I have learned to do a lot with the computer, but don't know how to do a link to something. On last nights news from Seattle, there was a story of two brothers from Chehalis Wa., who died in their garage while working on their model A ford. Apparently because it has been unseasonably cold here they had the garage door closed while running the beloved A. Both were overcome with carbon monoxide and were found dead by one of their wives. They were 80 year old identical twins! This was quite surely not a 'pact' to go out together. Both had loving families, plenty of energy for the old ford hobby and just celebrated their 80th with loving friends and family. Having just yesterday installed the flattie in my latest project, I am surely gonna fire it up, but I will not shut the doors and will kill the thing after a minute or two. I have sometimes basked far too long in the glow of a just ressurected engine. I guess it creeps up on you. Any body link to this? King 5, komo 4 or kiro 7 on Seattle news from yesterday.

 

Here's one link.... Brothers die from carbon monoxide poisoning | KING5.com Seattle

CHEHALIS, Wash. -- Twin 80-year-old brothers were apparently overcome by carbon monoxide while working on an antique car in a closed garage in Chehalis and died.

The men were identified as Bill and Walt Schofield.

The Lewis County sheriff's office says the wife of one of the men found them Sunday evening when she returned home from a neighbor's house.

Dean Wigstrom, a close friend, saw Bill driving this car Sunday.

Hours later, bill's wife found the 80-year-old twin brothers passed out in the garage.

“Apparently she went out to get them to come and eat and they were on the floor,” said Wigstrom.

Both were taken to the hospital, where they died.

According to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, a high level of carbon monoxide was detected in the garage.

Emergency responders believe the brothers were working on an antique car with the engine on and the garage door closed.

Members of their Centralia car club are shocked.

“It’s just something you don't realize,” said Gary Viggers. “It’s cold so you think you let it run for a while and it’s not going to bother you. Once it overtakes you, you don't realize it.”

Viggers says several years ago the same thing happened to another friend.

“I hope it wakes up older guys like us that are working on cars,” he said.

The wife that found the two men in the garage is overwhelmed with grief and has been hospitalized with heart problems.

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield advised people to educate themselves about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide has no odor, color or taste. It diminishes your ability to absorb oxygen. Symptoms are often mistaken for something else. When carbon monoxide problems develop slowly, they can be mistaken for the flu.

If there's a leak, there's reason to worry. Sources could include unvented gas space heaters, leaking furnaces or automobile exhaust in garages.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests a carbon monoxide alarm near every area of your home that is used for sleeping.

 

Very good reminder. Terribly sad story. I'm sure their family is heartbroken. They're right, it's one of those things that can kill you before you know it. I have a bad habit of starting my truck, and THEN walking to the garage door and opening it. It kind of dawned on me the other day that one little slip, injury, bump on the head, or just a big enough distraction could spell disaster.

 

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This would be a smart investment

 

I remember as a kid growing up in the snowbelt, all the commercial garage doors had a round cutout with a plate over it that was used to run a hose from the exhaust through the door to the outside. Sad to hear about these guys...carbon monoxide is indeed a silent killer.

 

Very sad! This story is a little to close to home for me. My father took his own life that way after my mother died from cancer related problems. He couldn't live without her after 57 years of marriage.

 

I'm sorry for your lose!

 

A few years ago we had a busy day in the shop using the forklift, propane fueled, moving things around. We went home and the next morning my employee called in sick with a head ache and nausea, I coincidently had the same symptoms. I then realized it was the forklift and we both were suffering from carbon dioxide poisoning. We lucked out, we were both sick a day and felt fine afterward. I still use my forklift in the shop, I have to, but even on the coldest days I will open the overhead door if I am running it longer than a couple of minutes. I have gas fired radiant heat in my shop so the heat doesn't fly out of the shop like forced air so the shop really doesn't cool down too much.

 

Chuck,

Being from Indiana I remember those cutouts as well.

 

Bob - please modify your above statement by removing the highlited area - A couple of minutes can get out of hand easily
Everyone else - Being in a hurry, saveing some reheat bucks ain't worth it, open teh garage doores before starting a vehicle, ya know the damn cell phone will ring.
I got slapped upside the head more than once for not hooking up the garage door hoses

 

I wonder if this had not been 80 year old twins if it would have been much more than a local story. I think deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning are more common than you would think. It is a killer and precautions should be taken. Sad to hear this, saw it on another forum too.

 

Dick, thanks for your concern. My shop is 2500 square feet with 16 foot ceilings with ceiling fans circulating the air so I don't think a couple of minutes of running the forklift is going to matter. I only run it in short bursts to lift or move something. Since getting sick I am very aware of the dangers and if the phone does ring, or any other distraction happens, the key is flipped off. If I do need to run it for any longer period of time the 14 foot wide door is opened.

 

Don't propane powered tow motors put out less carbon monoxide?

 

In our community there was an older couple that came home from a night out, they are known to imbibe as some older folks do. He was getting forgetful, as some older folks do. Long story short: he forgot to turn the car off. They went to bed. They slept in separate rooms. Her's was above the garage, where the car was. His was down the hall. Their son found them the next morning. She died about 2 weeks later in a nursing home. He is still in the home since he can't live alone. A detector would have saved them.....

 

Yes, in theory they should produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor. But it still can produce dangerous levels of CO.