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This is a thread about CO, not CO2.
Who's got CO detectors
- Thread starter Richard Cranium
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I know that and CO2 was brought up by others BEFORE me I simply replied to them.
You don't want to mount a CO detector high by the ceiling. A thermal barrier can form up high that may keep the CO from reaching the detector. I have mine mounted about eye level.
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We have them in our house; I won’t go to sleep if we don’t have a working unit. Up here in cold country deaths by C0 poisoning are fairly common. Less so, now that detectors are widely available.
I once worked in a house lived in by an educated, wealthy family. They actually had their detector go off every day, sometimes a few times a day. It had to do with how their wood burning stove vented. They would open windows and let the wood burning stove go out; then start all over again. I could not have slept in that house; what if you slept through the alarm or if it didn’t go off for some reason? They ultimately fixed the problem and lived happily ever after but I thought that they were freaking nuts for playing Russian Roulette like that.
I once worked in a house lived in by an educated, wealthy family. They actually had their detector go off every day, sometimes a few times a day. It had to do with how their wood burning stove vented. They would open windows and let the wood burning stove go out; then start all over again. I could not have slept in that house; what if you slept through the alarm or if it didn’t go off for some reason? They ultimately fixed the problem and lived happily ever after but I thought that they were freaking nuts for playing Russian Roulette like that.
Just on my homepage here in Pa... Could have been prevented with a couple bucks spent on Detectors/alarms.
Actress and model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at actor Marc Blucas' home
MSN
X2
All of mine are the combos and one by my furnace and water heater. Sad and a reminder for all of us. Thanks for sharing.
Sixpactogo
Well-Known Member
I have had two of the battery powered combo units with the 10 year batteries for a number of years now. One in the basement staircase and one in the hallway near the bedrooms. Here in Wisconsin they are required on every level of a single family home. New construction requires hard wired with battery back-up. I am on my second set of the 10 year units. When the battery gets weak, they start beeping and need to be replaced.
Another concern in my area is Radon Gas. High levels cause cancer and other breathing issues. No requirements but strongly suggested to do the testing.
Another concern in my area is Radon Gas. High levels cause cancer and other breathing issues. No requirements but strongly suggested to do the testing.
mrhemi
Well-Known Member
I have the "Building Code" combos on all three floors of our home, as well as two plug in CO detectors. One in the bedroom and one in the boiler room. Being a past victim (survivor?) of a mass CO poisoning a few years back, I take them very seriously. The incident I was involved in put 20-30 people in the hospital, including a few air ambulance rides to Torontostan to go in the Hyperbaric chamber. Fortunately, in this instance there were no fatalities
padam
Well-Known Member
We have them.
There are 3 incidents that bother me:
1. Where we used to fish in Quebec, about 30 years ago a party was poisoned by a propane refridgerator. I'm not exactly sure what happened, the camp owner told us there were coats piled on top of the fridge, blocking the vent. I think 3 or 4 died. The camp has never recovered financially to this day.
2. A few years later, a guy I worked with (volunteer firefighter mind you), and his whole family nearly died. They had a very well insulated home. They were burning a wood fireplace. His theory was that the wood fire used up the oxygen in the house and started drawing air in from the gas furnace chimney bringing in CO. They all recovered.
3. Around the same time period I was deer hunting by myself. I was staying in a tent and got very cold and wet during the day. I foolishly zipped up the tent and heated it up with a Coleman stove. Luckily I realized that I was getting sick and went home before I went to bed for the night.
CO is no joke.
There are 3 incidents that bother me:
1. Where we used to fish in Quebec, about 30 years ago a party was poisoned by a propane refridgerator. I'm not exactly sure what happened, the camp owner told us there were coats piled on top of the fridge, blocking the vent. I think 3 or 4 died. The camp has never recovered financially to this day.
2. A few years later, a guy I worked with (volunteer firefighter mind you), and his whole family nearly died. They had a very well insulated home. They were burning a wood fireplace. His theory was that the wood fire used up the oxygen in the house and started drawing air in from the gas furnace chimney bringing in CO. They all recovered.
3. Around the same time period I was deer hunting by myself. I was staying in a tent and got very cold and wet during the day. I foolishly zipped up the tent and heated it up with a Coleman stove. Luckily I realized that I was getting sick and went home before I went to bed for the night.
CO is no joke.
About 15 years ago, widow who lived across the street from me was having heater trouble; went over to took at it, dust on themostat, cleaned it for her; as I looked at heater, no CO detectors: got her 1, put it by flues for hot water heater & heater : 2 into 1 ducts: about 6 months later, she came over it wouldn't stop chirping, BIG OLE HOLE IN FLUE: opened window, fan in window; she had contract with SJ Gas for heater service, they fixed it for free. Poor lady had 3 gas line leaks at various times too, turned her manicured zoyza grass brown; 1961 gas main in street leaked each time.
padam
Well-Known Member
I believe CO is generated by any combustion, wood, gas, oil.
This is a real danger with an old furnace. If the heat exchanger develops cracks, CO can get into the warm air circulation. I'm going by my very foggy memory (lost brain cells to more than CO.)
IIRC there are some HVAC guys on here that really know the facts.
WileE
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Just saw this thread. Very, very good info here. Please, check your detectors and extinguishers, they have a lifespan. Always have fire extinguishers/blankets, smoke and CO detectors, and if equipped, a natural gas detector. We take the time to protect our cars... more importantly, take the time to protect ourselves and our loved ones. For those who don't have these devices, please, please take the time and minimal effort to do so. You never know.
My home has CO detectors throughout, but I have this too.
Carbon Monoxide Meter | USA NIST Calibration
They even have sewage gas detectors
Carbon Monoxide Meter | USA NIST Calibration
They even have sewage gas detectors
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I have one of those. I call it a nose...
I have one down in the basement. We don't have any gas appliances anywhere but in the basement.
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1 Wild R/T
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Looking Like CO has taken Gene Hackman, his wife & their dog,,, RIP
themechanic
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I use the combination smoke and CO alarms in the house and garage.
XS22J8R
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I wonder if they left a car running in the garage? I've seen reports of a few CO tragedies where someone accidently left a garage running in their attached garage. Which isn't too hard to do these days between cars running so quiet and pushbutton starters that result in someone being able to walk away with the key forgetting the car is still running.
I am not a fan of pushbutton starters for several reasons including this one.
I also wonder if it's ever possible for a remote starter feature to malfunction and start a car when it's not intended? Like in the evening with the car parked in the garage.
My Dart has recently developed a glitch where the fob seems to sometimes send a signal to open the trunk, so I'll find the trunk open while its parked out in the driveway. From what I read online, its often something in the fob wears out or breaks and makes it do that. Mine didn't start doing this until the car was 10 years old. Imagine if that type of glitch developed for the remote start and that happened with a car parked in an attached garage?
1 Wild R/T
Well-Known Member
That's a possibility, but the furnace is another... Hopefully they will have a definitive answer soon..
