High carbon monoxide levels in my fish house solved.

I just wanted to post my findings for all to see as a reminder of how easy it can happen to anyone.

I have been working on completing by wheel house build for multiple years. (don’t ask, thats a whole can of worms I don’t want to open) My family and I have been using it for the last 2 winters as it has been under construction and just short on the fit and finish and some creature comforts. I have been fairly religious about using a CO/gas detector even though I have a forced air, outside venting furnace. I had never had the detector show a trace of CO or gas until I began heating it last Saturday to work in the shack in comfort and help my wood finishes dry.

After a few hours I noticed the CO counter was not on 0 and around 34 or so. I was curious if the stain fumes were possibly to blame for the elevated levels but really did not believe that theory too much. I came out the next morning to continue working and the beeper was going off, so the levels had gotten even higher over night. I aired the house out for just a couple minutes and the levels dropped back to 0. Well, they slowly rose back to the 30’s through the day.

To shorten up the story, I ran a few tests early in the week and kept getting high levels in the end, faster if I ran the temp setting on the thermostat higher. About the only thing I could think of was the heat exchanger must be cracked. Contacted the MFGR and I was just past my 2 year warranty so any cost would be on my end. I found a service center close by to take it to and was set to drop it off that evening. Being the “Mr.Fix it myself” I am I spoke with a few friends and one suggested a smoke test to check for leaks in the chamber, great idea.

Well, to have a visual on the whole chamber the unit would have to be taken apart. I himmed and hawed about it and decided that Id rather take a stab at it myself than pay someone to do What I can, if anything I could pay someone to put it back together…(we know how that goes, more expensive)

What I ended up finding was about 200 Asian beetles in various stages of cremation inside my burner tube. Those worthless POS’. However, if I had put the vent screen on the intake/exhaust that I had not gotten around to yet none of this would have happened.

So who is to blame, well myself of course for not doing what I should have when I installed the heater. And it would also have been my fault had my family died from CO. Please, use a CO/gas detector, save yourself some hassle and maybe even your life and put a screen on your heater vents.

I don’t have a wheel house but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

THANK YOU FOR THIS POST.

Mark….in enclosed areas with limited ventilation alcohol and petroleum spirits found in wood finishes can set those co alarms off too.

I finished a wood cabinet in the house because it was too cold in the garage and our co detectors went bonkers. I was informed about the paint fumes when I called the co manufacturer. I only had to air the rooms out to get the meters to go back to zero.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Mark….in enclosed areas with limited ventilation alcohol and petroleum spirits found in wood finishes can set those co alarms off too.

I finished a wood cabinet in the house because it was too cold in the garage and our co detectors went bonkers. I was informed about the paint fumes when I called the co manufacturer. I only had to air the rooms out to get the meters to go back to zero.

Good to know, as mentioned I had that idea but looked deeper into it. I guess that could have been the real issue but I guess I now have 2 variables in my equation. I guess I will never know the 100% truth then but atlas I found and issue I was experiencing I was unaware of.

I was using white mineral oil due to its lack of odor if that matters?

Thanks for the post Mark, not enough attention is given to this in my opinion.

Like you said maybe you’ll never know, but if your heat exchanger on a vented system is sealed how could you get CO in your house? Couldn’t you technically burn anything you wanted (inadvertently) in a vented heater? The affected air never enters the house correct? I always run a CO detector just to be safe but it doesn’t seem possible burning beetles could cause CO in your house?

I’m a very cautious person myself so I would like to hear what others think.

Either way I’m glad you got it fixed!

Excellent reminder and great post Mark!

Thanks for sharing that.

Joe Scegura wrote:

Thanks for the post Mark, not enough attention is given to this in my opinion.

Like you said maybe you’ll never know, but if your heat exchanger on a vented system is sealed how could you get CO in your house? Couldn’t you technically burn anything you wanted (inadvertently) in a vented heater? The affected air never enters the house correct? I always run a CO detector just to be safe but it doesn’t seem possible burning beetles could cause CO in your house?

I’m a very cautious person myself so I would like to hear what others think.

Either way I’m glad you got it fixed!

Great points Joe. It is sealed off. BUT my only thought is the “gasket” they use is a fiber material similar to a used lantern mantel or door gasket on a wood burning stove. It is a woven/fiber material and the fan actually forces air into the combustion chamber, the bugs “MAY” have blocked enough of the air to the flame and created a blockage and back pressure. Im not exactly certain there are a few scenarios and thats all I have to work with at this point. If you ever get a chance to dismantle a furnace perhaps it may help to make more sense of what “could” happen.

I can also see how the bugs packed around the burner tube could create a bad air/fuel mix but as you stated how is this bad mix not evacuated? So yes there are still questions from a scientific/technical standpoint, Im with you on that. Then there is also the idea that Tom S brought up about the oil fumes.

Multi variables, aren’t they great?

I have an rv addition and when I was winterizing the pipes with the rv antifreeze. It set my detector off.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

….in enclosed areas with limited ventilation alcohol and petroleum spirits found in wood finishes can set those co alarms off too.

Possibly varnishes and lacquers, if you used polyurethane you would be safe.

The Asian beetles are a PIA.

A caution about putting the screen on your exhaust. According to our furnace installers the screen can build up with ice in cold weather and plug the exhaust pipe and they recommended to NOT use it.

Huntindave wrote:

I don’t have a wheel house but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
THANK YOU FOR THIS POST.

X2…. good reminder.

I would make a shield for the intake exhaust for use during the off season. Once ice season hits, take it off, you will be well past bug season.

Wouldn’t a hinged flap work? Like you see on diesel trucks 18 wheelers?

Great info! Thanks for the post!
Reminds me of the time a spider made a house in the “pisser” of my outboard motor. It almost overheated my engine! Man, you just never know!