Engine exhaust around tank, effects and cures

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Hello Reef2Reef,

I just moved my corals and my tank into a warehouse 6 weeks ago. I have noticed an 'exhaust' type smell at times and my landlords have told me air can travel between his warehouse units. Since many of my neighbors have automotive type shops I'm assuming this smell is from gas engine exhaust. My unit also has an hvac unit right there in the open 'studio' type space. I have had a few issues with my corals lately. I attribute many of these problems to not having time to keep up with normal maintenance. I have made many changes lately with the move so analysis is more difficult than usual.

Is there any chance that the engine exhaust could be causing problems in my tank?

How should I test to see if it is an issue?

What should I do? I just installed a carbon filter and 600cfm fan to filter the air but I'm not sure if it will eliminate the carbon monoxide or whatever else is in this exhaust air.


Any and all help is much appreciated.

BIG Thanks,
Kris



Here is the warehouse with the hvac unit visible and the seams in the ceiling

 

[Paul_N]

You could always get one of those plug in carbon monoxide detectors. You could always try and use a vapor barrier where the shared wall meets the ceiling to cover any seams and try to seal it. I'm not sure what else you could test for. I think the carbon air filter is a great move on your part and should take care of most. I Googled some and found this page:

371 Engine Exhaust Fumes in Fire Stations Health Effects and General Recommendations

Besides the fish and coral you better worry about your own health if the fumes are truly making into your space:

"Gasoline and diesel exhaust and their combustion products contain carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, hydrocarbons and solid particles of respirable (breathable) size. Among the hydrocarbons are formaldehyde, methane, benzene, phenol, 1-3-butadiene, acrolein and a group of compounds known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), several of these hydrocarbons can cause cancer. The chemical compounds can also attach to the solid particles and be carried into the lungs."

 

[gparr]

Paul pretty much covered it. I would add that, if you can smell exhaust, it's likely having an effect on your corals. I would focus some attention on your skimmer(s) because that is the place where there is a direct and intense mixing of air and water.
Gary

 

[stedfast82]

wow paul PSU good info

 

[_Alex_]

You could always get one of those plug in carbon monoxide detectors. You could always try and use a vapor barrier where the shared wall meets the ceiling to cover any seams and try to seal it. I'm not sure what else you could test for. I think the carbon air filter is a great move on your part and should take care of most. I Googled some and found this page:

371 Engine Exhaust Fumes in Fire Stations Health Effects and General Recommendations

Besides the fish and coral you better worry about your own health if the fumes are truly making into your space:

"Gasoline and diesel exhaust and their combustion products contain carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, hydrocarbons and solid particles of respirable (breathable) size. Among the hydrocarbons are formaldehyde, methane, benzene, phenol, 1-3-butadiene, acrolein and a group of compounds known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), several of these hydrocarbons can cause cancer. The chemical compounds can also attach to the solid particles and be carried into the lungs."

+1

I Would Get The - Tester To See How Much Is Coming To Your Area . If Your smelling It Its There, I Worked On Cars For A Few Years In A Shop That Had Bad Air Circulation From Fresh To Air Out. They Installed Exhaust Fans On One Side And Fresh Air In On The Other Side. Made A Huge difference, The Gas Then Couldnt Settle And Fill The Room. So If At All Possible Install Fresh Air In And some Exhaust Fans So You Have Good Air Exchange. If Possible Put The Exhaust Up High As Possible And In Let Air Lower That Way It Pulls Everything Up Away From The Tanks

 

[_Alex_]

did u ever find out anymore on your problem at your new place??

 

[laynframe]

I am a comercial HVAC tech and we deal with this problem on a regular basis. It looks like you have a "residential" type furnace and ac unit. What you need to do, and this works alot, is to put your space into a positive pressure. What this does is keeps fumes, smells ect from getting into your space. So what you need to do is to take your duct from your fan and install it into the return section of your furnace with a damper installed, and turn off the exhaust fan, or unistal it. Then on your thermostat there usually is a "auto,on" swith to your fan, switch it to fan on. What this does is runs the fan 24/7 and your heat or ac will cycle as needed. This will cost you a little more a month for power and gas, however it would be cheaper than killing your tank. Also try to seal off your section, and with the positive pressure you should see a huge decrease in exhaust smells. LMk if you have any other questions!