ive been watching the guy across the street

[toomanytoys]

I've been living at my new house for about 2 months. Just about every Saturday I've watched my neighbor fight this mtd tractor. Its gotten comical. The rings are so bad on the motor that it looks like a smoke cloud when he is cutting. He is convinced the carb is bad and spends 2 hours adjusting it every time before he mows.

So today I'm changing oil in my girlfriends car, patching a tire and tinkering around. He is out there battling the mower as per his Saturday morning ritual. Well he doesn't push it out of the garage as is his usual practice he decides to take the battle on inside. He has his garage full of smoke. I was beginning to wonder if its on fire. Smoke is literally rolling out the door, windows and man door on the side. I noticed after about 15 minutes then tractor is still spewing smoke but he hasn't emerged.

The guy is probably in his mid 60s. I decide I better walk over and make sure he is OK. Well I walk across the road and up his driveway. Through the smoke I see him laying on the ground not moving. Well crap. I go up slap his cheeks and he opens his eyes and garbles something unintelligible. I grab his ankles and drag him outside. shut the mower off and yell at my girlfriend to call 911.

Well here I am with an unconscious man who I have no idea how to really help other than to remove him from the source of co2. My girlfriend is a nurse and said without an oxygen tank and mask there really isn't much we can do unless he stops breathing then we would do CPR. Which we are both trained in.

15 minutes pass and the ambulance arrives. They load him up and rush off.

Not sure how bad he really is. pretty freaky stuff. He lives in the house alone and I never see any visitors.

Word of caution. take you bikes outside to work on.

 

[texasfabguy]

Ok I was getting a mental picture of that as I was reading this,sorry but I laughed.:laugh:

On the other hand I hope he's ok so you can laugh too.

 

[superflea]

He would have come to if you had went in and fixed his tractor. :shrug:

 

[Zach112688]

it started off funny but that is crazy. Had a neighbor do something equally unintelligent with a grill last winter during a storm when they lost power

 

[buckeye]

You are a hero!!

What the hell was he thinking???:shrug:

 

[TANKSAREUS]

The most noble thing you can do is to save anothers life, well done sir.

Now to be a hero go fix the rings while he recovers :lol::thumbsup:

 

[Outlaw Ace]

He would almost certainly have expired right there had you not pulled him out, you saved the man's life and I commend you for that.:thumbsup:

 

[Newoldstock]

Good job:
Watching out for your neighbors is one of the smartest things you can do.

They will watch out for you.

I am very pleased to read this good news story.

PS:
While he's not there pull the drain plug and dump the oil in that scrap pile he's cutting with.
Pour some heavy oil or something with a thickener in and see if it helps.
I would not fix it for him, but if you can make it run a little better for now.

Or alternatively you could cut his lawn for him.

Nothing shows your concern for your fellow man like helping out, and the neighborhood will be watching, its great introduction for you and your family.

 

[Newoldstock]

What the hell was he thinking???:shrug:

Some People do not know anything about mechanical stuff.
Doesn't mean they are stupid or foolish just ignorant of the dangers around them...

It may turn he thought there was enough air in there with the door up.
I know I have run a lot of things with the door up and never had issue.

CO is enough of a concern to me I have considered a smoke extraction system for my little shop ( my handy work is very very tightly sealed as I have noticed )

 

[buckeye]

Yeah, I know. I have done some pretty dumb stuff too, and know better.:thumbsup:

 

[Newoldstock]

Yeah, I know. I have done some pretty dumb stuff too, and know better.:thumbsup:

I was just outside thinking more and more about this whole episode...

65+ years of age laying out on the floor and not making much sense when he speaks..
Could have been a TIA, stroke or heart condition, blood sugar, screw up with medication ( as sometimes happens to older folks ).....
He could be like me and enjoys the shot or two Bailey's in his coffee on Saturday morning and maybe the combination of bad air and other health issues overwhelmed him ( infact I am sipping on a shot of rye in my coffee as I type this, just looks better walking around the yard, cutting grass, doing stuff rather than always having a drink or can of beer in my hand ).

CO is funny stuff when you consider its effects.
50ppm is the max exposure for an 8 hour period.....
But for brief periods you can be exposed to a lot higher and not feel ill.
For example I can blow well over 200pm through a Dragger with just one puff off a smoke right out of my lungs.

Exposer levels:
200 might give you a head ache in 15 minutes...
600 will make you feel very sick.
More than that could leave you unconscious and possibly kill you if you can;t get out to fresh air...
All things to consider.....

 

[Mini Motors]

The thread title suggested some sort of "window monitor" activity, but I must confess, I peek when I hear motors as well. Good job. And I agree, you should fix that mower for him. The carb could be the issue. If it's dumping gas, it could seep past the rings big time and dilute the gas, and increase the oil level.

 

[toomanytoys]

Never thought of it being some other problem. My girlfriend is an rn. She checked his pulse and vitals and said all she really noticed was his high respiration rate. She said she has never been around a co2 poison case before.

He had been in there for a good hour. Bent over by the carb with the exhaust near his face. I tried giving him some suggestions of doing a leak down test and compression checks I offered him the use of my gauges. He said nah stupid thing is running rich. But all I smell is oil. Maybe he will accept some help when he gets home.

I know co gives me a headache. I guess we will see what happens when he gets out of the hospitial. I dont even know if he has family.

I didnt do anything anyone else wouldnt of done. I put myself in no danger and just got him help. Just being a good person. Save the hero stuff for the men and women who run into burning houses

My real reason for posting was to make you guys think when you are running an engine in your shop with closed doors. Might not kill yah, might not even give you a headache, but its still dangerous.

 

[Mini Motors]

At the very least, you were there at the right time. And so many people these days would have that "not my problem" attitude. So while I hear ya on the hero thing, ya done good.

I've had a couple moments in the last couple weeks that have made me think, one of which where a "window monitor" might have been handy, if things had gone worse. At 56, I've already curtailed any roof work when nobody else is home, but now rethinking other activities as well. Cause I don't have neighbors like you, Too.

 

[the beekeeper]

Good advice!.............A friend of mine died of co poisioning in the basement of a renovation house years ago, he was running a small engine powered piece of equiptment, though a few small windows were open it was not enough, he had been working alone, his crew members went looking for him at lunch time.......................Tom.

 

[Newoldstock]

CO and CO2 poisoning are very different.
Less than .1% CO is lethal in the air.
In excess of 10% CO2 is required to be lethal
The concentration of CO2 must be a lot higher because it smothers you.

CO is far more sinister....
It binds to the hemoglobin in your blood and prevents your red blood cells from transporting oxygen thats why they call it the silent killer.

Many years ago I used to work in a refinery where we used CO in the process.
Well its called the Mond Process for refining nickel ( and other metals ).
It literally turns them into a gas...

All of us were trained to recognize the symptoms and understand the risks with CO and Nickel carbonyl.

I also carried a card in my wallet to tell first aid responders what I did and what to do if I became ill ( from an exposure and did not know ).
Its that insidious...
You can feel ok then just a little ill with the flue and shortly thereafter you could be dead...

The local hospital also carried a stock of drugs to remove the metal from your system because when carbonyl gas decomposes in your blood the CO bind to the Iron and your system is left with the double whammy of infective hemoglobin and toxic levels of nickel.

I never got dosed but I am aware of a fellow working there at the same time as I that had a head cold and removed his mask to wipe his nose.
He got just enough of it to die in 12 hours. ( its one of the most toxic gasses used in an industrial process, periode )

SO YES
Take CO poisoning seriously at home or in your workplace.

Every Friday I hear the alarm test.
I shudder to think what will happen when they do have leak ( its not a case of if too me, I have seen the decline in safety under VALE ).
It'll make the north end of the city look like Bhopal the day after

 

[countstevula]

Wow, good work pulling him out of there! Glad you went to check on him :thumbsup:

 

[Tom S.]

...when you are running an engine in your shop with closed doors. Might not kill yah, might not even give you a headache, but its still dangerous.

Isn't that something you're just born knowing not to do? Don't run motors in the house, don't light the hibachi in the house, don't smoke crack with the mayor unless he's buying, etc.?

 

[Neck]

Well, I guess you could be considered a Guardian Angel and a hero. He's a lucky man!:thumbsup:

 

[RobertC]

The most noble thing you can do is to save anothers life, well done sir. :thumbsup:

Thank you TooManyToys, you are a hero ! .