CO poisoning

[bottle]

The reading should be 0 not anything else, 16 ppm is wrong, open some windows.

[Guest]

The reading should be 0 not anything else, 16 ppm is wrong, open some windows.

 

That does not tally with what the product manual for ours says -

 

"Concentrations of CO between 1 and 30 PPM can often occur in normal,

everyday conditions. Concentrations of CO below 30 PPM may be

an indication of a transient condition that may appear today and never

reappear. Some CO conditions may start out as low level leaks but could

develop into CO concentrations that may become harmful"

[alan_fincher]

The reading should be 0 not anything else, 16 ppm is wrong, open some windows.

Not sure about that - the ones we have used with a reading usually displayed the peak reading reached since last reset, rather than a current value.

 

To answer Mike's question - yes, ours often read more than zero, but the reasons could usually be put down to something that had been going on outside, rather than anything we were doing ourselves on board.

 

Reaching something like 16 because a neighbouring boat had just started up a smoky stove, or lit their fire, would not be that unusual IMO, and as long as it is only transitory, not an issue I think. I suspect there are many occasions in life we get small exposures, (thinks of recent visit to a heritage railway!) - just that normally we are not sat there with something actively monitoring it.

[blackrose]

The reading should be 0 not anything else, 16 ppm is wrong, open some windows.

 

What do other people's CO levels read? Some people don't even have a level indicator. They wouldn't even know if is was up as high as 29ppm

[Guest]

What do other people's CO levels read? Some people don't even have a level indicator. They wouldn't even know if is was up as high as 29ppm

 

The max peak level ours has recorded was 20 from memory. There was similar suggestion the last time this came up on here with one or two suggesting the same as Keith.

 

I don't subscribe to the 'it must always be zero' school of thought not least because of what the manual that came with ours says (see above) but also as you say not every body has a digital read out alarm and would be totally unaware anyway.

 

The problem with these digital 'peak level' alarms is that they can create anxiety sometimes where there is no need.

Edited December 7, 2012 by The Dog House

[blackrose]

The max peak level ours has recorded was 20 from memory. There was similar suggestion the last time this came up on here with one or two suggesting the same as Keith.

 

I don't subscribe to the 'it must always be zero' school of thought not least because of what the manual that came with ours says (see above) but also as you say not every body has a digital read out alarm and would be totally unaware anyway.

 

The problem with these digital 'peal level' alarms is that they can create anxiety sometimes where there is no need.

 

As long as you reset the display regularly then I think it's a good feature.

 

I'm off to Screwfix to get another one.

[Guest]

As long as you reset the display regularly then I think it's a good feature.

 

I'm off to Screwfix to get another one.

 

I totally agree but you have to understand what it is showing you and when to take action and when not to be concerned.

 

It's evident that some folk (not aiming this at you BTW) don't understand fully how they work and what they are telling you.

[sociable_hermit]

I totally agree but you have to understand what it is showing you and when to take action and when not to be concerned.

 

It's evident that some folk (not aiming this at you BTW) don't understand fully how they work and what they are telling you.

The flipside, though, is that sustained exposure to lower levels of CO can still make you feel ill.

 

I agree that a temporary 'spike' in the readings from emptying the ashpan* or a neighbour lighting up their fire won't do any harm, but it is worth checking that it IS only a temporary thing.

 

* You've just reminded me, I used to empty my ashpan into a bucket in the cratch, and on odd occasions the bucket of ashes smouldering has caused CO to come back in through the door vents and set off the alarm. Given that CO is - I think - lighter than air, it must have been pretty bad in the cratch!

[bottle]

I give up!

[ditchcrawler]

What do other people's CO levels read? Some people don't even have a level indicator. They wouldn't even know if is was up as high as 29ppm

Never seen ours off the zero reading in 3 years.

I wont comment on a constant 16 as I dont know enough about it.

[blackrose]

I give up!

 

What do you give up about? You were wrong!

 

Never seen ours off the zero reading in 3 years.

I wont comment on a constant 16 as I dont know enough about it.

 

It wasn't a constant 16.

Edited December 7, 2012 by blackrose

[GUMPY]

Mine reads 0 however it has seen 23 at some time in the last 4 weeks as there is an accumaltive total as well

[Timleech]

Mine reads 0 however it has seen 23 at some time in the last 4 weeks as there is an accumaltive total as well

 

You'll get some from even a well maintained gas cooker.

 

Tim

[GUMPY]

You'll get some from even a well maintained gas cooker.

Indeed that is what has caused ours to read above 0

[Guest]

Never seen ours off the zero reading in 3 years.

I wont comment on a constant 16 as I dont know enough about it.

 

They keep and store a peak reading since the last time you pressed to check.

 

It's not a constant - it just means at some point since the last check it hit 16.

[ditchcrawler]

They keep and store a peak reading since the last time you pressed to check.

 

It's not a constant - it just means at some point since the last check it hit 16.

I don't want to get into silly arguments as it could be far to serious for that. But from what you are saying is, it could have hit 16 for 5 minutes or it could have been 16 for 24 hrs a day for the past week, but the user has no idea which.

[sueb]

My non drinking mother used Brandy. She could tell a cheap one as well :-))

[Canalwatcher]

My mum used to suffer from migraine, all coloured light before her eyes. This came on at a wedding reception once and we found the cure. I got her a single shot of whiskey, she knocked it back and said the migraine just lifted immediately, gone!. From then on she always kept a bottle indoors for that purpose and it always worked. But i believe there are different types of migraine so the whiskey thing may not work in your case.

 

I guess you see coloured light too - red and green?

 

Mick

[Guest]

I don't want to get into silly arguments as it could be far to serious for that. But from what you are saying is, it could have hit 16 for 5 minutes or it could have been 16 for 24 hrs a day for the past week, but the user has no idea which.

 

Correct - no need to get into an argument at all.

 

But if you get a reading you might be concerned about, increase how often you check it.

 

After we got our 20ppm reading I checked ours next day and it had dropped to zero.

[JDR]

Some CO detectors are cross sensitive to hydrogen. Where are your batteries relative to the living area?

[bottle]

What do you give up about? You were wrong!

 

 

 

If you believe that then carry on.

[cheshire~rose]

Migraines can last a long time and the symptoms can vary from one person to another and change through the course of the migraine too. Different people have different triggers for migraine.

 

When I get a migraine I can't stand light and I know one of the things that trigger mine is low level sunlight - especially if it is flickering - typically if I am driving down a country road in spring or autumn when the sun is behind a hedge at the side of me and the sun flickers into the corner of my eyes.

 

Dave occasionally gets migraine and he can focus visually. We don't know what causes it in him. Some people find some food stuff is a trigger.

 

Most people of a "certain age" who get migraines will have had them a few times in their lives already and have probably started to work out what their "trigger" is. If you have never experienced an episode like this before or anything like it then while it could be a migraine it could equally be something else. Keep a diary of how you feel through the day /night and along with it keep a record of what you have been doing, where you have been and when/what you have eaten and drunk.

It is entirely possible that it could be a migraine but they are notoriously difficult to diagnose and without wishing to cast aspersions on the ability of the doctor you saw it has been known for a doctor faced with a case he could not diagnose to simply blame migraine.

 

That new CO meter will at least help you to rule out that possibility but have a good think if there is anything else that has changed in your life that could have triggered it and if you take another turn for the worse get yourself back to A&E pretty quick just in case

 

I would also say that dust build up in the sinuses could be a problem. Try using one of the Sudafed nasal sprays for congestion. if you get some immediate relief that would be an indication that sinuses are to blame

 

I hope you are feeling a lot better soon.

[Alanji]

Migraines can last a long time and the symptoms can vary from one person to another and change through the course of the migraine too. Different people have different triggers for migraine.

 

When I get a migraine I can't stand light and I know one of the things that trigger mine is low level sunlight - especially if it is flickering - typically if I am driving down a country road in spring or autumn when the sun is behind a hedge at the side of me and the sun flickers into the corner of my eyes.

 

Ditto. Usually I do not get much pain with my migraines (fortunate) just the lights and a bit of nausea. Did not realise this was classed as a migraine until I was at the ophthalmologist for something else.

 

I would also say that dust build up in the sinuses could be a problem. Try using one of the Sudafed nasal sprays for congestion. if you get some immediate relief that would be an indication that sinuses are to blame

 

In my case very much connected with sinuses and dust definitely causes problems - that is why I have a great excuse for not dusting Do not use any nasal spray for prolonged periods, unless medically advised - it aggravates the problem.

 

Edit to add: very useful thread for me to learn from. 2 CO detectors added to shopping list - a different type for each end of the boat.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Alanji

[Bob18]

A couple of things - first don't rely on a single detector, two, at different locations is far better, As others have said, the one in the bedroom should be just above pillow height, close to the bed, not in the pat of draughts which would probably cause false readings.

Second, carbon monoxide will clear from the blood over a few hours, so did you feel better after a day at work? (Second thoughts, that's a silly question - who feels better after a day at work...)

 

The toxicity levels for CO cover a wide band, depending on the level, duration and a myriad of other factors Wiki bits

[blackrose]

I don't want to get into silly arguments as it could be far to serious for that. But from what you are saying is, it could have hit 16 for 5 minutes or it could have been 16 for 24 hrs a day for the past week, but the user has no idea which.

 

That's right, it's just a peak reading. The only way a user will have a better idea of when the peak occurred is to reset the gauge more often.

 

I'm not sure if CO alarms are available with more sophisticated readouts. It sounds like Julian has an accumulative gauge on his.

 

Some CO detectors are cross sensitive to hydrogen. Where are your batteries relative to the living area?

 

Mine? My batteries are under the cruiser deck. Same as most people's I'd have thought.