Garage/exhaust ventilation

[Hster]

Reading through Joeypocono's, lengthy unresolved thread, "Is there an electrician in the house". He said, "Let car run at fast idle until the canary in my garage died." I laughed so hard I cried then I realize it was the exhaust fumes that caused the tears. (Sometimes running rich ain't so bad)

With the onset of the cold weather I would like to work on my car without freezing or asphyxiating myself. I'm thinking about getting a garage exhaust vent hose and carbon monoxide detector. What solutions have any of you used for ventilation? I welcome suggestions. Thanks

 

[JBill]

My Model A will set off the carbon monoxide detector in about 15 seconds! I have to stick the dang thing in my garage fridge just to keep it from going off while I back the car in.

 

[Kurt in NJ]

I used to use a fan salvaged from a dryer
And a rubber hose made for exhaust (found in the street) this hose is $$ to buy, I also have used a tailpipe I had for unknown car, but it had good angles and fit under the door when slid over thecar's tailpipe

 

[Hster]

My Model A will set off the carbon monoxide detector in about 15 seconds! I have to stick the dang thing in my garage fridge just to keep it from going off while I back the car in.

I thought that would be the case which means an unsafe situation and the best way to tell if your ventilation "system" is working.

 

[Hster]

a rubber hose made for exhaust (found in the street) this hose is $$ to buy

I've found exhaust vent hose online $85.00 it's not cheap but it's still cheaper than a funeral.

It also occurred to me even if the hose works as it should exhaust leaks would pose a big problem.

 

[ModAfan]

I bought the vent hose in the photo several years ago from a (name forgotten) website. It has a heavy duty section to put on the end of the tail pipe and a chain to make sure it doesn’t fall off while you are working on the car. I didn’t want to just push the hose under the partially opened garage door, so I drilled a hole in the side of garage to put the hose through while it is in use. When the garage door is closed, I don’t get a whiff of exhaust. The wood plug above the hole is used to knock out the wall plug.

 

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Make sure that the hose is designed for exhaust and that it fits tight. The The reason I say this is,we had two older twins that were in their 80s down in Centralia working on their model T and As and they both diedfrom carbon dioxide inhalation. Very sad (monoxide)

 

[mhsprecher]

This is a good reminder that safety is paramount. Thanks all.

 

[Hster]

When the garage door is closed, I don’t get a whiff of exhaust.

Whiff doesn't matter, From Mayo clinic web site "Carbon monoxide poisoning is an illness caused by exposure to too much carbon monoxide — a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Too much carbon monoxide in the air you breathe can greatly diminish your ability to absorb oxygen, leading to serious tissue damage. Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to death.

I seem to recall, when I was a kid, hearing stories about "old car heaters asphyxiating drivers". I wasn't sure what the basis to the stories were, but now seeing how the exhaust manifold was used as a heat source I understand. Which also means that even though the tail pipe is vented to the outside CO can still be present.

 

[Hster]

Make sure that the hose is designed for exhaust and that it fits tight. The The reason I say this is,we had two older twins that were in their 80s down in Centralia working on their model T and As and they both died from carbon dioxide inhalation. Very sad (monoxide)

Yes, very sad indeed, and thanks to a story I read here about a couple of fellows, using a dryer hose with near fatal results, I want to error no the side of caution.

 

[Hster]

Sorry, there was a similar post "Garage Exhaust" 4/21/12. I should have found it sooner.

If nothing else a good cold weather reminder

 

[Greg Jones]

I am very skeptical of any sort of set up like this without enough positive ventilation of fresh air such that it would defeat the purpose. In my youth I rigged up such an exhaust system with a hose clamped to the tail pipe. I then mostly shut the garage door and started the engine, and fiddled away doing my mechanical stuff. After a period of time I got up from under the car and blacked out. Fortunately a friend had just shown up (that is why I was getting out from under the car). The heat and vibration on the clamp rattled the pipe off the tail pipe -not completely but enough to have a huge CO leak. Thank God for friends stopping by. And CO poisoning is an awful feeling but it wasn't my day to die of stupidity. Be very very careful.

 

[JRHASZARD]

I knew a guy at an airport in Dover where I used to keep my cub. He flooded his Piper Tri Pacer on start up and blew a crack in the exhaust system on the subsequent successful start. It was winter and he was taking the plane to western Maryland to sell. Using the heat exchange type cabin heater cost him his life. he was reported to have died before the plane hit the ground. On a related note, cockpit deaths have been reported due to the decay of dry ice (CO2 in solid state). The amount of dry ice in the cockpit is limited by the FAA as it displaces oxygen as it sublimates. Often used to refrigerate crew meals and for organ transport.