Carbon Monoxide came from where?

Unknown

A three family house (three floors). The first floor heating system is a designed forced hot water oil system. The second and third floors use gas space heating. The space heating is comprised of a gas on gas (kitchen heater) on second and third floor. Also included on both 2nd and 3rd is a console heater (space heater) which are gas.

A lined masonry chimney is used to vent all equipment.

A partial collapse of the chimney at roof level would allow the 2nd and 3rd floor venting systems to operate with no combustion problems (maximum CO at any time with all four running was 95 PPM in the chimney). The problem was when all the gas was running at high fire (space heaters cut to low fire when room temperature is reached)and the oil burner came on the damaged chimney could not handle all the flue products and caused spillage from the draft hoods of the gas equipment into the living spaces. Levels measured by fire dept personnel in the second and third floor areas was 200 to 300 PPM all the way up to 500 PPM at times.

What is the conclusion, well the gas company was called to this house three times by the remodeling contractor and tested with all the gas equipment running but did not bring the oil boiler on during any of the tests. WE MUST TEST EVERYTHING OR WE ARE NOT REALLY TESTING.

Fortunately the second and third floor apartments were not occupied as they are being remodeled.

The chimney is being repaired and once the remodeling is done all the gas space heating will have been eliminated and three new boilers will have been installed.

What prompted the concern was the workers on second and third floor kept leaving work because they did not feel good. When I talked to them they thought they had the flue, interesting when they got home and rested the sysmptoms went away.

I recommend a CO detector be in place at all construction sites especially when construction type heaters are used. The contactor just went out this AM and purchased four detectors.

Gene_3

interesting

I had a call once for fumes, 2nd flr apt called in a 2 story farm house, 2 apts, one on each floor, 1 boiler serving both.

I checked the boiler out completely, all tests were negative for fumes or anything. The chimney had a cap so I could only see so far with my mirror but draft was good and steady. I was going to leave when I decided to check with the 2nd fl tenants.

The wife let me in and upon entry I could smell exhaust fumes and noticed a wood stove, from below I knew this was a single flue chimney.Hmmmm???

I asked her about it and she said her hubby put it in that fall, so I pulled down the pipe, SOLID CREOSOTE FROM THERE UP, WHENEVER THE BOILER RAN IT VENTED OUT THE WOODSTOVE, SWWWWEEEEEET.

So I called the local building inspecter and Fire Chief so they could enjoy this vision of stupidity with me.

We shut them down until the chimney was repaired and inspected.

I was glad I went up there.

agreed WE MUST CHECK AND TEST EVERYTHING WE CAN THINK OF

C. Y. A.

Mitch_4

CYA

Not jsut cover...Armor plate it!! You can't just look at the 1 thing. Its all part of a system, everything inthe structure, including infiltration...just did one on a boiler, last guy tested,, beatiful results on an oil unit installed in a closet....then he closed the door and left.

please note I said door, not louvered door. All the testing results went right out the window.

problem was it sooted up every 5 weeks, so she wanted a new opinion,

Glad to hear you caught that one and no one died.
Mitch

Unknown

Just got a call

this AM from the chimney guy, the entire chimney is condemned due to internal damage. He is recommending an alternative venting solution for this house.

Gene_3

well

hopefully the painters aren't done yet, hehe