Why wait for the alarm or injury?

More and more buildings have inexpensive CO detectors in them that sound off and source investigations are increasing.  Training and proper use of test equipment are helping to improve the quality of those investigations and can help reduce the number of alarms. 

If proper testing is performed routinely, the opportunities for detecting problems before they become emergencies or alarm calls increase.

Service personnel from emergency responders, home & building inspectors, HVAC installers & estimators and others should use consistent diagnostic procedures when entering a building.  The use of a checklist helps ensure our consistency.   Most importantly, all of our checklists should have a recognizable standard, code or some other obvious or recognizable gradient of consistency that helps identify our level of participation in this public safety effort.

It is vital; therefore, that we know the CO and code standards for each and every community we work in because they may be somewhat different for each.  If standards or codes do not exist in some areas, the liability rules of reasonable work practices applies.  Remember that the consumer may have limited knowledge or understanding of these codes or standards.

We measure CO outside before we enter and, upon entering, determine if there is too much CO and perhaps where it is coming from.  We may even fix the problem by utilizing the help of combustion gas analyzers for CO and efficiency.  At minimum, we make the proper referral.  Additionally, we must have an understanding of carbon monoxide dynamics and ‘how much is too much?

Bacharach often speaks with local Authorities of Jurisdiction, fuel suppliers, professional associations and others in attempts to establish reasonable standards for testing consistency.  This program continues that effort.

The most valuable resources for code adherence with combustion systems are: manufacturers of systems, state, municipal or county or provincial mechanical inspectors, utility companies that are involved in the inspections and fire-up process, workplace regulators, air quality regulators or fire departments.

Always consult with the Authority Having Jurisdiction about:  

q       How much carbon monoxide is too much in homes and what are your responsibilities for testing for it, reporting it, fixing it, and/or notifying the consumer, landlord or other responsible party.

q       How much carbon monoxide is allowed to be produced in flue gas by:   furnaces, water heaters, ovens, gas or wood fireplaces, clothes dryers, unvented heaters, space heaters,   others.

q       What are the approved methods for sealing test holes in vented systems?

q       Are there any local codes for the work place in reference to CO concentrations or confined space entry?

q       What are the licensing and continuing education requirements for my profession within this jurisdiction?  

Cooperation and consistency of test procedures can be beneficial to this effort.

Does your community employ the use of hazard or warning tags?  Do we understand reporting procedures for these issuances?  How are these inspected or followed up on?  Does your community have a method of inspection for consumers who do their own work.  Does anybody monitor who is installing combustion equipment?

A reporting form or tag, with thorough follow-up, is a good way to help ensure problems are identified and have a reasonable method of repair and reinspection.  Problems associated with carbon monoxide may require reporting forms with greater detail and always require calibrated test instruments having sensitivity to carbon monoxide.

To measure CO, we’ve got to know how our test instruments work.  How often do we need to calibrate them?  How do they measure?  Do they have any cross sensitivity?  Do they auto zero or manually zero?  Which is better for my application?

We enter buildings in our business and service for many reasons besides in response to CO alarms. We may be missing opportunities beginning the moment we enter.  Continuous measurement during every service visit may reveal conditions in the building, about the building that warrant further testing methods, including breath analysis for CO and data logging for CO, CO2 or other measurable tests.   

We may even find out upon entering a building or a room in the building that the air is not safe or legal for us to be in.  If we don’t test and measure, we won’t know.

Let’s stop and look at this preventative approach to carbon monoxide from a community perspective.  Examined this way, there is a small army of professionals taking and measuring vital air quality samples and making safety referrals that are based upon local codes and reasonable practice standards. 

In any one community, how many people from the HVAC industry are in how many buildings everyday?   How many estimators, installers, service technicians and sales people from how many companies have opportunities for measurement but don’t measure?   For many, measurements taken may also result in additional work.  For everyone it is the opportunity to randomly save a life or to affect the poor health condition of some consumer in your community.  We may even learn a little bit more about carbon monoxide.

Everyday, how many homes are being entered by how many home, building or mechanical inspectors.  How many public & private sector energy & weatherization program personnel are entering how many buildings everyday? 

How many buildings do fire department, emergency responders, gas utility or other representatives get into daily, weekly, monthly? How many boiler rooms are entered everyday? How many crawl spaces or attics with combustion systems in them are being entered everyday? 

It is easy to see then, we represent a very significant number of consumers.  It is our duty to alert or warn and inform them to hazards and to encourage safety and use of recommended procedures for service and repair of combustion systems.  Is it dutiful then, to recommend CO detector alarms and regular, consistent service?

Consistent service means measurement and documentation of measurement.  Old rules of thumb have given way to precision.  Professionalism succeeds guesswork.

There are many examples of reporting forms.  Many have similarities in the initial steps of source investigation.  As we explore more of the carbon monoxide phenomenon, our role in this effort becomes clearer.

 
A simple overview of what carbon monoxide is and how is it formed.

Certain requirements must be met for combustion to occur.  The quality of combustion is dependent upon and rated against the quality of the fuel and its potential to burn completely under ideal or perfect conditions.

Fuel that has the potential to burn, like carbon fuels (C), must be surrounded by air or oxygen (O2) but not flooded with oxygen.  Ignition or flash point heat must be enacted and maintained.  Fuel, air and heat must all be present or combustion will not occur.  In controlled combustion systems, fuel is forced into a combustion zone with limited time constraints because more fuel is being forced into the zone.

TIME TEMPERATURE TURBULENCE

Combustion is a very violent action.  Turbulence that is controlled helps ensure a complete burning of the fuel and the maintenance of flame temperature. 

As an example, if the flame temperature is cooled and the turbulence is affected, all the fuel may not have the time to burn because it is being forced out of the system by the force of fuel entering. This fragile window of time that fuel has to burn has now been flooded with fuel that spills where it can or it follows the strongest drawing forces, perhaps out of and below the ignition temperature zone.

The following diagrams of gas burners help illustrate how carbon monoxide is formed in some very basic and easy to see ways.  It must be remembered that all gas burners are designed to work with controlled fuel mechanisms and in environments that supply sufficient air and oxygen to the fuel at combustion.  These burners are designed to burn all the fuel.

The ignition temperature of natural gas is between 1100 and 1200°f and the flame temperature is around 3,000°f.  The burner with nothing on it has conditions that allow for the complete burning of the fuel and no CO is produced.  When a cold pan of water is set over that flame, a dramatic cooling of the flame occurs and the violent turbulence pushes or spills the partially fuel out of the flame before it could fully burn and CO is produced.

As the pan surface heats up and the water begins to boil, CO generation may cease due to increased heat. (It is recommended that every gas range top burner be tested this way in front of the consumer to help educate them about intermittent carbon monoxide production.)  Additionally, it could also be demonstrated that a cooler flame also results in a longer time period for the water to boil.  This may be a fraction of fuel savings, but savings none-the-less and obviously less CO generation and dispersion into their living space.

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