At 4am on Thanksgiving morning, I was awakened by a very loud "Alert: Carbon Monoxide..." As I tried to get to the hallway to shut off the alarm, I quickly realized how shaky and nauseated I was. I headed downstairs for my cell phone to call PSE&G. It took them about an hour to get to me. Thank God the townhouse wasn't on fire!
When the serviceman tested the air, he said "We need to get windows and doors open, and you need to go outside." He said the levels of carbon monoxide throughout the townhouse were "dangerously high. He also told me something I want to share with everyone who reads this. He said that most people don't bother having the exhaust chimney checked (the one that vents your furnace and hot water heater), but it should be done every three years. Then he turned off my furnace and hot water heater, and told me not to turn them back on until the problem had been fixed. It was Hurricane Sandy all over again.
Have you ever tried to get a hotel room at 5am on Thanksgiving? I finally got one, and called to leave a message for my heating and cooling guy to come and fix the problem. As you might imagine, no one works on Thanksgiving. But, they were able to come the following afternoon. They determined the chimney had, indeed, collapsed and the carbon monixide was forced inside instead of out. They said I was lucky to get out.
It made me think about many of my clients --- especially those who have been in their homes for more than 20 years --- who have smoke detectors, but not carbons. When I express concern, they simply say, "It's never been a problem." I explain that carbon monixide is oderless and tasteless, and that only their survivors will know when it's a problem. Then I buy them the detectors.
We all need to be more diligent about this not just for our own homes, but those of our family, friends, colleagues and clients --- and anyone else we might be talking to.
I'm old enough to remember Vitas Gerulatis, the famous tennis player. He stayed at a friend's cottage, in the Hamptons, and was found dead from carbon monixide poisoning leaking from a faulty heater. His death saved countless people when a law was passed requiring carbon monoxide detectors be installed outside of all sleeping areas.
Having a tough time deciding on Christmas gifts? How about carbon monixide detectors for those you care about?
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