I received a call from a customer approx 2weeks ago, requesting that a pc. of exterior wood molding be replaced over the entryway door. Examined door casing on exterior side, turned out that all the wood had to be replaced (rotted wood). Removed wood trim & it was revealed that there was termite damage. Termite inspector arrives at site to do inspection of framing in crawlspace, unable to do inspection b/c crawlspace has extreme amounts of water. It was then brought to our attention that there was a noxious odor of oil inside house (especially in crawlspace.) The presence of oil present in the standing water in basement presents the issue of not being able to just pump out H20 with sump pump.
The homeowner is elderly female (81), with multiple health issues.
The noxious smell of the oil gasses in the confines of the home, in my opinion, are an extreme health hazard for her. I spoke with the town municipal dept. and requested a safety inspection by the town fire marshall & also by the local building inspector. Am I overreacting, or is this a fire hazard, health issue & a wopping project for remediation.
I am trying to advocate for the homeowner, but would feel more comfortable if a social service group at the county or state level could intervene on behalf of the homeowner.
– any advice or insight is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is my first time encountering an incident like this. Please Help!!
chipper
Replies
I understand your need to get this together quickly for the health and well-being of the resident. I urge you however to seek help from someone first in where she can go should the authorities issue a non occupancy.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
If you think it is heating oil (and what other oil are we likely to be talking about?) it is possible that the supplier of her heating oil will look at the issue.
But I agree - find her an alternate location until the problem is fixed!
If the oil is present in the crawl space to the degree that you're able to smell it, then the problem needs to be addressed. It depends on the kind/type of oil if it is of an immediate health hazard to the lady. If it's the same oil that is often used on the east coast to heat homes then she may get an headache and feel dizzy at times but it probably wouldn't cause her long term health damage. She just needs to get fresh air and the effects should dissipate within a day or so. As you correctly judged, the more immediate danger is that the house may burn to the ground at the first spark or open flame.
Either situation above, it sounds like you did the right thing by notifying local officials because she needs to get it corrected. Without them she would probably continue living with the situation until it gets much worse and becomes a serious problem.
The dilemma lies in the fact that the local officials will likely force her to move until she get the problem repaired to their satisfaction. If she has financial problems, she may be out of a place to live and that could be permanent unless someone comes along with the desire to donate their services or pays for it so that she can return home. At her age, that alone could be enough to bring an early end to her life with all the stress surrounding this situation. On the other hand, she can't continue on without a proper fix. She can live without repairing the rot and termite damage but she absolutely must fix the fuel/oil problem or at least find the source of the leak and what kind of petroleum product is in her crawl space.
Don't want to make you feel bad, you did the right thing and you may have saved her life but it's your fault she's now homeless. It's still warm enough to solve the problem but in a few months it's going to be a whole different situation for her.
Don't want to make you feel bad, you did the right thing and you may have saved her life but it's your fault she's now homeless. It's still warm enough to solve the problem but in a few months it's going to be a whole different situation for her
What would you do if you were in the same exact situation?
Edited 9/7/2006 7:44 pm ET by Chipper
>>Don't want to make you feel bad, you did the right thing and you may have saved her life but it's your fault she's now homeless.
Dude, that's a complete crock. If that were my mother I would want any tradesman who noticed such a thing to immediately get professional attention on this situation, just as Chipper did. What would you do.... ignore it? Tell ya' what, if I'm working on your mom's place and I see a major issue like that I'll just blow it off.
Chipper and Davidmeiland...Read what I said! How much clearer does it have to be? I said the he was correct in contacting authorities regarding the chemical spill in the crawl space. No, it's not a good idea to 'blow off the gas leak in the crawl', it has to be addressed. If the two of you read my response in total you would also see that I felt it was more important to correct the spill problem then to fix the trim or perform termite remediation on the lady's home.I admit, it was a bit crass to say he had 'caused her to be homeless' but that was my own bit of deviant humor. We're all adults here so lighten up. If the situation is as he specified then she will indeed be without a house to live in because the authorities in her area are not going to let her stay where she is, facts is facts. Weather or not she ends up homeless depends on her individual situation. If she doesn't have either funds to move into a rental or own another home, then she going to be ???
I think you're doing the right thing but does she have any family who could take over now that you've gotten the ball rolling.
This sounds like a situation that could quickly get out of control and - right now - you're sorta in the hot seat.
she does not have any family to help out. I will report incident to EPA today, see if her insurance will cover remediation work. I will talk to intergenerational health services & county health dept to advocate for intervention and finding temp safe housing for homeowner.
Sounds like a spill. This certainly needs to be investigated. Her oil tank could be leaking, or could have been overfilled. Either way it needs to be cleaned up. Costs could be quite high but may be covered by insurance, which may also cover temporary living expenses. Here in NY people are required to report spills to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC). A spill number is usually assigned and DEC oversees the remediation.
Chronic exposure to diesel/fuel oil could have significant health impacts, especially for an older person. The situation may be able to be abated enough to enable her to stay in the house while the clean-up is in underway. Fans can draw air out of the crawlspace, creating negative pressure where air from the living spaces is drawn into the crawlspace and exhausted outdoors.
And what's with all the water. That's not good either.
You did the right thing.
Bart
Chipper - maybe this has been addressed, but did you look yourself to see where the oil was leaking? Maybe the extreme amounts of water have flooded her oil tank & the mix has filled the space. We have a local company that will pump such things off and dispose of them - you likely do too.
The fittings on the bottom of oil tanks often corrode, or maybe a line is pinched or something simple like that, easily fixed, and no need to contact the EPA. You could cause her more trouble than she could handle. If you are not prepared to do the work yourself, maybe you could call a friend who would know how to fix the problem, but calling a national agency sounds like opening a big can of worms.
Of course from your post we have no concept of the extent of the water or oil (it doen't take much to stink up a place), so you have a better concept of what to do.
Does she have any friends or neighbors that could help her out, or is she alone in some city/suburb?