Sensing CO gas

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#1

Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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I was in an attic yesterday and I sensed CO gas. Don’t ask me how because it’s odorless right? So I whipped out the Bacharach and the level read 280 ppm and climbing before I shut the furnace down.


When I was writing the report I struggled with trying to describe how I came to use the Bacharach. I'm sure you guys have run into this before. How would you describe the "sensing" of CO gas? Do you always use a CO detector or only when you sense something different?

--
Inspection Nirvana!

We're NACHI. Get over it.

#2

Originally Posted By: gbeaumont
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You know John that is a great question.


I am told that some people are able to smell Co, and frankly I believe I can myself, but it has to be a high level. Last winter I walked into a commercial building that I manage and knew immediately they had very high Co (a gas heater flue had colapsed under the snow load) I did not have my inspection equipment with me at the time so I never new what the level was, but it would have been way up there.


There were 3 guys working in the building who had no clue exept that 2 of them said they had been getting headaches for the last couple of hours !!!


Scared the crap out of me, they would have been in bad shape if they were in there all day.

Regards

Gerry

Ps Thinking about it I can't smell it ,I think I can taste it, I know that makes little sense ![icon_confused.gif](upload://qv5zppiN69qCk2Y6JzaFYhrff8S.gif)

--
Gerry Beaumont
NACHI Education Committee
e-mail : education@nachi.org
NACHI phone 484-429-5466

Inspection Depot Education
gbeaumont@inspectiondepot.com

"Education is a journey, not a destination"

#3

Originally Posted By: jfarsetta
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Believe me, you know when there’s concentration of CO. Your eyes can tear, and your head will start to hurt.


Although it's supposed to be odorless, for some reason the properties of it, and their affect on us in high concentrations, can tip many folks as to its presence.

Want to hear some brain cells screaming before they die? Do a phased inspection on a house where the interior is sealed,, in the dead of winter, with the spacklers working with mal-adjusted propane heaters in the house.

My nose started to burn, my eyes began to water, and my head was pounding. The spacklers looked higher than a kite. I told them to take a break and go outside, had them call their boss, and asked for him to bring a different heater. His reply was "Yeah, we knew that one had some real problems"

Nice guy....

#4

Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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jfarsetta wrote:

Want to hear some brain cells screaming before they die?


Now that's the description that I could not put into words myself.

As my brain cells were screaming before they died, I reached for the Bacharach and ....

--
Inspection Nirvana!

We're NACHI. Get over it.
#5

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
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–
Joseph Hagarty


HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.
#6

Originally Posted By: tfitz-randolph
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CO is very insidious. Prolonged exposure can create an “intoxicated” state preventing in some cases the ability to realize the seriousness of the situation. 200+ ppm as you reported is extremely dangerous. The building should be evacuated and ventilated. In some jurisdictions reporting to an authority is a requirement.


Certainly any home furnace emitting any level of CO into an interior space calls for immediate shutting off of the furnace and calling for a servicing by a qualified technician in your report. You should get out too until the house is ventilated. High levels of CO in a flue should be also call for a servicing. Most furnaces "spill" CO several times a year due to backdrafting. If there are high levels of CO from a malfunctioning furnace, severe health hazards or death can result.

Every home with gas fixtures should have a carbon monoxide alarm installed in the bedrooms where it can be heard.

Sorry to be so serious. I recently attended a seminar on CO and came away soberly educated.

Tim Fitz-Randolph
Reliant Home Inspection, Inc.
tim@inspectforyou.com

#7

Originally Posted By: dleavitt
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Could any suggest a good CO detector and what one woyuld cost.


Thanks David icon_wink.gif

#8

Originally Posted By: tfitz-randolph
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Two popular makers of carbon monoxide testers, amomg other things, are Bacharach and Kane-May. I use the Kane-May SG19A. It cost me around $450 locally. It tests only a single gas - carbon monoxide., but thats all I test for. You certainly can get more sophisticated in what you test for, but then we probably go beyond the realm of Home Inspection. It is quite simple to use. However, you must follow the directions and have it calibrated regularly.


Many Home Inspectors do not test for carbon monoxide. I feel it is one of the core tests an inspector should do. It provides additional information in our observational arsenal that is not revealed as fully in any other way, such as inefficient or lethalfurnaces. Anyway, it is a simple and fairly quick test.

Perhaps NACHI can review some of the CO analyzers out there?

#9

Originally Posted By: dvalley
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Tim,


Roughly how many times have you called out a high CO rating from a heating source, in a dwelling? Just curious.

If you can't come up with a number, a percentage would help.

--
David Valley
MAB Member

Massachusetts Certified Home Inspections
http://www.masscertified.com

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."

#10

Originally Posted By: tfitz-randolph
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David,


Yes, good question. Fortunately, it is very infrequent. Oddly, in the last two months, I have found two furnaces that were emitting over 1100 ppm in the flue. They were both old units, beyond or near the statistical end of their life-span, and appeared not to have been serviced in awhile, so I would have called for a servicing on the units anyway. Both units also had insufficient combustion air. Perhaps the HVAC contractor would have caught the problem during the servcing? Both furnaces were in finished parts of the house.

In the last year, I think only one other furnace was in such inefficient shape.

Tim Fitz-Randolph
Reliant Home Inspections, Inc.

#11

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


icon_question.gif

–
Joseph Hagarty


HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.
#12

Originally Posted By: gbeaumont
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


Hi Guys


I agree with Jeff’s analysis about Bacharach, but I own a Kane May co tester as well as a UEI clip on. Kane May sales and service in the US are managed by UEI as KM is an English company (hence my favoring this brand icon_lol.gif ) but I have found the UEI backed sales and service to be great so do not discount KM as they have served me well and the equipment is well priced and very well supported.


Regards

Gerry

--
Gerry Beaumont
NACHI Education Committee
e-mail : education@nachi.org
NACHI phone 484-429-5466

Inspection Depot Education
gbeaumont@inspectiondepot.com

"Education is a journey, not a destination"