O.T. -- A re-post of something I posted on the other board. Please read.

[Panther Parrothead]

Note: I posted this on the other board yesterday, and I apologize for not posting it sooner on here, too. Those of you who use that board may have seen it. For those of you who haven't, please accept this as a lesson that I learned, and a reminder for everyone else:

Yesterday, as I was in my furnace room, I noticed a vague smell that I thought wasn't normal. Fearing the worst (I'm a natural worrier), I called the gas company and explained the situation. I was almost apologetic, telling them that it was "probably nothing", but I'd like to be assured anyway.

*The gas company rep was here in 15 minutes.* The guy used a meter on the hot water tank and furnace and showed me the results: dangerous amounts of CO coming from the furnace. He immediately red-tagged the furnace and turned it off. So I'm sitting here waiting for the "furnace guys" to show-up and fix the problem.

My furnace is only 6-years old. I had a CO monitor in the furnace room, but it didn't trigger an alarm. (I suspect that my CO monitor has gotten too old and it will be replaced.)
I'm posting this as a warning to please keep your gas heating devices - furnaces and hot water tanks - in good working order and examined annually. To be extra-safe, have professionals do the work. And above all, keep your monitors "young" and in good working order.

It looks like we dodged a bullet, and an invisible bullet at that.

Addendum: the problem has been fixed, and I purchased two new CO Detectors, too. Please check to see how old your smoke & CO detectors are, since their effectiveness only lasts for a certain number of years before they become useless - as mine did.

 

[MajorMajors]

Note: I posted this on the other board yesterday, and I apologize for not posting it sooner on here, too. Those of you who use that board may have seen it. For those of you who haven't, please accept this as a lesson that I learned, and a reminder for everyone else:

Yesterday, as I was in my furnace room, I noticed a vague smell that I thought wasn't normal. Fearing the worst (I'm a natural worrier), I called the gas company and explained the situation. I was almost apologetic, telling them that it was "probably nothing", but I'd like to be assured anyway.

*The gas company rep was here in 15 minutes.* The guy used a meter on the hot water tank and furnace and showed me the results: dangerous amounts of CO coming from the furnace. He immediately red-tagged the furnace and turned it off. So I'm sitting here waiting for the "furnace guys" to show-up and fix the problem.

My furnace is only 6-years old. I had a CO monitor in the furnace room, but it didn't trigger an alarm. (I suspect that my CO monitor has gotten too old and it will be replaced.)
I'm posting this as a warning to please keep your gas heating devices - furnaces and hot water tanks - in good working order and examined annually. To be extra-safe, have professionals do the work. And above all, keep your monitors "young" and in good working order.

It looks like we dodged a bullet, and an invisible bullet at that.

Addendum: the problem has been fixed, and I purchased two new CO Detectors, too. Pleas check to see how old your smoke & CO detectors are, since their effectiveness only lasts for a certain number of years before they become useless - as mine did.

Parrothead - glad to hear everything is OK. Good instincts by you.

Go Pitt.

 

[ricflair4LIFE]

Parrothead - glad to hear everything is OK. Good instincts by you.

Go Pitt.

Good to hear all is well.

 

[NTOP]

Note: I posted this on the other board yesterday, and I apologize for not posting it sooner on here, too. Those of you who use that board may have seen it. For those of you who haven't, please accept this as a lesson that I learned, and a reminder for everyone else:

Yesterday, as I was in my furnace room, I noticed a vague smell that I thought wasn't normal. Fearing the worst (I'm a natural worrier), I called the gas company and explained the situation. I was almost apologetic, telling them that it was "probably nothing", but I'd like to be assured anyway.

*The gas company rep was here in 15 minutes.* The guy used a meter on the hot water tank and furnace and showed me the results: dangerous amounts of CO coming from the furnace. He immediately red-tagged the furnace and turned it off. So I'm sitting here waiting for the "furnace guys" to show-up and fix the problem.

My furnace is only 6-years old. I had a CO monitor in the furnace room, but it didn't trigger an alarm. (I suspect that my CO monitor has gotten too old and it will be replaced.)
I'm posting this as a warning to please keep your gas heating devices - furnaces and hot water tanks - in good working order and examined annually. To be extra-safe, have professionals do the work. And above all, keep your monitors "young" and in good working order.

It looks like we dodged a bullet, and an invisible bullet at that.

Addendum: the problem has been fixed, and I purchased two new CO Detectors, too. Please check to see how old your smoke & CO detectors are, since their effectiveness only lasts for a certain number of years before they become useless - as mine did.

Thanks.....and glad all is OK.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

This stuff is no joke and for whatever reason doesn't get as much attention as smoke alarms.

But I'm curious what you smelled as its odorless which is obviously why it's so dangerous.

My girlfriend had a problem at her house (where I spent the majority of my time). The flue was almost completely blocked but thankfully it was a pretty large dead bird so it stunk which is what caused her to look into it. However if she'd have not pursued it it's possible someone would have gone to bed one night and not woke up.

At the time I did my own PSAs among my friends so I know exactly where you're coming from.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

This stuff is no joke and for whatever reason doesn't get as much attention as smoke alarms.

But I'm curious what you smelled as its odorless which is obviously why it's so dangerous.

My girlfriend had a problem at her house (where I spent the majority of my time). The flue was almost completely blocked but thankfully it was a pretty large dead bird so it stunk which is what caused her to look into it. However if she'd have not pursued it it's possible someone would have gone to bed one night and not woke up.

At the time I did my own PSAs among my friends so I know exactly where you're coming from.

The only way that I can explain the odor is that there must've been a trace amount of natural gas that was mixed-in with the CO. The missus never smelled it, but the guy from the gas company smelled it immediately as he approached the furnace - so (with his "educated nose") he knew that something was wrong.

One other thing: once I called the gas company and described what I called a "possible problem", those people weren't leaving anything to chance: they were coming to check things out. They had already dispatched their worker to our house while I was still on the phone with their customer representative. My compliments to Columbia Gas for their prompt response.

 

[USN_Panther]

The only way that I can explain the odor is that there must've been a trace amount of natural gas that was mixed-in with the CO. The missus never smelled it, but the guy from the gas company smelled it immediately as he approached the furnace - so (with his "educated nose") he knew that something was wrong.

One other thing: once I called the gas company and described what I called a "possible problem", those people weren't leaving anything to chance: they were coming to check things out. They had already dispatched their worker to our house while I was still on the phone with their customer representative. My compliments to Columbia Gas for their prompt response.

Parrothead, you should write this up as a letter to the editor for the newspapers. This message could save someone's life.

 

[COengr]

Note: I posted this on the other board yesterday, and I apologize for not posting it sooner on here, too. Those of you who use that board may have seen it. For those of you who haven't, please accept this as a lesson that I learned, and a reminder for everyone else:

Yesterday, as I was in my furnace room, I noticed a vague smell that I thought wasn't normal. Fearing the worst (I'm a natural worrier), I called the gas company and explained the situation. I was almost apologetic, telling them that it was "probably nothing", but I'd like to be assured anyway.

*The gas company rep was here in 15 minutes.* The guy used a meter on the hot water tank and furnace and showed me the results: dangerous amounts of CO coming from the furnace. He immediately red-tagged the furnace and turned it off. So I'm sitting here waiting for the "furnace guys" to show-up and fix the problem.

My furnace is only 6-years old. I had a CO monitor in the furnace room, but it didn't trigger an alarm. (I suspect that my CO monitor has gotten too old and it will be replaced.)
I'm posting this as a warning to please keep your gas heating devices - furnaces and hot water tanks - in good working order and examined annually. To be extra-safe, have professionals do the work. And above all, keep your monitors "young" and in good working order.

It looks like we dodged a bullet, and an invisible bullet at that.

Addendum: the problem has been fixed, and I purchased two new CO Detectors, too. Please check to see how old your smoke & CO detectors are, since their effectiveness only lasts for a certain number of years before they become useless - as mine did.

CO is odorless! Mercaptan is added to natural gas to make it detectable by smell! You were lucky!

CO

 

[Pitt-Chains]

Note: I posted this on the other board yesterday, and I apologize for not posting it sooner on here, too. Those of you who use that board may have seen it. For those of you who haven't, please accept this as a lesson that I learned, and a reminder for everyone else:

Yesterday, as I was in my furnace room, I noticed a vague smell that I thought wasn't normal. Fearing the worst (I'm a natural worrier), I called the gas company and explained the situation. I was almost apologetic, telling them that it was "probably nothing", but I'd like to be assured anyway.

*The gas company rep was here in 15 minutes.* The guy used a meter on the hot water tank and furnace and showed me the results: dangerous amounts of CO coming from the furnace. He immediately red-tagged the furnace and turned it off. So I'm sitting here waiting for the "furnace guys" to show-up and fix the problem.

My furnace is only 6-years old. I had a CO monitor in the furnace room, but it didn't trigger an alarm. (I suspect that my CO monitor has gotten too old and it will be replaced.)
I'm posting this as a warning to please keep your gas heating devices - furnaces and hot water tanks - in good working order and examined annually. To be extra-safe, have professionals do the work. And above all, keep your monitors "young" and in good working order.

It looks like we dodged a bullet, and an invisible bullet at that.

Addendum: the problem has been fixed, and I purchased two new CO Detectors, too. Please check to see how old your smoke & CO detectors are, since their effectiveness only lasts for a certain number of years before they become useless - as mine did.

Thanks Parrot, glad everything worked out !

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Thanks Parrot, glad everything worked out !

Had same problem last year. CO monitor in basement didn't alarm. A more sensitive CO monitor in 2nd floor bedroom alarmed. Furnace service people had to air out house for 2 hours before they could safely work on the furnace.