Mayor’s Son Dies While Pressure Washing A Garage

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Nicholas Honea, 27, died of carbon monoxide poisoning while pressure washing a garage without adequate ventilation.

He was the son of the Mayor Tracy Honea of Albertville, Alabama and a cast member on the 2nd season of the CMT series “Redneck Island.” An article in the Gadsen Times reports that only the side door of the garage was open and there wasn’t enough air circulation to keep the carbon monoxide from building up.

The article doesn’t say whether the man who died was a pressure washing professional or just doing a favor for a friend. In either case, this should be a reminder for anyone using a pressure washer.

A Honda GX160 5.5 HP. pressure washer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While the engines aren’t large, they still emit the same carbon monoxide that cars do. While most people are aware of the danger in running a car in an enclosed area, they sometimes don’t think about it when using smaller gas engines.

Professional pressure washing companies usually run hose from their machines so the engine isn’t even in the building. The machines are usually mounted on the truck so they aren’t portable.

But many rental locations offer pressure washers to anyone who wants to rent one. And they may not make the renter aware of the possible dangers. Since many rental agencies do much of their tool rentals to construction people or others who work around equipment all the time, their can be an assumption that the people renting the tools know how to use them properly.This is an unfortunate example of what can happen when someone thinks they can do a job themselves without the needed experience. Safety should always be the number one priority – even if it costs more.