House sold, possible boiler problem.

RM_2013

I would replace the detector with a new one first and then if it’s still alarming then you need to investigate further 

user1977

Yazmina said:

Then is it worth buying a new one to re-test?

I would. They're fairly cheap. And can be taken somewhere else if you've got other premises which could do with a CO detector.

Section62

Yazmina said:

I went round there today, and the carbon monoxide detector was going off.  The gas man turned the supply off and said that the boiler and cooker need to be checked.

Who was the "gas man"?  Someone "gas safe" should have a meter with them which can measure CO as a percentage of the atmosphere, rather than relying on a CO alarm which goes off when a set concentration is exceeded.

Did they measure the actual percentage before turning the supply off?

Section62

daveyjp said:

If nothing powered by gas it has to be a faulty detector as CO is produced from burning gas.

Combustion of (methane) gas is one source... there are other things people burn in their homes that could potentially produce CO in the concentrations that would set an alarm off.

If the gas appliances are all off, and there is no other source in the building, then the possibility of the neighbour's flue pumping out CO which is getting into the building through a vent or window ought to be considered.

Wail

If someone has isolated your gas, your best course is to get everything checked by a qualified and certified person. 

Yazmina

So I just went round to the house again, and the existing detector is still within date. I was going to leave a second one in the house for a second opinion, but as the first one hasn't expired I thought it most likely wasn't a false alarm. 

But now I'm questioning my judgement. I should have left a second alarm in the house.  Anyway, I'll get an engineer to check both the boiler and the cooker.

I'll also speak to the estate agent to see if he knows why the detector was under a cushion. 

Yazmina

Section62 said:

Yazmina said:

I went round there today, and the carbon monoxide detector was going off.  The gas man turned the supply off and said that the boiler and cooker need to be checked.

Who was the "gas man"?  Someone "gas safe" should have a meter with them which can measure CO as a percentage of the atmosphere, rather than relying on a CO alarm which goes off when a set concentration is exceeded.

Did they measure the actual percentage before turning the supply off?

I called the gas emergency number and they sent someone from SGN. He looked at the boiler, the flue and the meter. 

Bendy_House

Yazmina said:

I called the gas emergency number and they sent someone from SGN. He looked at the boiler, the flue and the meter. 

Was any gas appliance actually running in the house when you went round the time you found the bleepin' CO alarm under the cushion? If not, then the alarm should not have been going off; no burning gas = no CO. (The house wasn't on fire, was it?)

Yazmina

Bendy_House said:

Yazmina said:

I called the gas emergency number and they sent someone from SGN. He looked at the boiler, the flue and the meter. 

Was any gas appliance actually running in the house when you went round the time you found the bleepin' CO alarm under the cushion? If not, then the alarm should not have been going off; no burning gas = no CO. (The house wasn't on fire, was it?)

No, nothing was on. 

youth_leader

Sorry you've had this problem.

I've just looked at my standalone cm alarm, and thanks - it says replace by August 2018.  I bought this place in 2021 and both the ceiling mounted heat/smoke detectors were out of date, I should have realised.