By Patrick Tepoorten

In the case of the carbon monoxide death of Andrew Carlson, 17, North Branch, early Tuesday morning, an investigation has begun and is looking at the radiant heating system that the Carlson family indicated was malfunctioning leading up to the tragedy.

A state inspection was conducted Thursday at the request of North Branch city officials. According to James Honerman, a communications officer with the state of Minnesota, that report is now being reviewed and no conclusions have been reached. There are, however, things that are known.

A coroner's report confirmed that Andrew Carlson died of carbon monoxide poisoning and ruled the death accidental.

According to Clifford Taite, a regional manager with NY Thermal, the manufacturer of the Carlson's radiant heating system, no CO monitor had been installed in the furnace room of the house. That was confirmed on Friday by North Branch Interim Police Chief Steve Forner.

That is contrary to specific instructions mandating the installation of such a detector in the furnace room, as per NY Thermal's specifications, page three of the installation manual.

According to a local building inspector, Jack Kramer, mandates from manufacturers regarding proper installation become a part of the building code. That means that despite the fact that the state of Minnesota did not yet require the installation of such monitors, it would have been required as part of the building code because it was required by the manufacturer.

Kramer was not familiar with the manufacturer and radiant heat systems, which cycle hot water through pipes in flooring, are not common in this area. Based on that, Kramer was asked whether, in the case of an unfamiliar system and an unknown manufacturer, he would refer to the installation manual for such mandates.

"Absolutely," he said. "Especially with something unusual."

With no CO monitor installed in the furnace room, the install and the inspection come into question, if indeed the furnace was the source of the CO. Why? Because installers are supposed to install things according to the manufacturer's specifications, and an inspector is not supposed to approve an installation unless the installation meets those requirements.

A certificate of occupancy for the residence was granted by the city last week.

Forner stated that there was also a gas water heater in the basement, which could have also have been a source of CO in the house. He did not recall seeing a gas clothes dryer or a gas or wood burning fireplace. He also added that the house was warm when he arrived, which indicates that the radiant heating system was functioning at that time.

Honerman speculated that the state inspection report of the property, which will be delivered to the North Branch Police Department, will be completed early next week.

Because he had spent time in the Carlson house early Tuesday moring, North Branch Sgt. Rick Sapp took a blood test to check levels of CO in his system, and that test came back positive for levels Forner referred to as "the low side of high." Forner also stated that both he and Sapp had headaches for over 24 hours as a result of the very short time they spent in the house.

Forner also reported that the other four occupants of the house, Mitchell Dale Carlson, 47, Penny Jean Pliscott, 43, Phillip James Bartholomew, 10, and James Allan Bartholomew, 12, have been released from the hospital.

Comment from Michelle, 12/11/06

My thoughts and prayers to the family of Andrew Carlson. Thank you for sharing this story, we too have radient floor heating, and I did not know the carbon monoxide was possible with this type of heating. Is there a specific type of device we need to install to detect this?