“Three years ago, as part of a new construction, a tankless water heater (not a Rinnai) was installed. Approximately a year later, I placed two plug-in carbon monoxide/gas detectors that we brought from our former residence into service. One was placed in the breakfast area and the other in the dining room. Thereafter, occasionally one or the other would alarm. No pattern was immediately evident. Thinking his could have been due to artifact or maybe they were at the end of their service life, they were for the most part ignored. This may be the only silver lining in the dark cloud that is the coronavirus, but I had time to really look for reasons. By moving them around and substituting one for the other after alarming plus what gas appliances were in use at the time, a possible source could be isolated. The laundry room and, more specifically, the tankless water heater locate in a closet. Readings ranged from 243 to 406 ppm.
I called Sharp Energy on 27 May and later that day Ricky “Chessie” Peek arrived. After telling him what seemed to be the source, he went to work. His sensing device confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide. Have you ever watched someone who really knows their job and works thoroughly to find an explanation for a problem? That was Chessie. He checked everything from air inlet to exhaust outlet and all points between. His meter gave us a number (390 ppm) and then his knowledge through experience took over. He found water condensation where there should have been none. This led him to the probable leak site. At this point he had to red flag the unit.
As someone who spent the majority of their professional life solving and fixing problems, it was a pleasure to watch Chessie. It is easy to tell the difference between someone who giving it the once over and someone who is going full hands-on. No doubt in my mind he would find the problem, explain it and give an honest appraisal. His commitment to the task and honesty is what led me to call the next day to get an estimate. Jason arrived an hour later. He really seemed to want to be as understanding and helpful as possible. There was a suitable unit in stock and could be installed the next day. We agreed.
Can lightning strike twice? The next morning Chessie and Adam arrived and installed a RU199i. This was not going to be any easy task but they did a really impressively neat installation. By mid-day 29 May the job was done. Could not be more pleased with the outcome. On a satisfaction scale of 1 to 10, give it a 10 and a couple more points.
From your staff member who answered my first call to waving goodbye to Chessie the experience was a real pleasure. You should feel very fortunate to have all these people at Sharp Energy.”