Prospect of Chilly Nights Faced by Utility Customers

Since August, workers from Southern California Gas Co. had been to Sarah Garrett’s house twice to see whether her furnace was operating properly.

Both times, the technicians assured the Oak View woman that the heater was working fine. But this week, Garrett arrived home to find a notice from the utility warning her to turn the heater off at night.

That’s when she lost it, Garrett said Friday.

“At that point, I went running out into the street, looking for anyone to help,” she said. “We’re dropping way into the 30s at night and we’re having ice in the mornings up here. You can’t go without a heater.”

Garrett, who has two young children, is one of hundreds of residents of the Ojai Valley and Ventura who are coping with the prospect of no heat as nighttime temperatures hover near freezing and an expected winter storm forecast to arrive today.

Gas company representatives hand-delivered notices to 1,000 customers this week, advising them not to use their heaters at night or when out of the house because a potentially faulty valve could ignite a fire.

A team of 70 technicians have been working overtime to replace the parts by Tuesday, officials said. Until then, affected residents are besieging the gas company with calls for service and finding ways to keep warm.

On Friday, the company received at least 200 calls from customers anxious to have a technician come as soon as possible, said Marcia Secord, district manager for Ventura County.

Most people are continuing to use their furnaces, but are keeping a close watch to see if it is operating abnormally, she said. Gas company officials advised customers to call for help immediately if the heater will not shut off or emits an unusual odor.

The problem marks the second time this year that gas company officials have sent teams to replace potentially faulty parts. Since mid- August, the utility has replaced certain controls on furnaces in 34,000 residences in the Ojai Valley and Ventura because impure gas had degraded some parts, Secord said.

But in about 1,000 residences, the replacement parts were also potentially defective, the company later learned.

The problem stems from a control box manufactured by the New Jersey-based electronics company ITT. The manufacturer informed the gas company in late October that valves in some of the boxes may stick, causing the furnace to overheat and possibly burst into flames.

Utility officials decided to send out notices Thursday after a mobile home containing the faulty part burned in Meiners Oaks. No one was hurt in the Tuesday blaze, but utility representatives decided to replace every ITT control box as a preventive measure, Secord said.

Frank Fragiacomo has continued to use his furnace even after receiving the warning notice. He was not too concerned because the heater has not been acting up, Fragiacomo said.

Besides, he said, it was cold.

“This is Oak View,” he said. “It was 32 degrees last night.”

Ojai resident L. D. Bonham decided to play it safe. He turned his heater off and didn’t fire it up again until Friday afternoon, when a service technician from the gas company came out to replace the valve.

“I just covered up and turned up the electric blanket a little,” said Bonham, 85. “In the morning, it was 49 degrees in the house, so I wore all the jackets and robes I had.”

Oak View’s Garrett said she was nearly hysterical when she saw the notice attached to her door. But when she asked neighbors for help, they flagged down a gas company truck, she said.

“The next thing I knew I had three gas company men in my house,” she said. “I think they helped me right away because I was panicking.”

Chris Corrente of Ventura took the inconvenience in stride. Although she had her furnace repaired just three weeks ago, she said she didn’t mind rearranging her schedule Friday to let service technician Ray Forrest into her home.

“I know (the gas company) doesn’t make the valves, so I know it’s not their fault,” Corrente said.

She received a notice on her door Thursday, but still left her heater on that night, Corrente said.

“We’ve been in this house for 18 years and we’ve never had any trouble with it,” she said. “We don’t use it that much; we are in Southern California after all.”

Lee is a Times staff writer. Saillant is a Times correspondent.