You ask more questions that a kid in the back seat of a car:)
As usual there is 100 pages of making something simple into the morbidly complex.
I will answer your questions if you can explain how far away the end of the universe is or which came first:sarcasim or comedy.
First explain to me what the color Blue looks like if I was born blind however and I will be nice by answering "I hope you can tell the difference between Natural gas and Methane.
To be perfectly technical Natural Gas has no odor but it is far different from the smell of methane gas once the smell is put in as an additive by the Gas Company and hopefully everyone here knows the difference plus has enough knowledge of home systems to understand which areas in a home are susceptible to various smells,gases and chemicals.
To answer another question the color Bl
"Blue is the absorption of all the colors in the visible light spectrum except for “Blue” (or is that the other way around.Hmmm never can get that straight.
Maybe I should use a color detector that beeps for that.
You didn’t answer the question. I assume that you can’t. That’s okay. It’s not important.
What is important, IMO, is that people understand that what you refer to as “sewer gas” is combustible and toxic…and can be as dangerous inside the home as a leak from a natural gas service line.
Some test for it and some don’t.
As I stated, BPI protocol requires that the home be tested for combustible gas leaks and that the home be monitored for CO throughout an audit. Incorporating this into my home inspections is a natural thing for me to do and I am not suggesting that be routine for all inspectors.
I was only trying to figure out why the “experience” you had regarding the odors of two poisonous gases would have anything to do with why one should or should not test for them. No big deal.
Apples and Oranges you never understood my statement for what I was trying to convey.
…and Heating guys think we should all examine exchangers with special test equipment,while guys with BPI (whatever that is ) feel we should carry blower doors and guys with a plumbing background may think we should all snake drains with video cams.
I use the tools needed to assist me in my inspection that are needed in my own opinion and I do not put on a show with my tools to impress the natives .
Strange all most that see me work think I am the most detailed inspector they have seen when I mainly rely on my eyes,ears,nose and brain for 99% of the 4 hours I am there.
Too each their own I suppose as the clients need a way to tell us all apart however the sad part is the majority find us not as much by work ethic as they do by how well we market.
I can assure you that BPI certified analysts do NOT care, at all, what home inspectors do. The requirements (not optional) for gas detection and CO monitoring is limited to energy auditing. I, personally, have decided to make it a part of my home inspections as well. I really don’t care if anyone else does it or not.
For those who do, I recommend that they not record the absence of gas or CO … but limit their remarks to instances in which it is detected.
An average of 6.41 people have died in this province from CO poisoning every year for the last ten years. Industrial deaths are not included in this statistic. I test all gas furnaces and space heaters for CO leaks into the home. Because of the number of people killed each year I believe that CO testing should be mandatory.
Are no CO detectors mandatory in homes where you live?
If there is only occasional backdraft can you be absolutely sure that you are testing at a time when it occurs such as a certain outside wind speed.
Are you trained in exact location to test for CO?
Do you stick your tester inside the draft hood to test?
If not then what exact points in space do you test and why?
Is there a place to get training in testing such as a NACHI course?
What do you do when a Hot water heater flue is upstream from the HVAC unit flue and there is no reading? Does that make it safe?
Of the 6 that died how many were from them using a stove in the kitchen for heat?
How many died in rental buildings?
Was it an issue that could have been caught by a $150 tester?
My CO measurement instrumentcost $1800 and my combustion gas sniffer was $350. I would not recommend that anyone rely upon a $150 piece of equipment other than a flashlight, perhaps, for this kind of inspection.
There is a specific protocol to use in applying these measures and people who are BPI certified have been trained and tested (including a field examination) to ensure that they are doing it correctly. You will not get this training from an online course and, depending upon where you go for your certification, it will cost between $1500 and $2000 by the time you finish the training and testing.
Yes, one of the steps is to insert the CO detector probe in the undiluted exhaust.
If you will Google CAZ (combustion area zone) testing, there are a bunch of videos and white papers that describe the process.
It is not something you should do and I don’t think anyone is insisting or pressuring you to incorporate this into your inspections. However, I don’t understand why you are being critical of those who are trained, certified and who do perform these tests.
J.B as always lately you assume I am being critical in your search of an argument.
My point is that people not trained for CO testing should learn more about procedure.
You yourself just said that a $150 tester will not do the job,did you not?
I did not know you could buy a $150.00 analyzer.
Just for your information I had my training by professional OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety) officials when I was an inspector for the City of Edmonton inspecting Water and sewer systems. A lot of that training was about safe procedures into confined space. A mistake here means you die. I’m still alive so I never made any mistakes when entering confined spaces.
My point Vern is that most of us do not have specialized training ,however thank you for your resume.
Please do not have such a thin skin and take discussions so personally.
Now perhaps you could use your special knowledge to help educate the rest unless you would rather just keep it to yourself.
I know enough to do what I do when doing an inspection but I will leave the training to the experts that know much more about CO and can provide the correct training. My information came from many years of experience and attending many training courses over those many years.
I proposed to the Alberta government advisory committee to add CO testing to the SOP but they shot me down.
