SPRINTER HEATING & HYDRONICS

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I had carbon monoxide poisoning because they did an improper installation. They are incompetent so people should not be using them at all. They didn’t complete the work and what they did do was poor. I did not have minor carbon monoxide poisoning I had moderate to severe poisoning in fact my family of four were affected. My lawyer convinced me that I would be better off not trying to sue and I wish I had sued them. The piping that they did for the boiler itself is reasonably good; all things considered it was adequate. Basically, I would not consider adequate workmanship. They used our tools, dropped things and broke them. They did not center radiators under windows. They do not understand the basics of heat encapsulations; I had to correct them.

The job went very well. The service guy showed up and worked quickly and professionally. He treated our house with respect and took measures to make sure nothing was damaged or ruined. He even wore shoe covers so he didn't track dirt and snow through our house.

On Sunday, 15 February, 2009, my husband, two children, and I experienced (symptoms included severe headache, nausea, racing pulse) moderate carbon monoxide poisoning due to an improper orifice in our Triangle Tube boiler. This unit has been converted to propane. Our installer, Sprinter Heating and Hydronics of Rigby, ID, continues to maintain that our observations and experiences that indicate a non-compliant installation are simply due to a temporary installation and that the carbon monoxide poisoning is our fault (as the homeowner) for not notifying them that we were moving in. Early-Jan, 2009. Called Sprinter that we were ready for installation of radiators. Mid-Jan, 2009. Sprinter installed radiators. However, due to a mis-count, they were short one. Early Feb, 2009. Sprinter returned additional radiator but dropped it on the way in, breaking a tile in the middle of the entry. We stated/they commented that we had moved into the house. I mentioned that the condensate drain trap had come off a couple of weeks earlier but I slipped back on. Jason commented that it should not have come off. 15 Feb, 2009. Husband and I began experiencing headaches and extremely rapid pulse rates. After removing our two children (who also had mild headaches and drowsiness) from the house and getting some fresh air for ourselves, we inspected the exterior exhaust vent. A stick pushed into the opening indicated no blockage, but substantial water and a small amount of slush. We re-entered the house, opened windows and doors, and inspected the boiler. The condensate drain trap had come off. We shut down the unit, closed up the house, and left to stay in a hotel for the night. Both my husband and I had severe headaches and nausea for several hours after vacating the house. There are no other combustion sources in the house, no attached garage, all materials had been installed long enough to not be off-gassing in noticeable amounts, my husband and I have worked with all potential off-gassing materials previously with no effects, there was no sewage odor anywhere in the house. We called Sprinter to let them know there was a problem and that we had experienced carbon monoxide poisoning. They were surprised that we had already moved into the house and said they would be out the next day to inspect the unit. 16 February, 2009. Justin Johnson, owner of Sprinter, stopped by to inspect the unit about 2:30pm. He reinstalled the condensate drain trap and taped it to prevent it coming off again. I called him to see what, if anything, he had found out. He stated that the orifice did not appear to be the correct one and that he would be getting a different one as soon as possible. He asked if we planned to use the boiler that night; I stated that we had no such intention until he had repaired it; he said it would be best not to use the furnace if we did not have too. 17 Feb, 2009. TM from PCo came about 9am at my request to perform an independent inspection. He began outside the house and worked his way to the boiler, checking possible failure points and monitoring for carbon monoxide. He found no leaks and no evidence of carbon monoxide until he removed the front cover of the boiler and started up the unit. He began getting positive carbon monoxide readings immediately, with the highest readings (330 ppm) coming from just inside the combustion air intake pipe. An inspection of the exterior vent opening revealed no obvious blockage. I called Sprinter to inform them of the findings. When Mr. Johnson returned my call, he stated that of course the readings were high—he had completely removed the orifice. While he had recommended that I not run the unit, there was nothing to indicate that it was not fit to operate—no lock-out/tag-out, no parts lying around. 18 Feb, 2009. Mr. Johnson came out to install the new orifice. While he apologized for not knowing we had moved into the house, he stated that the installation as it had been done was temporary only—a convenience for us once winter came so that work could continue on the inside of the house. He also stated that the building inspector should not have granted a certificate of occupancy. While none of the thermostats had been connected, and while the wall radiators are not hooked up, there was never anything to indicate that the boiler might be less-than-safe to operate; there was never anything said to indicate that living in the house could be unsafe. When I asked about the people who had been working in the house for the last four months, he indicated that that was not a problem—okay to work in, not okay to live in. It should be noted that, looking back, a couple of builders and I probably experienced some mild carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms at various times prior to obtaining a certificate of occupancy. At the time, we attributed them to age, being a little tired, not being active enough, etc. He stated that water in the exhaust vent pipe was to be expected since it is a condensing boiler. He did not shake the pipe to observe the amount of water trapped in the pipe. He stated that the slope of the exhaust and combustion air vent pipes did not matter because the unit was so efficient that the vents were not really necessary. 19 Feb, 2009. I asked TM to return and verify that the boiler unit was working properly. He found no excessive levels of carbon monoxide. 20 Feb, 2009. I called JK to ask about temporary installation procedures and information regarding the concentric vent. During that conversation, JK asked whether the installer had used cellular PVC or solid; at that time I thought it was solid—not having paid attention to the markings. JK also stated that there was no procedure for a temporary installation—that the installation manual was to be followed. 20 (?) Feb, 2009. I stopped by Building Inspector's office to relate this information to him and get his opinion. He had never heard of a temporary installation that would potentially endanger people working or living in the structure. He commented that he had never seen any notification on the boiler unit to indicate that the unit was not fully and safely functional. 27 Feb, 2009. Mr. Johnson responded to my e-mail of 13 February (which was prior to the carbon monoxide poisoning and our subsequent findings of improper installation but noted several other problems). He noted (correctly) that I had not paid the full amount on the most recent invoice and that no additional work would be done until I had paid that amount in full. He did not refer to any of the carbon monoxide-related issues. Installation discrepancies per installation manual 1. “The vent and combustion air materials (pipe, fittings, and cement) must meet the listed requirements in this manual…PVC Schedule 40 – ANSI/ASTM D1785….” and “Do not use cellular core pipe for vent piping.” PVC & CPVC Vent Supplement, p. 3. Actual vent and combustion air pipes are clearly marked “IPS PVC SCH 40 COEX CELLULAR CORE PVC-DWV PIPE ASTM F-981-07.” 2. “Inspect the joint to ensure a smooth bead of cement is noticed around the entire joint seam.” Concentric Vent/Air Supplement, p. 11. There does not appear to be any solvent cement around most of the pipe joints. A few show some evidence of cement, but none has “a smooth bead”. 3. “The concentric vent/air termination assembly must be installed 12 inches above grade or projected snowline….” Concentric Vent/Air Supplement, p. 8. The concentric vent exits the house below grade. The dirt has been dug out around it. 4. “The installer should seal all exterior openings with an exterior silicon caulk.” Concentric Vent/Air Supplement, p. 9. There does not appear to be any caulk on either side of the wall penetration; rather, installers appear to have used expanding foam sealant. This might be because of the EPS foam block used to form the basement (where the penetration is) as silicone cannot be used on EPS. Regardless, there is a lot of squeaking as the pipe expands and contracts, and this foam is subject to UV degradation. 5. “Support the termination assembly at the wall penetration as shown in Fig. 4.” Concentric Vent/Air Supplement, p. 10. There is no support bracing on the concentric vent assembly. 6. “The hangers should be spaced at least every 5 feet of horizontal or vertical run of piping.” Several runs exceed this—run shown in photo is the worst—7 feet between supports. 7. “The vent and combustion air piping should be sloped continuously from the termination back to the boiler with at least 1/4 inch drop per foot of run. Do not allow any sags in the run of piping.” Concentric Vent/Air Supplement, p. 13. 8. Combustion air pipe has a noticeable upward bend at one joint. 9. There is standing water in the vent pipe, enough to make the vent pipe noticeably heavier than the combustion air pipe and enough to slosh when the pipe is shaken. Tom Davis, a Teton County building inspector, estimates up to 1-1/2” of water. 10. “Installer must install the factory supplied ‘bird screens’….” PVC & CPVC Vent Supplement, p. 15. No bird screen observed. 11. Installer has stated that the unit burns so cleanly that it can be vented to the interior. While I understand that the combustion air (intake air) may come from the inside of the house, I do not see anything that allows exhaust to be vented to the house. I am concerned that the installer might be confused on this issue, which could be catastrophic for some homeowner.