Carbon Monoxide safety and alarms 23 October 2022 at 8:03PM edited 29 October 2022 at 12:03PM in Energy 24 replies 887 views

pineapple

Having suffered from low level carbon monoxide poisoning in my previous property I'm paranoid about it. The stove fitter installed an alarm but I have several portable ones around the house. They pick up readings above 10ppm so you can see if there is the start of a problem and not just when it has reached emergency levels. And we did indeed have a problem recently when I started getting CO from the neighbouring property. Turns out they were knowingly operating a condemned multifuel stove but that's a whole other story involving Environmental Health and the Fire Dep.

Nifty_Purse

Fires and stoves don't even have to be lit for you to be exposed to Carbon Monoxide:

"Crews discovered the colourless, odourless and tasteless gas was coming from a bucket of ash in the lounge."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-42300475

ariarnia

lucky they had an alarm! 

co is produced by combustion so i thin that means they were maybe hot embers int he middle of the ash that were still burning oxygen? i can't find anywhere saying cold ash does the same so our stove which is completely cold in the morning when OH empties it is probably ok. (we normally put the last logs on at 10 so its dying by midnight have a co alarm thats right by the stove thats never even chirped)

QrizB

Nifty_Purse said:

Fires and stoves don't even have to be lit for you to be exposed to Carbon Monoxide:
"Crews discovered the colourless, odourless and tasteless gas was coming from a bucket of ash in the lounge."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-42300475

It happens with BBQs and tents, too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33976414

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jul/06/barbecue-death-camping
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-16517729