Gasoline in the walls...

That's a hard one to believe without a better cite. It seems highly unlikely that the water heater was located in the bathroom, and even then, IIRC the flamability range of gasoline vapor in air is about 1.5 to 7.5 percent.

You gasoline vapors at much lower levels than 1.5 percent smell pretty strongly.

As for the upper concentration level, In my halcion days I actually stood alongside some Darwin Award candidates who would show off by flicking lit cigarettes down the open hatches of 100,000 gallon gasoline storage tanks to "prove it could be done". I can understand that the fuel/air concentration inside the tank was above the upper flamability level, but what about the area just above the open hatch? Maybe I'm still alive because the autoignition temperature of the most easily ignitable gasoline/air mix is about 465 Farenheit and perhaps a smoldering cigarette butt is actually cooler than that?

Jeff

I lived in a house where the gas w.h. was about six feet from the tub.... close enough for fumes being sucked along the floor by an air-hungry w.h.

My brother had a friend who did the same on tanker trucks....no ears, bad facial burns.

I think what I'd do is call the non-emergency number for your fire department and explain your situation. In this case, with such a stupid contractor, they may not have heard of such a thing, but they should be able to help you assess the risk.

Keith

Jas> I've made a few threads about having my deck rebuilt, and the issues

I think what I'd do is call the non-emergency number for your fire department and explain your situation. In this case, with such a stupid contractor, they may not have heard of such a thing, but they should be able to help you assess the risk. I've had gas on clothes before, and that smell doesn't go away for a long time. It might be most expedient to create an opening so you can get at the source and treat it directly.

Keith

It sounds to me like you were a candidate too, if you "stood alongside".

Now that you mention it, I'm a little surprised, too. There's a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector on the ceiling in the kitchen, so it's about 15' away from where he poured the gasoline.

No, he certainly didn't do it while I was there. At the end of the day before, I had given him a container of wasp spray and watched him use that, but then the next day when I got there, he had already poured gas into the hole. I found out about it when I went into the kitchen and smelled the gas.

In my area, it's VERY common for people to pour gas on a yellow jackets nest; usually when it's in the ground. I've never done it myself, and never would (and I doubt that it's legal), but that's what all of the old-timers do. It's seems pretty stupid to me, though, to pour it into a wall!

I did just realize something, though. When he sprayed wasp spray the night before, I had turned off the breaker to that GFI outlet, but then turned it back on later that evening so that he could use the outlet for his tools (the spray said it was non-conductive, anyway). So when he poured gas into the hole the next day, he was pouring it into a LIVE outlet!

The more I think about it, I'm just shocked that my house is still here.

This is kind of my thought, too; that we'll have to cut out all of the contaminated wood. The thing is, though, that I KNOW this guy doesn't have the money to pay for it. I could sue him, of course, but even a judgement doesn't do any good; he doesn't have a regular wage to garnish, and he's a 60 year old man that's never going to sell his house.

So, this repair will come out of my own pocket, no matter how I cut it.

I think that I'll call the fire department tomorrow and have their inspector to come out. I really hate to do that, because I can already feel that he's going to require me to fix it, and I simply don't have the money... but I don't have the money for my house to burn down, either!

For anyone that cares, I let the contractor go this morning. All he had left was the handrails, anyway, and I'll just do that on my own this weekend.

Did your contractor have insurance? If not, maybe you can get some relief from your own insurer.They can take him to court.

True.

We grow old so fast and smart so slow.

Jeff

Gasoline will not burn below 1.4% or above 7.6% concentration in air. Your nose will find it extremely offensive at as little as 0.15 ppm. Unless the guy poured in a LOT of gasoline it is not an explosion risk. The typical "bug bomb" aerosol is as flammable as gasoline - often using propane or MAPP gas as the propellant.

Maybe you misread my intent. What I meant was, gasoline is a much more flammable material than ... as a rule. Anything that is made from oil is going to be dangerous in reality. I was probbly too terse there.

Twayne`

Some interesting links on the subject: Like gasoline flash point is -40F, difference between flammable & combustible, etc. etc. Interestingly enough, it says paint thinner is more dangerous than gasoline:

Twayne`

years, but makes one

Note to self: do not put deodorant on a lighter.

;^)

Eric

Did you really mean halcion days, or halcyon days? Confusing. Halcion is a sleeping pill. Were you asleep when you did that? :-)