Fort Dodge, IA – A Fort Dodge property inspector is being credited with helping to save the lives of a couple after he detected a carbon monoxide leak while inspecting the property they were renting.
Shawn George, the city’s rental and nuisance inspector, said the inspection he was conducting on Jan. 13 was a routine one.
Rental properties are inspected once every three years, and it was this particular property’s time in the rotation.
While at the property, George said he noticed there was an odd smell in the basement.
He tried to find the source and noticed that there were holes in the water heater’s vent pipe.
It wasn’t a huge hole, but little rusty holes in there, he said. That’s what we started off thinking where the problem was.
But as the inspection continued, George said he began to suspect the source of the smell was the furnace.
We could watch the flames come out the cover of the furnace when it’d ignite, and then the smell got stronger when it came on, George said. We got to doing a little more investigating on it.
George said that’s when he went to grab his carbon monoxide meter to see if there was any of the lethal gas present.
You can’t smell carbon monoxide, but when there’s gas burning you can smell that, he said.
When George brought the meter into the home, it registered at 499 parts per million.
I called the Fire Department there just so they could bring theirs and we can make sure mine wasn’t having issues, he said.
The Fort Dodge Fire Department’s meters registered between 350 to 360 ppm.
George said the meters start going off at 35 ppm, and homes should not have any carbon monoxide in them.
The couple who rented the property got out safely and suffered no injuries.
But in talking to the couple, George said he learned something about the woman who lived there.
The husband was actually telling us that she’s been having headaches for the last month, George said. Her recliner is right next to one of the heat vents coming out of the wall.
Headaches are one of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to George.
The couple was told to stay outside for a bit to get fresh air into their lungs.
It was later discovered that the chimney was blocked, stopping the flues from the water heater and furnace.
From there, George said MidAmerican Energy was contacted to shut off the gas. Over the next few days, a new water heater was installed, as well as a new furnace that doesn’t vent through the chimney.
Mayor Matt Bemrich commended George for his efforts.
I just have to applaud Shawn for putting in that extra effort in getting that tester out, Bemrich said.
George trusted his instinct in that situation, Bemrich said.
It was one of those instances where he got a feeling he should check it out and he did. And it was a very large leak in that home.
If George hadn’t detected the leak, Bemrich said the consequences for the couple who lived there could have been disastrous.
They could have very well went to bed and never knew a leak was there, he said. And we all know what horrible things can happen if you go to bed and not know about a leak.
George said he recommends that everyone gets a carbon monoxide detector in their homes, whether they own it or rent it because carbon monoxide can lethal.
If you’ve got an attached garage and leave your vehicle running in the garage, you can get carbon monoxide in your house, he said. You can get carbon monoxide from stoves, dryers, furnace, water heaters. Anything that burns fossil fuels.
George added the city doesn’t require carbon monoxide detectors in rental properties, but the inspections department is looking into making it a requirement.
It’s a pretty common deal that could very easily end up in a life or death situation, he said.