At Home in Upland

Staying Warm is Good. Staying ALIVE is Better.

It is hard to imagine, especially after looking at the bright sunny sky framing the Rose Parade last week, that California was having a real cold spell (sorry Pasadena CofC). Interstate highways were closed because of snow and ice.... IN SOUTHERN California. It was cold.

All of this unseasonable weather had many bundling up and some using unconventional ways to heat their homes. As in the past, headlines from around the nation told of lives lost to Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is an odorless, colorless toxic gas created by the incomplete combustion of carbon. Fuel burning appliances such as heaters, stoves, ovens and water heaters to name several could be sources of these fumes if out of adjustment or poorly maintained and should be inspected to make sure that combustion is thorough and that venting of combustion gasses is complete.

Carbon monoxide is also produced by internal combustion engines - cars, lawn mowers, chain saws, weed trimmers. Need I suggest that these should not be run in enclosed areas and garages.

The recent news stories were of fatalities caused by burning charcoal (a particularly dangerous source of CO) in a house for heat. This one can be lethal even when burning charcoal in a fireplace.

So, why post about this now?

There is good news. California Realtor(R)s know that our State has passed legislation that will require CO detectors in all single family residential homes of 1 to 4 units that have either fuel-burning appliances and/or have attached garages effective in July of this year.

Clearly, there is no provision to inspect all homes, but where additions, repairs or modifications over $1000 are to be made, I understand that inspections will include CO detectors as a check-off item. More importantly, any home sale in California after July 1, 2010 will have to have CO detectors installed. Realtor(R)s need to pay attention immediately as this is now part of the Transfer Disclosure Statement that the seller provide.