about flammable vapor sensors tripping when finish is being applied to wood floors. The sensors are intended to detect flammable vapors that could combust, causing a fire or catastrophic explosion. When these kinds of vapors are detected, the sensor trips and shuts off the hot water heater to prevent a potentially dangerous situation. It also results in the loss of hot water for the homeowner, which may not seem like a significant problem, but some contractors are reporting that the sensors cannot be reset. This means that the sensor will need to be replaced, or, more inconveniently, the entire water heater will need to be replaced. “It has happened to me,” says Dave Snyder with D Snyder Hardwood Flooring in East Hanover, New Jersey. “In fact, it has happened three times.” In Snyder’s case, he was working in another area of the house, on a different level than where the hot water heater was located, all three times he encountered this issue. “Each time it happened, we were on the first floor of the home, and the hot water heater was in the basement,” he said. “We were finishing about 50 percent of the flooring on that first level on each job when the sensor tripped. The problem is, the systemwon’t reset once the sensor trips, so it requires a service call.”

Snyder shared that one customer was an HVACmechanic and was able to replace the sensor for about $35, but other customers without that expertise would have to pay for a service call as well. He also has heard of other situations where the homeowner has been told that the entire unit must be replaced. “The issue is that, in some cases, the plumbers who are called in to

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