CO could be anywhere

Unknown

a CO detector. I went to pick up my portable generator I had in for repairs. When I walked into the repair facility my CO detector went off and it was flying up toward 300 PPM. I turned around and ran outside and told everyone to get out. They all stood there inside looking at me like I was crazy. They finally came outside and the owner said it might be his waste oil heater.

End of story a waste oil heater was running to heat the place and someone had knocked the vent off the unit with a fork lift or something. This thing was spewing junk all over the place. It is now shut off and is going to be replaced as it also has a big crack in the face of the unit. They have another means of heat but use this when they get a lot of oil they need to burn and then they shut off the main source of heat. I checked everything with my tester and left everyone safe.

The owner thanked me and then told me one of the girls in the office had gone home sick. I advised him he better check up on her.

Final result he did not charge me for the repairs to my generator.

It pays to wear a detector. Sometimes people think I am nuts and I have been known to spoil a few social events when my alarm goes off. I never stay in a hotel room I do not check first. I had a CO incident at a Holiday Inn about 10 years ago caused by a pool heater venting into a large open area inside the Holiday Inn convention center. People on the second floor overcome in their sleep.

Mark Hunt

You get funny looks too?


Darin and I thought we were alone on that.

Customer, "What's that?", Darin, "It's a CO monitor", customer, "There's no CO here", Darin, "Yes there is..see?"

I bet those guys go home every night complaining of headaches.

Good thing for them your generator broke!

Did you get that package yet?

Mark H

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Unknown

I have shut down more

fireplaces in hotels than I would like to remember.

I do not like decorative gas equipment for the very reason that I find high levels of CO around them all the time,that and of course the gas ovens. The Holidays are coming and ovens will be on better test them now or you could have a disaster on your hands.

No Mark I did not get the package yet, I will keep an eye out for it. Thanks for you effort.

The guys at the repair place told me after I went outside to get into my truck that they had been complaining to the owner since he fired it up last Friday. It is a good thing no one was working inside over the weekend.

Dave Yates (PAH)

Well Tim

You definately don't want to go along an any BSA campouts that last for more than two days. After successive meals of chile, baked beans and other assorted foods that contribute to certian gas problems, your CO detector would grow legs and run off!

Nice catch my friend. Where'd you get the necklace monitor? Can you give us details on sources?

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John R. Hall

CO lapel pins

Brain fart: Why not design small, decorative CO lapel pins? Everything nowadays is micro-mini-sized. Why not a smiling Santa with a device built into his beard? Or at least wire the pin to a larger device on your belt?

Hmmmm.

Unknown

Yes Dave not a good idea

to have it on at campfires or outdoor beerfests.

I have gone through a bunch of different belt attached testers in the last 15 years I guess. I had one from AIM which finally bit the dust after many times dropped and sat on.

I was then using a UEI and at the same time a hand held Bascomb Turner unit which I still have.

The one I had on the other day is a new one from TESTO compliments of Bill Spohn which I am show casing for them. It is a belt unit model 317-3. Sorry I do not have any prices but Bills number is 724-443-7700 I am sure he can hook you up. Every technician shoulde be wearing one of these entering dwellings.

That is in addition to my four way Sensit Tester which I had at Wetstcok V to show everyone. It test gas (natural or Propane), oxygen and CO. It can also be set up for Hydrogen Sulfide.

BillW@honeywell

Tim, I'm glad you mentioned...

hydrogen sulfide (H2S). That stuff is as insidious as CO, and is a potential problem for anyone entering a confined space, where decaying organic matter may be. Sure, you can smell it(at first) but it quickly paralyzes your olfactory(sense of smell)nerve, you don't smell it anymore, and you can die very quickly. There was a tragic incident recently involving workers entering a storm sewer catch basin that had lots of dead leaves, critters and other offal in it, 4 died, 2 were hospitalized. H2S levels were very high.

Before enetering a confined space of any sort, test for oxygen content, CO, H2S, and flammable gases/vapors as a minimum. A brand new steel tank, that has never held a drop of anything can be as deadly as one filled with some bad-actor chemical. Why? The steel rusting uses up the oxygen! Be careful out there!

Ex Maine Doug

Searched the

Testo site for model 317-3 and it does not come up. Is this a brandy new one?

Unknown

Doug yes it is new

I would suggest you get in touch with Bill Spohn at 724-443-7700.

Larry (from OSHA)

Good info

Bill,

Thanks for great information on confined spaces. You know a lot more than Honeywell products. Were you a safety guy in a past life?

Larry (from OSHA)

BillW@honeywell

Yes, in a previous inacarnation...

I specialized in instrumentation for chemical plants, sewage treatment plants, LNG/SNG plants etc. Also worked for an oil spill/hazmat cleanup company after I got out of the service, utilizing a good bit of the NBC warfare info I was trained in. I'm sure the regulations, TLV's,etc have changed since I was in that business, but confined space entry is something very important for hvac service personnel to be aware of. I'm glad you post here as well,Larry. We don't want to lose any more of our colleagues to preventable accidents.

Unknown

Bill another reason for

Hydrogen Sulfide which is given off by what is called Soil Gas, Sanitary Land Fill or Sewer Gas is to distinguish actual methane based fuel gases from those other gases so that the correct emergency responders can be called. Example Gas Company instead of Sewer Department.

Many times on what is called "Foreign Odor Complaints" the wrong direction is taken and valuable time and money is wasted.

Dave Yates (PAH)

Certified Confined Space Entry

We're one of just two licensed & certified backflow testing firms with personell certified for confined space entry. It amazes me how many contractors ignore required safety proceedures by entering without proper testing or gear. In many cases, they only send one mechanic who performs the confined space entry for the test by himself. When we explain why we're sending two mechanics, we often hear that "the other outfit never did that". More than a few reject our pricing and remain with the firm breaking the rules. No one is checking!

This year, the local water co is requiring all fire lines be equipped with DCDA's & many are being installed in vaults. More confined space entries will occur and the chances of a bad incident will be greatly increased.

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