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This will break your heart

Terry_14
Terry_14 Member Posts: 209
I have been cursed and called names that would make a sailor blush when i red taged a unit and contacted gas company. But each family is alive today because of some expensive test equipment. Call me any name you want just keep talking.

Went on a CO call Sat 6 am had windows opened , furnace and H/W heater shut off till I could make the 45 min trip.

All safe in the house Hot water heater was the source. To save energy homeowner had put a fiberglass blanket on and it had slid to the floor causing a bad burn. An early shower and detector went off.

Our family will keep them in our prayers
Terry & Cindy Thayer

Comments

  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    I didn't want this


    buried in the CO thread, it's too important.

    Read this story.

    Just read it.

    Mark H

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  • Ken D.
    Ken D. Member Posts: 836
    Story

    My fingers keep slipping of the computer keys fom the falling tears. The danger from the insidious plague of Carbon Monoxide cannot be stressed enough. That this could happen to so innocent a life is difficult to understand. CO detectors, education and one's awareness of their enviroment is so very important. Let your guard down and that is when it will strike.
  • Timco
    Timco Member Posts: 3,040


    A leak??? Any additional info? Must have been SOME leak to poison soo many, and they never give the level of CO or the exposure time. I understand the higher the consentration, the faster you get poisoned. As I understand it, if the 'unit' is leaking 100ppm into the air, the level will only reach 100ppm max, and how quickly depends on room size, leak amount and ventilation. For soo many to get soo sick, there must have been other issues with the equipment. One would also have to wonder why commercial structures, especially high-capacity structures such as hotels, are not required to have CO detectors in mechanical room areas as part of the fire alarm system.

    Tim
    Just a guy running some pipes.
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    When a unit


    begins to spill combustion products into the space, it contaminates its' own air source. CO2 displaces the O2 and CO goes out of site.

    So it may start at a low CO level, but it will quickly elevate and the sky is the limit.

    As far as "leaky"....well aren't they supposed to "leak"? Into a chimney. When they don't, they spill.

    I doubt that a CO alarm in any mechanical room would do any good. I don't think the party goers would have heard it.

    Mark H

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  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    I WILL call you any name I want Terry

    > I have been cursed and called names that would

    > make a sailor blush when i red taged a unit and

    > contacted gas company. But each family is alive

    > today because of some expensive test equipment.

    > Call me any name you want just keep

    > talking.

    >

    > Went on a CO call Sat 6 am had

    > windows opened , furnace and H/W heater shut off

    > till I could make the 45 min trip.

    >

    > All safe in

    > the house Hot water heater was the source. To

    > save energy homeowner had put a fiberglass

    > blanket on and it had slid to the floor causing a

    > bad burn. An early shower and detector went

    > off.

    >

    > Our family will keep them in our

    > prayers Terry & Cindy Thayer





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  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    I WILL call you any name I want Terry


    How does Life-saver grab ya'???

    You are a life-saver.

    Mark H

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • Terry_14
    Terry_14 Member Posts: 209
    Thanks

    It's tough out there but how much harder it would be to know you could have saved a family and over looked something.

    I have been pulled out of a high co consentration sick as a dog and what a headache.

    Thanks for caring enough to post mark

    Pray for life tonight
    Terry
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    We'll make


    a difference Terry.

    We already have.

    Glad to know you.

    Mark H

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  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,884
    That story is a heart breaker Mark.

    > begins to spill combustion products into the

    > space, it contaminates its' own air source. CO2

    > displaces the O2 and CO goes out of site.

    >

    > So

    > it may start at a low CO level, but it will

    > quickly elevate and the sky is the limit.

    >

    > As

    > far as "leaky"....well aren't they supposed to

    > "leak"? Into a chimney. When they don't, they

    > spill.

    >

    > I doubt that a CO alarm in any

    > mechanical room would do any good. I don't think

    > the party goers would have heard it.

    >

    > Mark

    > H

    >

    > _A

    > HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

    > 238&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

    > Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

    > "Find A Professional"_/A_





    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,884
    That story is a heart breaker Mark.

    > begins to spill combustion products into the

    > space, it contaminates its' own air source. CO2

    > displaces the O2 and CO goes out of site.

    >

    > So

    > it may start at a low CO level, but it will

    > quickly elevate and the sky is the limit.

    >

    > As

    > far as "leaky"....well aren't they supposed to

    > "leak"? Into a chimney. When they don't, they

    > spill.

    >

    > I doubt that a CO alarm in any

    > mechanical room would do any good. I don't think

    > the party goers would have heard it.

    >

    > Mark

    > H

    >

    > _A

    > HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

    > 238&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

    > Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

    > "Find A Professional"_/A_





    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • Dale
    Dale Member Posts: 1,317
    Slap worth it

    Such a sad story. A lesson, it's worth it to take the risk of a slap or comment, or tough look when a women is exposed to CO to ask "Are you pregnant" Talk quick of course, but tell them the fetus CO level is twice what theirs is and the level will take twice as long to drop with a given amount of oxygen treatment. Tell this to the first responders too, some don't know and use the same oxygen treatment level by weight. To lessen the risk of birth defects hyperbaric (sp?) oxygen should always be used if a pregnant woman has any CO symptoms. Sadly, if a pregnant woman passes out from CO the dose is high enough that the baby almost always dies even if the mother recovers.
  • clammy
    clammy Member Posts: 3,103
    Pool heaters

    Very sad event there Mark ,but in the past i have seen this espically in hotels with swimming pools the extra moist mech rooms lead to alot of corrision on pool heating units and these are mostly owed by large corporations who do have very large perventive maintance programs ( worked for one once) but i never remenbered reading anything in there maintance books about pool heating systems and co .I guess if you don,t write it out and you rely on outside contractors who they will only pay what the corporation wants to pay contractors no more (ps i know used to service for one didn't like our rate so no more service )It's a very sad the turn of events probalbly could have been avoided had maintance issues or just plain testing was done ,was this case of co poisoning caused by lack of maintance or sheer lack of maintance peace clammy
    R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
    NJ Master HVAC Lic.
    Mahwah, NJ
    Specializing in steam and hydronic heating
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    I don't know


    Most of the stories I get have no follow-up after the initial poisoning. Once the folks are dead or in a hyperbarach chamber, the story ends.

    Another point is that since the reporter is writing about something that they do not understand, they can't tell whether they are getting factual information as opposed to guessing.

    I have decided to join our local volunteer fire department, tonight is my interview. Now I will be able to see just what a "faulty (fill in the blank)" looks like. I'll post pics when I get them.

    Thanks Clammy.

    Mark H

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  • Bob Sweet
    Bob Sweet Member Posts: 540
    Your relentless!!

    and appreciated Mark, keep it up my friend your making a difference that matters.

    It's a very sad story all to often unseen, and easily buried in the headlines. Education, it's the only way.
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