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CO (the deadly gas)


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Where and what level is the best place for a CO alarm. We only have one on the boat at the moment which is 2foot away from the Epping stove at mid height - is that optimum position? It is a Firehawk CO78 from Midland Chandlers.

 

After reading this thread I will be going to get another one today for the bedroom - again should it be high low or mid level.

 

Thanks

Andy

 

See post #92 thread http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=80784&page=5

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Depends on which fuel they used. If it was hydrogen, then I don't think CO would be produced smile.png

Can't have been Hydrogen. That burns with a blue flame. Must have been a hydrocarbon. Probly crude oil.

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Cows produce methane in quantity, but thankfully have not evolved pilot lights or piezo igniters.

 

I have always thought that if anything like a dragon ever evolved it would probably be bovine and it would be a weapon of defence not attack, to be used while running away.......all that is needed is for evolution to develop the igniter

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My mate pulled a young girl out of a boat last week, that had two alarms onboard. She heard one of them going off, but they hadn't woken the occupant. The young girl had to go to hospital. She is so lucky as I wonder how many others walked by?

My partner just told me another mutual mate of ours has also gone to hospital with CO poisoning, this week, caused by a cracked stove. She had one alarm, in the bed cabin, but it didn't go off. She has been feeling ill for well over a week.

So I think it's as important to check your burner/sweep the flue etc as it is to have the alarms onboard.

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My mate pulled a young girl out of a boat last week, that had two alarms onboard. She heard one of them going off, but they hadn't woken the occupant. The young girl had to go to hospital. She is so lucky as I wonder how many others walked by?

My partner just told me another mutual mate of ours has also gone to hospital with CO poisoning, this week, caused by a cracked stove. She had one alarm, in the bed cabin, but it didn't go off. She has been feeling ill for well over a week.

So I think it's as important to check your burner/sweep the flue etc as it is to have the alarms onboard.

Boats are a confined space compared with houses, which increases the risk. I wonder if the alarm that failed to operate had been tested recently and was in date.

 

Cooking is a handy way of confirming that smoke detectors work, but the only way of properly testing carbon monoxide detectors is to buy an aerosol designed for the purpose.

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Boats are a confined space compared with houses, which increases the risk. I wonder if the alarm that failed to operate had been tested recently and was in date.

 

Cooking is a handy way of confirming that smoke detectors work, but the only way of properly testing carbon monoxide detectors is to buy an aerosol designed for the purpose.

 

The test button also test that the sensors are operating as well as that the batteries are providing power.

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I use a portable log burner when I'm camping in the winter (this sort of setup, though I don't know the person in the blog!)

 

http://www.katyroberts.co.uk/articles/tentipi.htm

 

Because I've got a log burner at home and on the boat I'm very aware of CO, but although there are lots of (justifiable) warnings about gas appliances and camping, I've seen very little about it for this stove. Oddly enough it's the first thing people ask me about when they are poking about in my tent- you think gongoozlers are a problem on a narrowboat, you should try having an unusual camping system!

 

FWIW I have a CO alarm I take camping, and because the chimney is big and come apart every time we pack up I don't have a problem with it getting blocked, but I'm still surprised that none of the literature etc flags CO up. I suppose in a way that's reassuring - traditional tents are practically airtight, and gas burners are horrible, especially those briefcase type things.

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The test button also test that the sensors are operating as well as that the batteries are providing power.

I would be interested to know what pressing the button does because it seems unlikely that this is likely to be able to test the sensitivity of the detector. I have a CO detector that is years past the expiry date (and a a couple of others in date) but the old one still tests as OK.

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I would be interested to know what pressing the button does because it seems unlikely that this is likely to be able to test the sensitivity of the detector. I have a CO detector that is years past the expiry date (and a a couple of others in date) but the old one still tests as OK.

Well obviously it doesn't send a measured puff of CO onto the detector. I would suggest I shows that the sensor is connected and behaving normally, but not that its sensitivity is within tolerance. So better than nothing, but by no means absolute confirmation of perfect operation.

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