Physiology of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
More information and article at https://www.nachi.org/carbon-monoxide.htm
The EPA concentration of 9 parts per million (ppm) for more than eight hours may have adverse health affects. Different people will react differently to CO poisoning.
When CO is inhaled, it displaces the oxygen that would ordinarily bind with hemoglobin, creating a process the effectively suffocates the body. CO can poison slowly over a period of several hours, even in low concentrations. Sensitive organs, such as the brain, heart and lungs, suffer the most from a lack of oxygen.
It is interesting to note that airline pilots that experience a reduced level of oxygen can start to show signs of lack of judgement, confusion, slower reaction time and so on. Lack of oxygen is a condition called hypoxia.
The limit of CO exposure for healthy workers, as prescribed by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, is 50 ppm.
CO detectors should be replaced every 3 to 5 years.
High concentrations of carbon monoxide can kill in less than five minutes. At low concentrations, it will require a longer period of time to affect the body.
sberini
(Steve Berini, CMI® 347652 Home Inspector Licence)
222
This image is my draft smoke detector that I use when conducting home energy audit on residential homes. Once I created negative pressure in the home I light this and walk around and see where the smoke leaves the residence. I first look around the windows of a house as these are the obvious location for air leakage. Then I continue to complete the home audit.
sberini
(Steve Berini, CMI® 347652 Home Inspector Licence)
223
When conducting a home energy audit, I am always amazed to actual see where a home looses it’s energy or heat escapes through the building envelope. As each house is unique in the way it was constructed and taken care of over the years, I find doing these inspections truly energizing but what I uncover and can impart my knowledge to my clients.
To properly conduct the carbon monoxide measurements of an energy audit, we must first pre and post inspect the furnace and hot water tank appliances / units. We must check the measurements based on the worst case scenario. If it fails the test under the worst case scenario, then we need to conduct the same test under normal conditions.
10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy In Your Home - conducting an energy audit can identify leaks and air inflow issues that lead to a poor energy environment in the home. An energy audit can result in findings and potential solutions to help increase and maintain the energy efficiency in your home.
Photo shows large section of attic,over dining room, where insulation was removed for ceiling repair and not replaced. The light fixture penetration is also not sealed which allows conditioned air to escape into the attic. Recommended sealing air gap at light fixture and replacing missing missing insulation.
Common defects with attic pull down ladders include damage to structural members when improperly installed, improper fasteners used that may not support the ladders, lack of insulation at the attic opening, ladders that are too short or too long which can damage the hinges. Loose bolts or cracked steps. Home inspectors should recommend replacing older damaged wooden pull down ladders with light weight aluminum pull down ladders.
These are two houses in a fairly new neighbourhood with walkout basements. As they have considerably more windows and the grading can be more difficult, one must be extremely careful to check slopes and for possible moisture infiltration around the walkout portion of the house. There are many bump outs which must be looked at as well.
In reading “10 ways to save energy” I have learned that very small adjustments to how you live day to day can have a great effect on how much energy is used. A 1-2 degree change in temperature in a home can save approximately 2-4% in heating costs.
I chose the Image above because it can show the home owner the overall picture of heat loss in the home and if there is significant and obvious loss the home owner can consider a complete energy audit of the home. This would include a monitoring, verification and analysis of the energy use in the home and a technical report containing recommendations for improving energy efficiency in the home thus reducing energy cost.
I chose “Energy Conservation” as my topic because of how it relates to the Energy Audit. While an energy audit may like a reasonable option, the home owner can take some steps to reduce energy cost that don’t require an audit, for example Weather-strip and caulk to seal obvious air leaks. Add more insulation to the attic. keep windows and doors closed when not being used especially in cold windy climates.
A thermographic inspection is either an interior or exterior survey. The energy auditor decides which method would give the best results under certain weather conditions. Interior scans are more common, because warm air escaping from a building does not always move through the walls in a straight line. Heat loss detected in one area of the outside wall might originate at some other location on the inside of the wall. Also, it is harder to detect temperature differences on the outside surface of the building during windy weather.
Thermal imaging inspections provides us with a picture of a specific condition of a home or building. Infrared cameras allow us the ability to see and locate what the naked eye is unable to detect. Infrared images can capture thermal anomalies from moisture or water damage, roof leaks, stucco, EIFS, chimney staining and window leakage. Infrared Scans are able to locate water and moisture intrusion in buildings by thermal patterns.
As part a home energy audit combustion appliances are tested for correct drafting. Utilizing smoke pencils, carbon monoxide measurements, and visual inspection of burners all or part of the audit process. Ensuring proper draft of the appliance is important in avoiding carbon monoxide production into the home.
The main heating system in a house is composed of several components. The furnace, ductwork and registers are the most top of mind components. Both supply air and return air ducks must be configured for maximum efficiency. Many systems will locate the furnace in the centre of the building allowing for equal air distribution to all areas of the house.
The picture above is of an installed blower door. The course did a good job of explaining how to set up the blower door and conduct a blower door test. I think this is one of the best explainations I have seen.
I read the NACHI article on blower doors. This article is great and will help me in talking to my potential clients as to what the blower door test is and what it can tell them. I liked how they explained the force of 50 pascals as I am not use to using that unit of measure.
After viewing building performance institute videos, there are so many areas in and out of the house that could lead either unsafe or energy wasted house. Always check for combustible appliances for their performances and protect any energy losses through not properly insulated or sealed areas.
