Carbon Monoxide Alarms

C_Mababejive

Ensure that your appliances are fitted and maintained by a competent engineer. That is the best insurance.

Many people now buy CO alarms as a way of kidding themselves that they dont need to bother getting things maintained as the alarm will toot if anything goes wrong.

Truth is a properly functioning gas appliance doesnt produce appreciable amounts of CO,, only CO2 + H2O.

Note that GSR registration is not a guarantee of quality though for some reason,it may be construed as an indication of competence.

The majority of CO incidents are as a result of defective installation/lack of maintenance/poor maintenance.

All modern boilers are room sealed.

Considering the number of CO incidents per year (decreasing)..it amazes me that it has reached such an elevated postion in the public psyche.

Far better to go out and check the safety of your car and your ability to drive it. More people get slaughtered on our roads each and every day than annually due to a genuine CO poisoning due to a faulty gas appliance.

I dont have one in my house and i wont be getting one.

I do have a smoke alarm. Much more valuable and useful.

Most CO alarms beep when the batteries have failed/the alarm is at end of life. If you phone about it,you end up getting cut off and freeze for no particular reason or someone tries to sell you a new boiler when there might be !!!!!! all wrong with your old one. Check your alarm instructions so that you know what the beeps mean and you know the difference between battery/detector fail and the genuine full alarm condition.

Main things to watch out for...

Get gas fires serviced every year.

Check flames on oven and grill burners on cookers to ensure that they dont have long wavy yellow flame tips.
The odd little flicker is permissible and usually due to airborne dust etc.

DO NOT use a cooker as a means of heating a room in winter ! Cookers are meant to be used for short periods only and not left on for hours and hours to heat a cold space.

seven-day-weekend

In my UK house I have two CO Alarms.

One is at the end of the kitchen (where the only two gas appliances are); it is fitted at eye level as per the advice on the instruction leaflet.

The other one is on the landing near the three bedrooms, also at eye level.

I also have four smoke alarms, one on each floor (including the cellar). These are on the ceiling.

I have my boiler serviced every year, apart from last year when I had a brand new one fitted by an approved engineer.

I can't think of a lot else I can do.

C_Mababejive

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

In my UK house I have two CO Alarms.

One is at the end of the kitchen (where the only two gas appliances are); it is fitted at eye level as per the advice on the instruction leaflet.

The other one is on the landing near the three bedrooms, also at eye level.

I also have four smoke alarms, one on each floor (including the cellar). These are on the ceiling.

I have my boiler serviced every year, apart from last year when I had a brand new one fitted by an approved engineer.

I can't think of a lot else I can do.

You could fit a combustible gas alarm which would alarm if methane is detected in the atmosphere?

Also have annual electrical safety checks on your installation as more people suffer death/injury from electrical hazards in the home than CO poisoning.

Robert2009

Many people now buy CO alarms as a way of kidding themselves that they dont need to bother getting things maintained as the alarm will toot if anything goes wrong

Many people also buy CO alarms because they are bullied into it by BG engineers. Also in fitting unecessary ventilation and removing doors to cupboards.

And I don't wish to discuss this on this forum as the above has been resolved and BG have admitted they were in the wrong

Rob

C_Mababejive

Robert2009 wrote: »

Many people also buy CO alarms because they are bullied into it by BG engineers. Also in fitting unecessary ventilation and removing doors to cupboards.

And I don't wish to discuss this on this forum as the above has been resolved and BG have admitted they were in the wrong

Rob

Indeed. The CO alarms,for those who want them,can be obtained from any diy store or similar at better prices than the branded BG ones. They are all made to the same BS.

Ventilation should be in accordance with manufs instructions or failing those,with reference to the relevant BS no which i dont have to hand though i do agree your point re mindless hacking of holes in cupboards.

seven-day-weekend

C_Mababejive wrote: »

You could fit a combustible gas alarm which would alarm if methane is detected in the atmosphere?

Also have annual electrical safety checks on your installation as more people suffer death/injury from electrical hazards in the home than CO poisoning.

This would be going off all the time, given the permanent occupants of the house (we only live there for part of the year ).

Had electrical check two years ago.

supermonkey

Hi all,

This is now all sorted, it actually worked out cheaper to get quite a few, so if anyone wants another please let me know