Get A Carbon Monoxide Alarm!

[BSRU]

Last Wednesday morning two minutes after our four year old central heating boiler came on, the CO alarm next to it went off. Without the alarm, our house would have filled with CO whilst we were all asleep with potentially fatal consequences.

So if you have a boiler in your house get a CO alarm, or two, we have the second upstairs in the room above the boiler, for added safety.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Eee gads! Out of interest what did the fella from the gas board do? Our alarm went off when my wife was pregnant and after a few minutes standing in the garden the gas board bloke arrived, switched off our gas, hit the alarm with a hammer and dropped it into a bucket of water.

 

[DCLane]

Agreed - both MiL and FiL last week were saved from CO poisoning by having a carbon monoxide alarm.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Glad you are safe.
We had the one which pretty much saved my life back in September last year - though I knew something was wrong because my asthma started to play up for no apparent reason and I started to look around for the cause. I spotted the CO detector flashing red - but not sounding an alarm, that meant lower levels of CO over a greater lenght of time. I remember picking it up off the top shelf (ideal location because they should be 12" below the ceiling) at which point it started to flash red & sound the alarm as well.
Cut a long story short - I ended up in A&E with carbon monoxide posioning unable to make myself understood because my speech was slurring badly. I still have some issues working out how to say words if I am tired. I can think them clearly, but not actually say them - so online comms is now much easier than actually talking to people face to face!

1 point to all those with CO alarms but who have not really read the instructions... There are 3 levels on mine - it is not a straight forward on/off for the alarm like a smoke detector.

Flashing Green = OK
Flashing Red, but no audiable alarm = CO present in smaller quanitites, but still dangerous (conditions vary from alarm to alarm so read your manual).
Flashing Red, and audible alarm = CO present in higher levels.

 

[ianrauk]

Have always one up in the house.

 

[jugglingphil]

Don't have one at the moment, but after reading this thread I think I'll get one on the way home. Thanks.
Glad you and your family are safe.

 

[BSRU]

Eee gads! Out of interest what did the fella from the gas board do? Our alarm went off when my wife was pregnant and after a few minutes standing in the garden the gas board bloke arrived, switched off our gas, hit the alarm with a hammer and dropped it into a bucket of water.

We have an oil boiler, so I ran down stairs turned the boiler off then opened all the downstairs doors and windows, the CO meter reading went to 0 in about ten minutes.
At that time everyone upstairs was safe as the bedroom CO alarm did not show any readings for CO at all.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm glad that you are all okay.

So if you have a boiler in your house get a CO alarm, or two, we have the second upstairs in the room above the boiler, for added safety.

Seconded!

 

[goo_mason]

My ex gave me one for Christmas 3 years ago, which was rather considerate & thoughtful of her!!

Sits in the hall cupboard next to the boiler, and thankfully so far the only time it has started beeping is when the battery needs changing.

 

[Fab Foodie]

need to get on way home .....

 

[snapper_37]

Thanks, this thread has reminded me that I took the batteries out of ours a couple of weeks ago (giving off a low batt audible alarm) and didn't replace them. Also, thanks SNSSO - I didn't realise what the different level of alarm were.

 

[Maz]

Any brand recommendations or are they much the same?

 

[BSRU]

Any brand recommendations or are they much the same?

I have two fire angels, the ones with a display, no experience of any others.

 

[ColinJ]

Many of you may have missed it in the Tea? thread, but @phil_hg_uk was protected by his CO alarm recently - link.

 

[lulubel]

If you have a woodburner, it's also important to have at least one CO alarm because a blocked flue is just as dangerous as a faulty gas appliance.

For most people, the symptoms of CO poisoning are very similar to flu.

Best not to ask me how I know this.