Furnace Exhaust Vents to Attic

On a recent inspection on a Townhome built in 2015 I found these two little gems. The attic access was sealed and was probably that way from the time the home was built. I asked the seller if I could cut the caulking and enter the attic and they said ok. When I entered the attic I was expecting some heat, they are always hot, but this was hotter than usual. When I started looking around, I saw that the furnace exhaust was not attached to the chimney and was venting into the attic. It was releasing exhaust gas into the attic. That is never good. I am very thankful that no one was hurt.

I also saw that the dryer vent was not secured and dryer lint was blowing into the attic. This was releasing an incredible amount of heat, flammable material and moisture into the attic.

PRO-TIP - The moral of the story is just because it is a brand new build, does not mean that it should not be inspected. Things get missed with the best intentions. It pays to have someone take a second look.