Gas hob is producing carbon monoxide!!!!!!!!

Crabman

Help!!!!! We got this free CO detector from powergen and stuck it in the kitchen and after about 2 months it's gone pretty dark.

Also noticed the flames on a couple of the gas hob rings burning a bit yellow. removed and washed and cleaned out holes but no joy

Is there anything I can do? That's the only source I can think of as the gas boiler's in the garage

Please help I don't want to die just yet :rotfl

(windows are open now 24/7 to (a) allow carbon monoxide gas to escape and (b) let daddylonglegs in :wall:

Crabster

Nicki

It's worth getting it checked out to be on the safe side, but I recall we had one of these detectors a few years ago, which also changed colour, and we called a CORGI guy out to check the boiler. The boiler was fine, and apparently the detectors are notorious for false positives. Keep windows open and don't spend too long in the room, but don't panic while you wait for the engineer to come!

Dobie

Don't mess with this - you must get a Corgi registered engineer out to sort it out as soon as you can. It'll cost you but that's better than dying in your sleep.

ariba10

If the flame is burning yellow it is unsafe. Usualy not enough air.

You need to have someone to look at it.

Gingham_Ribbon

I agree with the above. This won't wait. You need a Corgi registered plumber or heating engineer to see to it.

I'll move this to the relevent board so more people can see it. It's a good reminder to us all.

LizEstelle

I can't imagine anyone leaving their gas hob on at night so dying in your sleep isn't a likelihood!

Yes, get it checked out but there's no need to panic and pay some ridiculous call-out charge. A landlord's gas safety check for a whole average property (which includes) CO detection costs around the £50 mark so to have a single appliance tested will probably come in under that.

Shop around.

withabix

Your gas hob will produce higher levels of CO if there is inadequate ventilation. It will ALWAYS produce some.

The oxygen supply to your gas hob comes from the room, hence always cook with the window or door open.

If your kitchen steams up when you're cooking, that's a good sign that you haven't got adequate air flow.

Incidentally, where is your detector located? It shouldn't be anywhere near the cooker.

deanos

Those C/O detectors with the thing that changes colour are a waste of time and not to be trusted and are dangerous , get a electrical one if C/O is detected it will alarm like a smoke detectore

withabix

deanos wrote:

if C/O is detected it will alarm like a smoke detectore

as reliable as a smoke detector then...

kittiwoz

Smoke detectors are very reliable. Yes they often go off when you are cooking but it is because whatever you are cooking is producing smoke which they are correctly detecting. Often your cooking is producing smoke because it is smouldering and at risk of catching fire. Because the alarm goes off you deal with the situation by draining the fat so it never has the opportunity to reach flash point and so the fire never occurs. Just because your smoke alarm goes of before your house becomes an inferno it doesn't mean it isn't reliable. It is a very effective early warning system. The reason when your smoke alarm goes off it is never due to a "proper" fire is that it goes off before things get that far, while you can still deal with the situation.

As far as CO detectors go I don't know much about them. However if the gas flame is burning yellow then it definitely is producing too much CO. It is less of a problem for a cooker because you don't have it on so much and don't leave it on while you sleep but I agree you need a qualified gas fitter to look at it ASAP.

Crabman

Thanks for your replies everyone :beer:

I always make a habit of opening windows when cooking but unfortunately others don't always and sometimes it's like a sauna in there which could be half the problem.

The detector is, oh, about 2-3 feet away from the cooker, stuck onto the side of the electric oven facing cooker does that mean it's inaccurate