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Vermont CO Tragedy
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Member Posts: 5
UVM to require carbon monoxide detectors as investigation continues into fatal Sunday poisoning
By Jill Fahy and Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writers
The University of Vermont was scrambling Monday to ensure the safety of its students and residential buildings amid reports of elevated carbon monoxide levels in a third building at the Redstone Apartments, where the gas killed one person, left two critically injured and sickened seven others Sunday.
School officials ordered carbon-monoxide detectors be installed in all residence halls and in Redstone Apartments, the privately owned apartment complex on South Prospect Street where the poisoning took place. The complex owner complied, agreeing to spend whatever it takes not only in Burlington but at other apartments he owns in New York State, to ensure the safety of his tenants.
Every furnace in the 81-unit apartment complex was being replaced Monday night. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle said they would look at beefing up local and state laws that currently do not require detectors.
Some 200 residents, the vast majority of them UVM students, had been evacuated from the 11-building complex Sunday afternoon after emergency crews found seven people overcome by gas inside building No. 3. High levels of the gas were found in building No. 2 as well.
Monday, a third building -- No. 6 -- also contained elevated carbon monoxide levels, the cause of which is still being investigated, said University spokesman Enrique Corredera. The discovery prevented tenants from returning, and officials did not know how long it would be before the complex is safe for residents.
Sunday's gas leak killed Jeffrey Rodliff, 23, of St. Johnsbury, who lived in the building with his girlfriend, Ginger Aldrich, 22, of Waterford. Aldrich and UVM student Kerry Anne McCarthy, 20, of Montpelier, were listed in critical condition Monday evening at hospitals in Montreal and Boston, respectively. Four other tenants were treated and released from out of state hospitals and a police officer, a firefighter and a maintenance worker were treated and released in Burlington.
"It makes me nervous," said UVM sophomore Erin Grundy, 20. "I feel like I don't trust this environment now. We're supposed to be able to trust in where we're living."
What happened
As the investigation continued Monday, details began to emerge of a routine maintenance job and then, later, something going terribly wrong with a hot-water boiler.
This is how the incident unfolded, based on accounts from UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis, whose department is heading the investigation; John Novarr, managing partner for complex owner Prospect Venture LLC of Ithaca, N.Y.; and Stephen Bartlett, owner of New England Air Systems, the Williston company that often services the furnaces:
Saturday night, a tenant in building No. 3 called the apartment complex's sole maintenance employee, complaining that the heat wasn't working.
The maintenance worker, whose name was not released, was unable to light the gas-fired boiler's pilot light. He called technicians from New England Air Systems, who ran tests on the boiler and replaced a device that controls its functions. The Air Systems technician relighted the boiler's pilot light, let it run for about 20 minutes and determined it was working properly.
By late morning Sunday, said Novarr, a female tenant in building No. 3 woke up, briefly passed out, and then went to the campus' medical clinic on Pearl Street. The clinic let the woman leave, Novarr said, and she returned to her Redstone apartment. Jon Porter, medical director for UVM's Center for Health and Wellbeing, said he couldn't say whether the tenant was a patient at the medical center, but noted the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be mistaken for a host of other illnesses. Smelling a funny odor and sensing that something was wrong, the tenant called the Redstone maintenance employee who returned to the complex and called 911.
Two UVM police officers arrived and began dragging sickened tenants from the building. In searching the building, officers found Rodliff dead.
Investigators later determined the gas-fired hot-water boiler backfired and blew out a section of PVC ventilation pipe that connects the furnace to the outdoors. The separation caused carbon monoxide to spew into the building. Causes, said Bartlett, could have included a faulty control device, a fluctuation in gas pressure or "an act of God."
Detectors and repairs
University officials Monday gave Novarr an ultimatum -- either fix the boilers and install carbon monoxide detectors, or UVM won't let students return.
"I want to ensure the UVM family that the safety of our students is our highest priority," University President Daniel Fogel said in a campus-wide e-mail. "We will communicate with the property owner today and make clear our expectation that our students should not return to their apartments until every mechanical system in every building has been thoroughly and professionally inspected, and carbon monoxide detectors have been installed throughout the Redstone Apartment buildings."
Novarr, who met with UVM officials throughout the day, agreed to meet the university's conditions. By Monday afternoon, Bartlett's company was installing 15 new boilers in each of the complex's 11 buildings. New piping and ventilation systems also were being installed in some cases, Bartlett said.
Novarr said he didn't care how much it would cost to make his tenants safe.
"There's no price on the life of a student," Novarr said.
The university didn't point fingers at either Novarr or Bartlett. Both men defended the actions of their companies.
"We thought we had done everything we should do, but that didn't happen," Novarr said.
Bartlett said his technician went by the book when he looked at the furnace in building No. 3.
"We were there, we serviced it and got it running," Bartlett said. "I'm really sad the young guy died, but we don't have any real responsibility in the death. We have tons of safeguards in the company, and they work to a tee."
The faulty boiler and the rest of the furnaces at the complex were last inspected by the Burlington Code Enforcement Office in August, said interim Code Enforcement Officer Eugene Bergman. At that time, Bergman said, all the boilers were in compliance.
The incident at UVM is having a ripple effect in northern New York. Novarr leases apartments to about 600 mostly Cornell University students in Ithaca. He said the tragedy has prompted his decision to install carbon monoxide detectors in those apartments as well.
The scene
At the apartments Monday, some students who had spent the night at a South Burlington hotel wondered when they might be able to return. Scott Hess, a UVM senior, said property managers told him students couldn't return until "further notice."
"I miss my running shoes," said Hess, most of whose belongings were still in his apartment.
Corredera and Novarr said no one is sure when students will be able to return to the complex.
Tenant Keith Bouchard said he is satisfied with the university's rapid response to the tragedy. He said he and his roommate already made some changes of their own.
"We ran straight to the store and bought our own carbon monoxide detector for $24," Bouchard said.
Considering regulations
Sunday's death prompted both Gov. Jim Douglas and Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle to contemplate making carbon-monoxide detectors mandatory, just like smoke detectors.
"We are seriously considering requiring apartment complexes to have carbon monoxide detectors of some kind," the governor's spokesman, Jason Gibbs, said Monday.
Gibbs said the administration is looking into whether such a ruling would require legislation or could be done administratively. "Most likely it would have to be legislation," he said.
Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex/Orleans, chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee, said he'll ask to hear from the state Department of Labor & Industry and landlords on the issue, and look at what other states are doing.
Clavelle is taking a similar tack. The city, he said, needs to initiate an aggressive, visible campaign to encourage people to use carbon-monoxide detectors.
Burlington also should consider requiring the detectors, Clavelle said.
"There's a strong argument that can be made for that, and it's a discussion that we'll be having," he said.
The mayor has asked city officials -- including those from code enforcement, the fire department and public works -- to study the issue. "It's obvious that it's a public health and safety issue," he said, "and if by requiring them we can save lives, it's a very modest investment."
By Jill Fahy and Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writers
The University of Vermont was scrambling Monday to ensure the safety of its students and residential buildings amid reports of elevated carbon monoxide levels in a third building at the Redstone Apartments, where the gas killed one person, left two critically injured and sickened seven others Sunday.
School officials ordered carbon-monoxide detectors be installed in all residence halls and in Redstone Apartments, the privately owned apartment complex on South Prospect Street where the poisoning took place. The complex owner complied, agreeing to spend whatever it takes not only in Burlington but at other apartments he owns in New York State, to ensure the safety of his tenants.
Every furnace in the 81-unit apartment complex was being replaced Monday night. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle said they would look at beefing up local and state laws that currently do not require detectors.
Some 200 residents, the vast majority of them UVM students, had been evacuated from the 11-building complex Sunday afternoon after emergency crews found seven people overcome by gas inside building No. 3. High levels of the gas were found in building No. 2 as well.
Monday, a third building -- No. 6 -- also contained elevated carbon monoxide levels, the cause of which is still being investigated, said University spokesman Enrique Corredera. The discovery prevented tenants from returning, and officials did not know how long it would be before the complex is safe for residents.
Sunday's gas leak killed Jeffrey Rodliff, 23, of St. Johnsbury, who lived in the building with his girlfriend, Ginger Aldrich, 22, of Waterford. Aldrich and UVM student Kerry Anne McCarthy, 20, of Montpelier, were listed in critical condition Monday evening at hospitals in Montreal and Boston, respectively. Four other tenants were treated and released from out of state hospitals and a police officer, a firefighter and a maintenance worker were treated and released in Burlington.
"It makes me nervous," said UVM sophomore Erin Grundy, 20. "I feel like I don't trust this environment now. We're supposed to be able to trust in where we're living."
What happened
As the investigation continued Monday, details began to emerge of a routine maintenance job and then, later, something going terribly wrong with a hot-water boiler.
This is how the incident unfolded, based on accounts from UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis, whose department is heading the investigation; John Novarr, managing partner for complex owner Prospect Venture LLC of Ithaca, N.Y.; and Stephen Bartlett, owner of New England Air Systems, the Williston company that often services the furnaces:
Saturday night, a tenant in building No. 3 called the apartment complex's sole maintenance employee, complaining that the heat wasn't working.
The maintenance worker, whose name was not released, was unable to light the gas-fired boiler's pilot light. He called technicians from New England Air Systems, who ran tests on the boiler and replaced a device that controls its functions. The Air Systems technician relighted the boiler's pilot light, let it run for about 20 minutes and determined it was working properly.
By late morning Sunday, said Novarr, a female tenant in building No. 3 woke up, briefly passed out, and then went to the campus' medical clinic on Pearl Street. The clinic let the woman leave, Novarr said, and she returned to her Redstone apartment. Jon Porter, medical director for UVM's Center for Health and Wellbeing, said he couldn't say whether the tenant was a patient at the medical center, but noted the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be mistaken for a host of other illnesses. Smelling a funny odor and sensing that something was wrong, the tenant called the Redstone maintenance employee who returned to the complex and called 911.
Two UVM police officers arrived and began dragging sickened tenants from the building. In searching the building, officers found Rodliff dead.
Investigators later determined the gas-fired hot-water boiler backfired and blew out a section of PVC ventilation pipe that connects the furnace to the outdoors. The separation caused carbon monoxide to spew into the building. Causes, said Bartlett, could have included a faulty control device, a fluctuation in gas pressure or "an act of God."
Detectors and repairs
University officials Monday gave Novarr an ultimatum -- either fix the boilers and install carbon monoxide detectors, or UVM won't let students return.
"I want to ensure the UVM family that the safety of our students is our highest priority," University President Daniel Fogel said in a campus-wide e-mail. "We will communicate with the property owner today and make clear our expectation that our students should not return to their apartments until every mechanical system in every building has been thoroughly and professionally inspected, and carbon monoxide detectors have been installed throughout the Redstone Apartment buildings."
Novarr, who met with UVM officials throughout the day, agreed to meet the university's conditions. By Monday afternoon, Bartlett's company was installing 15 new boilers in each of the complex's 11 buildings. New piping and ventilation systems also were being installed in some cases, Bartlett said.
Novarr said he didn't care how much it would cost to make his tenants safe.
"There's no price on the life of a student," Novarr said.
The university didn't point fingers at either Novarr or Bartlett. Both men defended the actions of their companies.
"We thought we had done everything we should do, but that didn't happen," Novarr said.
Bartlett said his technician went by the book when he looked at the furnace in building No. 3.
"We were there, we serviced it and got it running," Bartlett said. "I'm really sad the young guy died, but we don't have any real responsibility in the death. We have tons of safeguards in the company, and they work to a tee."
The faulty boiler and the rest of the furnaces at the complex were last inspected by the Burlington Code Enforcement Office in August, said interim Code Enforcement Officer Eugene Bergman. At that time, Bergman said, all the boilers were in compliance.
The incident at UVM is having a ripple effect in northern New York. Novarr leases apartments to about 600 mostly Cornell University students in Ithaca. He said the tragedy has prompted his decision to install carbon monoxide detectors in those apartments as well.
The scene
At the apartments Monday, some students who had spent the night at a South Burlington hotel wondered when they might be able to return. Scott Hess, a UVM senior, said property managers told him students couldn't return until "further notice."
"I miss my running shoes," said Hess, most of whose belongings were still in his apartment.
Corredera and Novarr said no one is sure when students will be able to return to the complex.
Tenant Keith Bouchard said he is satisfied with the university's rapid response to the tragedy. He said he and his roommate already made some changes of their own.
"We ran straight to the store and bought our own carbon monoxide detector for $24," Bouchard said.
Considering regulations
Sunday's death prompted both Gov. Jim Douglas and Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle to contemplate making carbon-monoxide detectors mandatory, just like smoke detectors.
"We are seriously considering requiring apartment complexes to have carbon monoxide detectors of some kind," the governor's spokesman, Jason Gibbs, said Monday.
Gibbs said the administration is looking into whether such a ruling would require legislation or could be done administratively. "Most likely it would have to be legislation," he said.
Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex/Orleans, chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee, said he'll ask to hear from the state Department of Labor & Industry and landlords on the issue, and look at what other states are doing.
Clavelle is taking a similar tack. The city, he said, needs to initiate an aggressive, visible campaign to encourage people to use carbon-monoxide detectors.
Burlington also should consider requiring the detectors, Clavelle said.
"There's a strong argument that can be made for that, and it's a discussion that we'll be having," he said.
The mayor has asked city officials -- including those from code enforcement, the fire department and public works -- to study the issue. "It's obvious that it's a public health and safety issue," he said, "and if by requiring them we can save lives, it's a very modest investment."
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Comments
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And the sad part is...
... how many more bodies will the police have to drag out of buildings before people realize that just any CO Detector is not going to protect them?
... how long will it be before the sham CO-detector manufacturers are either sued out of existance or required to change UL2073 to something useful?
... how long will lawmakers have to badgered by angry windows, windowers, parents, children who lost a lost one before they pass comprehensive laws re: CO protection?
... when will all building codes require safe vent terminal installations?
... who will mandate comprehensive equipment inspections if the consumer cannot be bothered to do it on their own?
I sleep well with my CO Experts Alarm and I have been handing them out as gifts to friends and family, particularly the ones living in homes with furnaces. You just don't know until you test.0 -
Really dumb question,
why did this vent fall down and open up?
Why did it not comply with the VT Fire Code and NFPA211 and 'be secured and ridgidly held in place'?
What a waste of a young life, FACT!
I believe in detectors, but what about some basic code adherence and enforcement, hmmmmm?0 -
This is tragic
really sad, the company says it followed all safeguards but they and the tech will probably be sued, the tech could even be charge with involuntary manslaughter if negligence is found-- something to think about boys and girls!!
25 years ago I did an annual maintenance at a home of a nice couple on a friday, everything went normal and I was sure I checked everything, Monday morning in the shop the paper had a story about how they died from CO. My world started to spin, I was sure I checked everything, WHAT WENT WRONG???? WHAT DID I DO???? IT MUST BE ME!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH
I spent the day freaking out thinking any second the cops were coming to see me, then I found out, the husband committed suicide by running the car in the garage and killed his wife from CO in the house, POHHHFEWWWWWWWWwwwwww!0 -
But George...
... sometimes equipment is properly installed yet malfunctions for a host of reasons. Our codes were written to address the most obvious issues, they are the first line of defense against equipment malfunctions and usually contain a problem. When, for whatever reason, that does not happen, high-quality CO detectors have their place as a LAST LINE OF DEFENSE.
How much is a life worth? IMHO, there shouldn't even be a discussion about the needs for the things, considering that a high-quality detector costs less than $20/year to own.0 -
No debate on
the detectors, NONE! I have oil and have had them for years, over 15 in FACT!
But, read this again Constantin:
"Investigators later determined the gas-fired hot-water boiler backfired and blew out (BLEW OUT???) a section of PVC ventilation pipe that connects the furnace to the outdoors. The separation caused carbon monoxide to spew into the building.
I teach the codes, VT is a major client and I'm just wondering.
Did the pipe blow apart???
Hmmmmm! OR, was it improperly installed and SEPARATE???
We spend a lot of time on these boards discussing service and issues (sic) that come about due to those installs. My simple question and my personal goal has always been the same (38 years), how much time do we spend on installs and if we spent a little more time on them would we need these discussions at all?
When you see what I see, every day, as an 'expert' you quickly come to realize that jamming production numbers through on installs may make more money in the short run, but it costs big time in the long! JMO!
0 -
Let's do this..
> the detectors, NONE! I have oil and have had them
> for years, over 15 in FACT!
>
> But, read this
> again Constantin:
>
> "Investigators later
> determined the gas-fired hot-water boiler
> backfired and blew out (BLEW OUT???) a section of
> PVC ventilation pipe that connects the furnace to
> the outdoors. The separation caused carbon
> monoxide to spew into the building.
>
> I teach
> the codes, VT is a major client and I'm just
> wondering.
>
> Did the pipe blow
> apart???
>
> Hmmmmm! OR, was it improperly
> installed and SEPARATE???
>
> We spend a lot of
> time on these boards discussing service and
> issues (sic) that come about due to those
> installs. My simple question and my personal goal
> has always been the same (38 years), how much
> time do we spend on installs and if we spent a
> little more time on them would we need these
> discussions at all?
>
> When you see what I see,
> every day, as an 'expert' you quickly come to
> realize that jamming production numbers through
> on installs may make more money in the short run,
> but it costs big time in the long! JMO!
0 -
Let's do this..
If anyone finds out what really happened here please follow up here, why are all units being replaced?? were they all installed wrong??? were all the vents wrong???? did the tech mess up{god forbid}???? was the part installed saturday night defective??? what part?? it is not identified in the article!!!!!!!!!!!
I am using this story to teach my students the seriousness of our business and the responsibility that comes along with it.0 -
Hey Geno, if
you want a guest speaker some time that will scare them all right out of the biz, contact me!!!!
Only kidding, but not on the offer!0 -
Carry a monitor!
If the tech would have been carrying a CO Experts or NCI CO monitor this may not have happened. Carrying one of these monitors should be STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE for all techs. Sorry about the ALL CAPS but you can't hear me shouting.0 -
I strongly agree. You can have all the detectors you want. If the equipment is maintained properly and installed properly this probably dosent happen. Co detectors may be great but the cow is already out of the barn.0 -
More Info--Heatmaker boilers; Plexvent
Redstone Apartment boilers emitted extremely hazardous carbon monoxide levels, state inspectors say
By Jill Fahy
Free Press Staff Writer
State inspectors said Tuesday that boilers in the Redstone Apartments were emitting at least 40 times the normal levels of carbon monoxide hours after the deadly gas began spewing throughout one of the buildings, killing one man and sickening nine others, two critically.
Inspectors also were also looking at a section of pipe that had broken off from the boiler, causing the gas to fill the building. A similar type of pipe was the subject of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall in 1998.
According to city Code Enforcement Director Eugene Bergman and information from the heating company that serviced the building, the complex's heating systems might have been inspected only once after the buildings were constructed in 1993 -- and that inspection, Bergman said, was cursory.
Meanwhile, with building No. 3. still locked up, University of Vermont Police, who are leading the investigation into the cause of the carbon monoxide leak, were still unsure Tuesday how to classify the tragedy.
Amid the investigations, New England Air Systems technicians hired by property owner John Novarr were scrambling Tuesday to replace the majority of boilers in the 11-building apartment complex -- a process Novarr said began two years ago when some of the heating systems began malfunctioning.
"They didn't need to be pulled out today," Novarr said of the original Heatmaker boilers, "but the perception is the property has a boiler responsible for a death and we can't live with that."
Novarr said New England Air Systems had inspected the heating systems as recently as "two or three months" ago, but Steven Bartlett, New England Air Systems owner, said his company had only a "call-by-call" contract with Redstone to repair problems as they arose. "We don't do inspections for them," he said.
Bartlett said he had recommended the replacement of the boilers to Novarr because they were nearing the end of their useful life and were of a type to develop water leaks. He said those problems didn't involve combustion issues.
Carbon monoxide began backing up in building No. 3 Sunday morning after the gas-fired boiler malfunctioned and blew out a section of ventilation pipe attached to the boiler.
The gas leak killed Jeffrey Rodliff, 23, who lived in the building with his girlfriend, Ginger Aldrich, 22, of Waterford. Aldrich was listed in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon at a Montreal hospital. UVM student Kerry Anne McCarthy, 20, of Montpelier was listed in good condition Tuesday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Four other tenants were treated and released from out-of-state hospitals. A police officer, a firefighter and a maintenance worker were treated and released in Burlington.
At least some of the complex's original Heatmaker boilers began malfunctioning as long as two years ago, Novarr said. He said boilers would "go off," causing heating problems, so a replacement schedule was devised. One boiler was replaced with a new model two years ago. Two more were replaced in the fall, he said.
Novarr said his decision two years ago to begin replacing boilers was an issue of "maintenance" rather than safety.
Hazardous CO levels
At least two boilers, including the one in building No. 3 that caused the carbon monoxide death, were found Sunday to have emitted extremely high levels of the deadly gas, said Robert Patterson, regional manager for the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry in Williston. His office regulates state fire and building codes.
Patterson said he arrived on the scene about five hours after the 10 victims were dragged out of building No. 3. A carbon monoxide reading taken in the building at about 6:30 p.m. indicated a gas concentration of at least 1,000 parts per million -- at least 40 times the level normally given off by boilers that are in good condition.
"A heating appliance that was giving off 25 parts per million would be normal," Patterson said. He added that a boiler should never give off more than 100 parts per million.
Had it not broken, the boiler's vent pipe would have carried the toxic level of gas safely outside the building.
A boiler in a different building also emitted what Patterson called "extremely hazardous" levels of carbon monoxide. A reading taken outside the building, next to the vent that released the gas, read a carbon monoxide level of 5,000 parts per million.
Given the high gas readings in other buildings, Patterson suggested, replacing all boilers makes sense.
"There was something wrong with the operation of the boiler if it's burning carbon monoxide levels that high," he said. "If they have issues with some of them, it could lead to issues with others."
Pipe recall
Inspectors also are investigating whether a brand of high temperature plastic vent pipe used in building No. 3 and in other Redstone Apartment buildings was included in a 1998 recall of an estimated 250,000 pipe systems that attach to furnaces or boilers in home heating systems.
"We were definitely aware there was a recall in this type of pipe," Patterson said. He noted that serial numbers imprinted on the "Plexvent" piping will be checked to see if that piece of pipe was part of the recall.
The massive recall, involving the furnace and boiler industry and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, was announced in 1998. According to the recall notice, dark gray or black "Plexvent," "Plexvent II" and "Ultravent" plastic piping was found to crack or separate at the joints and leak carbon monoxide, presenting "a deadly threat to customers."
Investigators Sunday determined that the boiler backfired and blew out a section of the pipe at an elbow joint.
Patterson said an exact cause for the tragedy will not be released until a report on the investigation is completed, maybe next week.
The city last made a "minimum housing inspection" of the complex on Aug. 26, said Bergman, the interim code enforcement director. He said that after the buildings were constructed in 1993 they received a six-year certificate and were not inspected again until last summer, though they should have been inspected in 1999.
The inspector recorded no violations in August, Bergman said.
"Our inspector is supposed to take a visual look at the building systems," he said, "looking at things that are obvious. Our inspectors are not certified gas technicians or electricians or plumbers. They're generalists."
"Ultimately, it's the responsibility of the owner to make sure their systems are safe, and to check them," he said. "They need to be doing that."
The investigation
UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis said his department approaches "any investigation where death is involved for possible criminal involvement. ... We owe it to the families. We may conclude there was no criminal involvement."
Chittenden County State's Attorney Robert Simpson said he has spoken with Margolis. "At this point, there's no indication that there is a crime," Simpson said.
Simpson said the police investigation will determine how the carbon monoxide leak happened. "Then," he said, "we will determine if a crime was involved."
Free Press staff writers John Briggs and Shawn Turner contributed to this report. Contact Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or jfahy@bfp.burlington freepress.com0 -
Good Detail, but how can a boiler backfire? N/T
Good Detail, but how can a boiler backfire?0 -
I have to think ..........
There is some responsibility on all parties as far as the Plexvent is concerned.
Given that the stuff was recalled and that anyone truly in the heating trades would have or should have known about said recall; Why didn't Air Systems inform the building owner that they were shutting down his heat until the venting was replaced? If they have been doing maintenance, even on an "as needed" basis, their techs had to have seen what was in place. The mere sight of Plexvent is cause for me to kill power to the unit and tell the owner that I will not turn it back on until replaced. I don't care if it looks good or not. It WILL fail at some point in time.
If the owner was informed of the situation with the Plexvent and chose to do nothing, the finger gets pointed at him alone.
Obviously, the tech did not test for CO in the flue or ambient. Shame on his company for either not providing him with the equipment to do so or else the direct order to do so.0 -
But Mr. Ebels...
... how many people in the trade know what Plexvent is? You may be very familiar with the stuff, but if they sent a kid to do the work and he's never heard of Plexvent because he graduated from technical school two years ago...
I totally agree with your attitude re: the stuff and that the technician should have been testing the boiler for CO. Obviously, something was really wrong for these boilers to be this deadly...
As with most tragedies, there were multiple factors that had to come together to kill someone: A badly-combusting boiler, a dropped vent section of Plexvent, a lack of good CO detectors, no sufficient isolation of the boiler room to habitable space, etc.0 -
Lessons learned
there's a thing called CYA. I teach it to my students alng with Trust No One. Even though NE Air may have only had a call by call contract with the owners they hopefully CYA'd themselves by informing in writing to the owner the condition of these units and rec'd work or repairs for safety.
CYA My Friends
If you find something amiss at a customers property make sure you put it on the bill and/or in writing, if you feel something is unsafe call the local fire marshall or building inspector and ask for an opinion, they will gladly come out and then the presure is off you, they would rather do that than have an investigation into death[s].
Once I went to a house where the oil line froze, got the heat going and then the W/H, W/H had back pressure bad, some moron ran the smoke pipe above the the furnaces into the bricks, when I took it down I found it went nowhere, the bricks were for looks, and was starting to burn the sill, the furn pipe went in @ 2ft then into the chimney, when I left the FM and BI were asking the women for info on who put in her w/h, she went cheap and didn't have us do it.0 -
offer
we look for manufacturers to come in with their products and are looking for teachers, check the comm board below.0 -
Constantin
I get a little narrow minded regarding customer safety. My guys know plexvent when they see it, I made a point of showing them pictures and an actual piece of it which exhibited the tell-tale spiderweb cracking.
If the tech on the job didn't know what he was looking at, I have to question the training he was given and whether he should have been there in the first place. I know, this sounds harsh and judgemental and the goal of getting it right every time is nearly unattainable, BUT! The young lad didn't get a second chance.
It has to be made clear and imprinted in every technicians mind that they are holding people's lives in their hands every time they walk in a house.
That being said, I have no idea what all the circumstances were/are that lead to this tragedy. Anything I say as far as who is to blame is shooting from the hip. We as technicians need to be aware of a nearly unimaginable number of what-if's everytime we go in a house.0 -
And I congratulate you for it!
Being narrow-minded about safety is the only way we ought to operate. We can fix buildings, replace dead systems, but bringing people back from death precludes us for the most part. Thus, I applaud your attitude and the training you dispense to your techs. I am sure that the conscientious nature of yours is directly correlated to customer satisfaction and hence business success.
As you point out, training isn't everything. Your technicians have to listen, observe, jog their memory/training, and then take it all into account before coming to a conclusion about the safety, reliability, issues, etc. of a system. Sometimes, it's too easy to jump to a conclusion. I learned this lesson early in my consulting career, and I've tried to stop myself from making similar mistakes since.0 -
However...
... you can't assume that the equipment will operate to spec between service calls. As the follow-on article points out, it's very likely that the Plexvent cracking is what allowed the combustion products into the home. No amount of proper installation will save you from a misapplied material, if you don't know its not meant to be there.
As Firedragon and you correctly point out, a properly installed and serviced heating appliance is highly unlikely to ever fail in this manner. However, we have to consider the events at the fringe because if there are 100M households in the US, that's a lot of households to cover.
Unless you have 99.9999999% safe systems, there will be people carried out in body bags every year. That's a lot of nines. Never mind the many cases of chronic, low-level CO poisoning.
For me, a CO detector is what prevents the loose cow from killing me. I cannot discount the possibility of my heating system malfunctioning in some unforseen manner, therefore I install a system which will hopefully alert me to the failure and allow me to bring my family to safety.0 -
More on Plexvent
Plastic pipe that contributed to one death was subject of a recall
By Jill Fahy
Free Press Staff Writer
Boiler piping that contributed to a carbon monoxide death Sunday in Burlington was potentially dangerous enough that a federal agency issued a recall order for it in 1998.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday confirmed that Plexvent plastic vent pipe was included in its recall of an estimated 250,000 pipe systems that were known to crack or separate at the joints and leak carbon monoxide, presenting "a deadly threat to consumers."
State inspectors said this week that Plexvent piping was installed in the Redstone Apartments building in which one person died and nine others were sickened by a carbon monoxide leak. The gas, inspectors said, began backing up in building No. 3 Sunday morning after the gas-fired hot-water boiler backfired and blew out a section of the ventilation pipe. The pipe was later found to have separated from an elbow joint.
Property owner John Novarr said he was never notified of a recall.
News of the recall also had the University of Vermont checking for the suspect pipes on its own campus, three days after four of its students who live in Redstone Apartments were sickened, one critically, by the deadly gas.
A team of inspectors from Vermont Boiler determined Wednesday, however, that none of UVM's mechanical systems contained recalled pipes, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said.
"They were instructed to double check that this pipe in question is not being used in any system," Corredera said. "This was instituted as a precaution given the recent events at Redstone Apartments."
The voluntary recall in 1998 ended a more than 18-month investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Media reports had linked faulty high-temperature plastic vent pipes to several deaths in the United States. Canadian regulators banned the pipes in 1995, according to a February 1998 article in Plastics News, a trade publication.
The recall included plastic vent pipes that were colored gray or black and have the names "Plexvent," "Plexvent II" or "Ultravent" stamped on them.
Donald Switzer, an engineer with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Wednesday the pipes were prone to corrosion and cracking.
The pipes were installed from 1987 to 1993, Plastics News reported. Chevron, whose Plexco Division made the pipes until 1994, joined 27 other manufacturers to pay for the recall program.
Consumers who own recalled pipes were eligible to receive new, professionally installed venting systems free of charge.
Notice of the recall seven years ago went out to every manufacturer of the heating appliances and pipe systems associated with the high-temperature plastic vent pipes, Switzer said. The manufacturers, he said, were then expected to notify wholesalers and installers of the recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also disseminates its recall information through print and video news releases and news conferences.
Redstone Apartments property owner Novarr said Tuesday that he was never notified of the recall.
"I've never received notice in all these years that there were health and safety issues related to boilers or vent pipes," Novarr said. A message left Wednesday for Novarr was not immediately returned.
Sunday's gas leak killed Jeffrey Rodliff, 23, who lived in the building with his girlfriend, Ginger Aldrich, 22, of Waterford. Aldrich was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday at a Montreal hospital. UVM student Kerry Anne McCarthy, 20, of Montpelier was listed in good condition Tuesday at a Boston hospital. Four other tenants were treated and released from out-of-state hospitals. A police officer, a firefighter and a maintenance worker were treated and released in Burlington.
State inspectors, who were waiting Wednesday for an independent confirmation of the recall, said the pipe, while a contributing factor to the tragedy, was not the only factor. The boiler -- one of 15 Heatmakers installed in the complex in 1993 -- was equally culpable, they said.
"The boiler was not operating at an efficient level in the way it fired," said Robert Patterson, regional manager for the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry in Williston. "It took both these elements to create this dangerous situation."
A carbon monoxide reading taken in building No. 3 hours after the victims were taken from the building indicated a gas concentration of at least 1,000 parts per million -- at least 40 times the level normally given off by boilers in good condition, Patterson said. Since Sunday, technicians hired by Novarr have been working to replace most of the boilers at the complex with a different brand.
Still, a pipe recall issued seven years ago should have been noted by whomever maintained or serviced the boilers, Patterson said.
"If that pipe in there was under recall," Patterson said, "I would have thought there would have been somebody working on the system who should have been able to identify that."
New England Air Systems has been servicing the complex's boilers since the mid-1990s, Novarr said. The company, whose technician worked on the boiler into the early morning hours of Sunday morning, has a "call-by-call" contract with Redstone to repair problems as they arise and does not do inspections, the company's owner, Stephen Bartlett, has said.
Two messages left Wednesday for Bartlett were not immediately returned.
Patterson said his office's investigation was limited to finding a cause for Sunday's poisoning. It will likely be up to other agencies, including the city of Burlington, or UVM police to review the complex's maintenance reports.
The Burlington Code Enforcement Office inspected the apartment complex's boilers in August -- the city's first inspection of the units since they were installed in 1993. Eugene Bergman, interim code enforcement officer, said he was not aware of the pipe recall.
Contact Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or jfahy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
0 -
Cliff
A heatmaker is known for backfiring. As the copper coil plug's it forces flue gasses to remain trapped until they explode. I have seen the top of a heatmaker blow off taking the vent with it. Not a pretty site. I have never seen or heard that the heatmaker was allowed to be vented with plastic piping though, so a little curious as to that.0 -
backfire
> Plastic pipe that contributed to one death was
> subject of a recall
>
> By Jill Fahy Free Press
> Staff Writer
>
> Boiler piping that contributed to
> a carbon monoxide death Sunday in Burlington was
> potentially dangerous enough that a federal
> agency issued a recall order for it in
> 1998.
>
> The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
> Commission on Wednesday confirmed that Plexvent
> plastic vent pipe was included in its recall of
> an estimated 250,000 pipe systems that were known
> to crack or separate at the joints and leak
> carbon monoxide, presenting "a deadly threat to
> consumers."
>
> State inspectors said this week
> that Plexvent piping was installed in the
> Redstone Apartments building in which one person
> died and nine others were sickened by a carbon
> monoxide leak. The gas, inspectors said, began
> backing up in building No. 3 Sunday morning after
> the gas-fired hot-water boiler backfired and blew
> out a section of the ventilation pipe. The pipe
> was later found to have separated from an elbow
> joint.
>
> Property owner John Novarr said he was
> never notified of a recall.
>
> News of the recall
> also had the University of Vermont checking for
> the suspect pipes on its own campus, three days
> after four of its students who live in Redstone
> Apartments were sickened, one critically, by the
> deadly gas.
>
> A team of inspectors from Vermont
> Boiler determined Wednesday, however, that none
> of UVM's mechanical systems contained recalled
> pipes, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera
> said.
>
> "They were instructed to double check
> that this pipe in question is not being used in
> any system," Corredera said. "This was instituted
> as a precaution given the recent events at
> Redstone Apartments."
>
> The voluntary recall in
> 1998 ended a more than 18-month investigation by
> the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Media
> reports had linked faulty high-temperature
> plastic vent pipes to several deaths in the
> United States. Canadian regulators banned the
> pipes in 1995, according to a February 1998
> article in Plastics News, a trade
> publication.
>
> The recall included plastic vent
> pipes that were colored gray or black and have
> the names "Plexvent," "Plexvent II" or
> "Ultravent" stamped on them.
>
> Donald Switzer,
> an engineer with the Consumer Product Safety
> Commission, said Wednesday the pipes were prone
> to corrosion and cracking.
>
> The pipes were
> installed from 1987 to 1993, Plastics News
> reported. Chevron, whose Plexco Division made the
> pipes until 1994, joined 27 other manufacturers
> to pay for the recall program.
>
> Consumers who
> own recalled pipes were eligible to receive new,
> professionally installed venting systems free of
> charge.
>
> Notice of the recall seven years ago
> went out to every manufacturer of the heating
> appliances and pipe systems associated with the
> high-temperature plastic vent pipes, Switzer
> said. The manufacturers, he said, were then
> expected to notify wholesalers and installers of
> the recall. The Consumer Product Safety
> Commission also disseminates its recall
> information through print and video news releases
> and news conferences.
>
> Redstone Apartments
> property owner Novarr said Tuesday that he was
> never notified of the recall.
>
> "I've never
> received notice in all these years that there
> were health and safety issues related to boilers
> or vent pipes," Novarr said. A message left
> Wednesday for Novarr was not immediately
> returned.
>
> Sunday's gas leak killed Jeffrey
> Rodliff, 23, who lived in the building with his
> girlfriend, Ginger Aldrich, 22, of Waterford.
> Aldrich was listed in critical but stable
> condition Wednesday at a Montreal hospital. UVM
> student Kerry Anne McCarthy, 20, of Montpelier
> was listed in good condition Tuesday at a Boston
> hospital. Four other tenants were treated and
> released from out-of-state hospitals. A police
> officer, a firefighter and a maintenance worker
> were treated and released in Burlington.
>
> State
> inspectors, who were waiting Wednesday for an
> independent confirmation of the recall, said the
> pipe, while a contributing factor to the tragedy,
> was not the only factor. The boiler -- one of 15
> Heatmakers installed in the complex in 1993 --
> was equally culpable, they said.
>
> "The boiler
> was not operating at an efficient level in the
> way it fired," said Robert Patterson, regional
> manager for the Vermont Department of Labor and
> Industry in Williston. "It took both these
> elements to create this dangerous
> situation."
>
> A carbon monoxide reading taken in
> building No. 3 hours after the victims were taken
> from the building indicated a gas concentration
> of at least 1,000 parts per million -- at least
> 40 times the level normally given off by boilers
> in good condition, Patterson said. Since Sunday,
> technicians hired by Novarr have been working to
> replace most of the boilers at the complex with a
> different brand.
>
> Still, a pipe recall issued
> seven years ago should have been noted by
> whomever maintained or serviced the boilers,
> Patterson said.
>
> "If that pipe in there was
> under recall," Patterson said, "I would have
> thought there would have been somebody working on
> the system who should have been able to identify
> that."
>
> New England Air Systems has been
> servicing the complex's boilers since the
> mid-1990s, Novarr said. The company, whose
> technician worked on the boiler into the early
> morning hours of Sunday morning, has a
> "call-by-call" contract with Redstone to repair
> problems as they arise and does not do
> inspections, the company's owner, Stephen
> Bartlett, has said.
>
> Two messages left
> Wednesday for Bartlett were not immediately
> returned.
>
> Patterson said his office's
> investigation was limited to finding a cause for
> Sunday's poisoning. It will likely be up to other
> agencies, including the city of Burlington, or
> UVM police to review the complex's maintenance
> reports.
>
> The Burlington Code Enforcement
> Office inspected the apartment complex's boilers
> in August -- the city's first inspection of the
> units since they were installed in 1993. Eugene
> Bergman, interim code enforcement officer, said
> he was not aware of the pipe recall. Contact
> Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or
> jfahy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
0 -
backfire
Interesting, if indeed that there was evidence that led
the investigators to that conclusion, the question then
becomes; why didn't the rollout switch take the boiler
out.
After all that is the sole function of the FRS, what say
you gents?
Malfunction, jumpered out? Wouldn't want to jump to a
conclusion here, something sounds fishy to me.
Some of you guys who have talked to the media and are closer
to this might broach this with them.
Hopefully the "authorities having jurisdiction" will
confiscate the boiler as "forensic evidence".
Very sad...0 -
I'm disturbed
at least that what my wife says,,.. seriously though, I'm disturbed by some of the statements made by the people involved including the Inspector, Cursory Inspections??? Generalists???0 -
It sounds to me like
these units were in desperate need of maintenance, now even though the owner of the buildings didn't want to pay for it ,which he should go to jail for, NE Air should have demanded it or dropped the account, at least have it in writng that the units are indisrepair and need attention and get a response in writing...CYA0 -
also disturbed...
and mine says the same thing, as far as the "cursory" and
"generalist" statments go they get to have it both ways.
if they deign to enforce code they are the " authority
having juridiction", ( the almighty ) if something goes south then it's "cursory" and "generalist" ( your on your
own )
this is nothing more than a lame attempt at having things
both ways, i have never seen the laws of physics have any
respect for legal rhetoric.
regards,0 -
Well, I can almost assure you...
... that the statements made to date have been designed to CYA. It is obvious that NE Air doesn't have a paper trail, otherwise, they'd be quoting from it.
Similarly, the owner is trying to absolve himself, as does the local inspection department. If this wasn't a wake-up call to the town that its inspectors are unqualified to inspect heating systems, I don't know what is.0 -
It's downright hilarious
... how the first rule of government is that their authority is the one you have to follow... the second one is that if they henceforth lead you off a cliff that they aren't liable. It's wonderful to have things both ways, all made possible if the populace allows you to write the rules.0 -
heatmaker
I'm curious about this, can't find much on the web 'cept for parts and a cutaway view, worked on one years ago and that was enough for me. I think, if my memory serves the vent was metal?? Anybody got the sheet on these things???????0 -
the first rule...
> ... how the first rule of government is that
> their authority is the one you have to follow...
> the second one is that if they henceforth lead
> you off a cliff that they aren't liable. It's
> wonderful to have things both ways, all made
> possible if the populace allows you to write the
> rules.
0 -
the first rule...
of goverment is to create a "channel of corruption",
don't ask, don't tell, everybody's to blame, hence
nobody's to blame and my cronies are flush with the
taxpayer's dollars via bold initiatives on behalf of
the people.
avarice and venality have no political agenda except
those that serve them.
i hate to even wax political out of courtesy for the
site, yet this is where quite a number of these issues
start and end, yet i believe it's relevant to discuss
in a common sense way, the folks here are trying to do
what they can given their resources and connections.
i operate under different rules, i.e. 1910 process safety,
which has it's own wart's and flaws.
my opinion is that the interests of the public are best
served by the folks in the profession, being brutally
honest at the same time, "yeah it is about commerce"
and they'll charged for their service, okay, fair enough.
at the very least the customer gets a safe system and
the monies go to the "right pockets".
the profession needs to take the lead here in crafting
their own procedures, once goverment gets involved, well
we know the answer to that, eh?
common sense or nonsense?
regards,0 -
Yup
The public is ultimately at the mercy of those in the industry - as no amount of regulation, inspections, education, etc will ever completely solve the problem. Self-regulation of installers and service providers is the most effective means to this end. Getting the government involved will ultimately result in taking 1 step forward - 2 steps back, and the industry be blamed anyway.0 -
Can you send me a link for good co detectors. I'm a builder not a heating tech so I wouldnt know the diff just looking at them. I have heard that the cheap ones can give false readings or not work at all. Especially when they keep going off and the HO unplugs them.0 -
There are two CO detectors that I would buy
Both have been set up to be for sale to professionals only, with subsequent resale to end-consumers as part of a home inspection. However, at least one of them is now broadly available.
George Kerr has been advocating for better industry awareness for years. The COExperts.com website has lots of information regarding the futility of the current testing standards. You can order the COExperts unit from George at a pretty good discount, if you buy in bulk. If you just want a unit or two, try buying them for $100 at Aeromedix.
The National Comfort Institute has recently brought out their version of a similar, high-quality alarm. Pricing is unclear, they are currently out of units, and you have to be a pro to order them from NCI.
The NCI detector looks a bit nicer than the CO experts unit but the important factor is that either alarm will save you from CO poisoning.0 -
Review of findings
Just thought I would post this for those interested in the original event.
From the Burlington Free Press, Sunday May 08, 2005
Anatomy of an accident
By Geoffrey Gevalt
Free Press Staff Writer
Three times -- once in 2001 and twice in 2004 -- the company that serviced the heating systems at Redstone Apartments noted on invoices to building owners that the vent pipe on the boiler in Building 3 needed to be replaced, according to UVM police documents.
Workers for New England Air Systems of Williston made no mention on those invoices, however, that the pipe had been the subject of a nationwide recall and presented safety issues. And the safety issues were significant.
Since 1993 -- the year the Burlington apartments were built -- reports mounted in the U.S. and Canada that the pipes grew brittle, cracked and separated at connecting joints. Manufacturers quit making the pipe that year. In 1995, the province of Ontario banned the pipe and ordered all installations replaced.
In 1998, the U.S. government announced a voluntary recall of the pipe, saying it presented a "deadly" danger. Manufacturers were to notify contractors and pay for the cost of replacement.
The heating system in Building 3 had other flaws, according to engineers.
The boiler room didn't have enough air to allow efficient combustion, according to state engineers and a forensic engineer hired by UVM police. The forensic engineer also noted that condensation in the vent pipe was not draining properly and flowed back into the combustion chamber. And in April, another engineer concluded that the boiler's gas valve was incorrectly adjusted, according to several lawyers and a spokesman for Vermont Gas.
Any of those three problems can cause a boiler to misfire.
On Jan. 30, the boiler did misfire, causing the faulty vent pipe to dislodge from an elbow joint which sent the boiler's exhaust -- thick with carbon monoxide -- into the four apartments above, the forensic engineer concluded. One resident was killed. Two slipped into comas and were -- along with four other residents -- airlifted to hospitals in Montreal, Syracuse and Boston for special treatment. Four rescuers also were treated.
No one person or entity has been blamed for the tragedy. Attorneys for the many entities connected with the building, its maintenance and its construction are busily retracing who did what and who didn't do what, trying to determine why the boiler malfunctioned and who should be held responsible.
The Burlington Free Press conducted a lengthy examination of the accident and also learned:
The building's maintenance man -- who said he had done minor repairs on the boiler from time to time -- told police after the victims were removed that the boiler setup was "illegal."
City code enforcement inspectors -- who are self-described "generalists" -- examined the boiler in August but were not qualified to note that the heating system had problems or that the pipe had been recalled, according to Gene Bergman, a city attorney and former interim director of the department.
John Certuse, a Massachusetts forensic engineer hired by UVM police, concluded that if the accident leads anyone -- homeowner, landlord, inspector or service technician -- to take a second look at a heating system or to install carbon monoxide detectors "then some good will have come from this."
Since the accident:
The owners of the building replaced all the heating systems in all 11 of the Redstone Apartments buildings (except for Building 3, which was kept intact for investigative purposes). Some of the heating systems in the other buildings also had the recalled Plexvent vent pipes, according to Free Press observations at the time.
The University of Vermont quickly required carbon monoxide detectors installed in all dormitory rooms. The Burlington City Council is considering an ordinance that would require detectors in all residential and mixed-use buildings and require annual, third-party examinations that would ensure heating systems are operating within code. Gov. Jim Douglas is expected to sign into law Wednesday a bill that requires detectors in new residences and apartment buildings statewide.
Because Redstone Apartments is on land leased from the University of Vermont and is located next to the university, UVM police, led by Detective Tim Bilodeau, coordinated the investigation of the Jan. 30 accident. In his report, completed April 3, he wrote that "there is no indication of criminal negligence" leading to the tragedy. His report was sent to Chittenden County State's Attorney Robert Simpson, who, after review, chose not to pursue criminal charges.
The Burlington Free Press examined the police report and hundreds of supporting documents -- including letters, drawings, photographs, interview transcripts, service records and invoices, bids and service manuals -- that were made available through a Public Records Act request. Many of the documents were obtained by police through subpoenas.
UVM police interviewed residents and representatives of the building, witnesses, other residents of the complex, officials with the heating system service company and medical personnel. They assembled reports from all investigating officers, including those with Burlington Police Department. UVM police did not interview university administrators, who assumed the lead role of dealing with students who were evacuated from the other Redstone Apartments buildings.
The Free Press also conducted more than a dozen interviews.
The valve At the center of the heating system is a boiler that burns natural gas to heat water. The hot water moves through pipes to the baseboard system that radiates warmth in the four apartments in the three-story building. Exhaust from the burned gas vents through a pipe about 9 feet long, through the foundation to the outside.
On April 7 and 8 -- after the UVM police investigation -- the boiler in Building 3 was fired up and put through a number of tests. According to Philip C. Woodward, attorney for the building's owner, Prospect Venture L.P., all people with known liabilities and interests in the accident were invited to bring their own experts to observe the tests. Woodward declined to identify the engineer hired by Prospect Venture.
Woodward said the experts can and will interpret the data from the tests differently. He said the main point of consensus was that "the gas valve had been maladjusted."
That "appears to be an explanation for the high levels of carbon monoxide," he said, "and appears to cause backfiring." He said after the gas valve was adjusted properly during testing, carbon monoxide levels were reduced and there was "no backfiring."
Charles "Chip" Farrington, a spokesman for Vermont Gas, concurred with Woodward's account of the general conclusions of the testing.
Hours before the accident -- from about 12:30 to about 3 a.m. Jan. 30 -- New England Air Systems technician Justin Fleming worked on the boiler. He told police it was the first time he'd been to the apartment complex and wrote on the service invoice that morning that he "checked gas valve -- adjusted pressure."
He also wrote that he checked the igniter that had been replaced by the handyman, Mike Gosselin, and eventually replaced the control panel. When he left, he wrote "boiler is now working fine."
Pietro Lynn, attorney for New England Air Systems, concurred that from the April testing "they have concluded a valve was not properly adjusted." However, he added, "we do not believe New England Air had anything to do with the improper adjustment of the valve."
Lynn said "a number of things could have happened to that boiler" after Fleming left.
Boiler problems The heating system had several serious flaws and code violations that appeared to have existed for years, according to Certuse, director of engineering for Industrial Services & Engineering of Attleboro, Mass. Any one of these flaws can cause "delayed ignitions," he wrote, which "may" have occurred before. He concluded -- in his report and in telephone interviews -- that service technicians should have addressed these problems.
He also said the accident was fatal because of the faulty vent pipe.
Certuse examined the boiler Feb. 8 and did not have the benefit of the April 7 and 8 testing or the records obtained by UVM police. As a result he made an incorrect assumption in his report about the model of the boiler. He said the model number was hard to determine because the label was damaged and there were conflicting serial numbers. When told of the proper boiler model by a reporter, Certuse said he stood by his basic conclusions. "All of those conditions still apply."
His basic conclusions:
Insufficient air in the boiler room. Both Certuse and inspectors for the state Department of Labor and Industry said there was not enough air in the boiler room to allow for efficient combustion by the boiler and the water heater. Certuse wrote that the room needed vents to bring in more air. "This particular installation is odd in the sense that it does not conform to any described National Fuel Gas Code installations," he wrote.
Three engineers for the Department of Labor and Industry, which conducted a test on the boiler the night after the accident, came to the same conclusion: "There wasn't sufficient combustion air to ... allow both appliances to operate efficiently. ... Lack of sufficient combustion air can lead to improper operation of an appliance and increase CO (carbon monoxide) levels."
Condensation problems. Certuse said the vent pipe needed to be pitched and a drain attached near the boiler to allow water formed by condensation to drain properly. The pipe was horizontal, he wrote, and the drain was too far from the boiler.
Additionally, he wrote, the tubing that ran from the drain to a sump pump was crimped in two places. Also, one of the straps intended to hold up the pipe had come loose and was no longer supporting the pipe. Water collected in the pipe and seeped back into the boiler, he wrote, another cause of a delayed ignition. He said he found evidence the condition had existed for a while: There was corrosion in several places in the boiler.
Defective vent pipe. Certuse wrote that the vent pipe showed signs of failure: It had small cracks at its base -- with water streak marks -- and the elbow joint became separated from the pipe by the force of the "delayed ignition." According to police records, Burlington police detective Cpl. John Yustin found the exhaust pipe was "loosely fitted at all joints" during the initial investigation on Jan. 30.
The pipe
The pipe was installed in 1993 by Carlson Mechanical of Williston. At that time, the type of pipe that was installed -- the Plexco Plexvent pipe -- was recommended by the boiler's manufacturer, Trianco Heatmaker. The pipe was widely used in North America to vent exhaust from heating systems.
Paul Carlson, owner of Carlson Mechanical, told the Free Press he hired a representative of the manufacturer to help his firm install all the boilers at the apartment complex. He said the heating system was installed according to code and according to manufacturer's specifications.
That year, manufacturers discontinued the pipe. Problems with the pipe had been reported for several years. It seemed to grow more brittle over time and was prone to cracks and to separation of joints.
Also in 1993, the province of Ontario began issuing warnings to Canadian consumers and contractors of the problems with the pipe. In 1995, Ontario became the first jurisdiction to ban the pipes; it also required all home and apartment owners to replace the pipes within nine months.
In 1998, saying the pipe was "a deadly threat to consumers," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced, with the backing of the furnace and boiler industry and 27 manufacturers, that 3-inch Plexco Plexvent or Ultravent pipe was the subject of a voluntary recall. As part of that recall, manufacturers agreed to agreed to pay to replace the pipe and to notify contractors. Trianco Heatmaker, the manufacturer of the boilers in Building 3 and the rest of the Redstone Apartments, was one of the 27 and agreed to inform contractors.
Vermont Gas confirmed that in the spring of 1998 its technicians began informing customers who had service contracts that the pipes were recalled and needed to be replaced.
In 1999, Vermont Gas notified customers in its June/July newsletter that the Plexco pipe should be replaced: "Under certain circumstances the plastic vent may separate or crack resulting in the release of carbon monoxide." Redstone Apartments was and is a Vermont Gas customer.
New England Air was the company that serviced Redstone Apartments. An examination of the service records supplied to UVM police shows:
Sept. 18, 2001: A New England Air Systems technician who performed the annual preventive maintenance inspection of the boilers at the complex wrote in a work order signed by a Redstone assistant manager that "BLD #3 boiler has Plexco flue pipe -- needs to be replaced."
Feb. 16, 2004: The same New England Air technician, on a check of the boiler, wrote on the bottom, "boiler bld #3 has 'Plexco' flue pipe for boiler -- needs to be replaced."
March 15, 2004: In a printed report to the building manager, a New England Air representative wrote that "New England Air Systems, Inc. recently completed an inspection of your heating systems at the eleven Redstone Apartment buildings. We have already addressed the immediate concerns and below is a list of repairs that need to be made." Among them: "Building #3 -- Boiler exhaust duct needs to be replaced."
Woodward, attorney for Redstone's owner, Prospect Venture, said the records "make no reference to a recall ... and no mention of any safety issue."
On two occasions -- 2000 and 2004 -- New England Air, referring to requests from Redstone's owner, submitted bids for replacing all the boilers in the system. Last fall, Prospect Venture began to replace some of the boilers. The boiler in Building 3 was not slated for replacement. Woodward said the replacement program was "for maintenance reasons," not "for safety reasons."
John Novarr of Ithaca, N.Y., principal of Prospect Venture, said in an interview with the Free Press on Feb. 2, that "I've never received notice in all these years that there were health and safety issues related to boilers or vent pipes." Calls to Novarr for further comment were referred to Burlington attorney Bradley Stetler, who declined comment.
Lynn, the attorney for New England Air, declined to comment on his client's specific actions or "the specifics of the case." He added, however, "We did not in any way act improperly. We acted professionally."
No longer legal Gosselin told police he no longer works as a handyman for the Redstone Apartments. He told police on the day of the fatal incident that the boiler was "illegal." Requests for comment were left by telephone with Gosselin and with his attorney.
Burlington Police Officer Michael Barron wrote in his report that he spoke with Gosselin at the hospital the afternoon of the accident. "Gosselin advised that the boiler system is old and outdated. He described the system as 'illegal' and then explained that the system was grandfathered into today's standards, but would not be up to code if newly installed."
In an interview recorded Feb. 24, Gosselin told UVM Detective Bilodeau he took a course on heating systems in 2003. "The reason I wanted to take it," he told police, "was even for my own safety. I'm like, 'Boy, with all the problems we've had I really like to know what's going on down there.'"
An examination of the service records from 1996 until Jan. 29, 2005, indicates at least 25 service calls to Building 3 -- in addition to annual maintenance inspections and repairs -- mostly for "no hot water" and "no heat" complaints. Some of the repairs cost more than $1,200 each, and records indicate that the water heater had been replaced twice. According to Certuse, water heaters are more prone to corrosion when there is insufficient air for combustion.
During the heating systems course, Gosselin told police, he was told that "this pipe was no longer legal to install, and they mentioned that if contractors in the class see it rolling around in their vans, don't put it in because you would be held liable."
Gosselin told police he raised his hand and told the instructor, "I recognize that pipe. ... I knew we had it so I asked, you know, why it would be in our basement."
The instructor told him the pipe had been "grandfathered in" and "as long as you didn't upgrade the boiler or replace your boiler that it did not need to be replaced." Gosselin went on to tell police that "I don't remember learning about what the issues were with that pipe. ... I do know that they didn't ever recommend or mention a recall."
The instructor was an employee of Vermont Gas who was teaching the course on the side at Essex Technical School, according to Vermont Gas spokesman Farrington. When contacted, the Vermont Gas employee said he was advised by the company not to comment.
Gosselin told police he mentioned the pipe issue "vaguely to an office manager at that time as a point of interest. ... I didn't mention bringing it right to the owner's attention because I didn't think it was, you know, anything that serious."0 -
Very sad! A lot of issues and
now the lawyers will have their day!
IMO, it looks like the contractor did their job and was ignored. What difference does the recall make? If the customer is told that the pipe needs to be replaced, what difference does the reason for the replacement make? It's bad, yank it!
IMO again, however the contractor should have walked when he was ignored. Customers pay the bills, but who wants legal bills?
Finally, there's the statement by 'the instructor'. If you know it, teach it. If not, go take a course yourself. I'll bet you he gets sued too, I betcha!
Free advice is just that, worth what you pay for it. But, when you teach and people pay for it it may(?) make you guilty of 'culpable negligence'. Go look that one up, FACT!
www.firedragonent.com0 -
And what about
the "maladjusted gas valve"?
Those of us who have been on the Wall a while will remember a spate of over-gassed boilers we found. We all know by now that a flame too big for the firing zone will impinge on something, chilling the flame and causing high CO in the flue.
As others have posted, it sounds like someone didn't check to see if there was CO in the flue. The article doesn't mention specifics but notes "high levels of CO". I wonder.... if the PlexVent failed and the flue gas had the low CO we Wallsters strive for, would that guy have lived?
If you don't test.............
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Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting0 -
Exact;y right Steamhead!!
If the "technician" doing the repair work on the boiler had used a combustion analyzer to check the flue gases and act accordingly, that death might have been avoided.
It's as simple, and sad as that.0 -
I would love more
I agree completely on the issue of testing. You can never test enuogh. But then again this is one of the reason's I so love my "red tags"...I have no problem with pulling the plug and shutting it down.0 -
You are 100% correct
Making a "note" on an invoice about a dangerous situation does NOT absolve anyone of liability. A judge will look at you and ask why a paid professional allowed the equipment to operate knowing the potential for disaster.
If these techs knew about the Plex-vent recall they could be in for some big trouble.
Never ever leave a system operating when you know it is not safe. Shut it down, call the fuel supplier or utility and document everything.
I would be willing to bet a lot of money that none of these units had been tested. Drilling into Plex-vent is tricky and the stuff gets brittle over time. IF you see it on an appliance, shut the appliance down. The C.A.P (Corrective Action Program) is still in operaqtion and will send you the pieces of new vent material to replace the Plex-vent.
Mark H
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