Get A Carbon Monoxide Alarm!

[Plax]

I burn coal. Surely I don't need one for that? My house is well ventilated judging by the draughts that come through the windows and front door at least.

 

[Night Train]

I think I should get a new CO detector. It's manufacture date is 2011 usable to 2019 but it isn't behaving.
It has been silent, and showing zero with a green function light, on its display so I have assumed that it is reading a zero CO.

I pressed the 'test' button, as recommended, and it beeped once.
Then it alarmed reading 271ppm!

OK! Opened the windows, left the room with the alarm trying to silence it, put it out of an open window and after several more alarm activations it went back to zero.
I returned to the room and the detector continued to read zero. Ok, so maybe the air is clear.
Pressed the test button again and it beeped once and then alarmed reading 271ppm! More and several resets outside and it went silent and reading zero.
Left it a while and then went to my GP appointment, leaving the windows open.

I returned to a freezing cold room and the detector still displayed zero. I pressed the test button and it beeped once, then it alarmed again reading 271ppm.
I waved it out the window and reset it again. Brought it back in and it reads zero.

I put it outside and pressed the test button. As above it beeped once and then alarmed at 271ppm.
I reset it and brought it back inside where it still sits next to the boiler reading zero.

OK, I can't trust it now.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I think I should get a new CO detector. It's manufacture date is 2011 usable to 2019 but it isn't behaving.
It has been silent, and showing zero with a green function light, on its display so I have assumed that it is reading a zero CO.

I pressed the 'test' button, as recommended, and it beeped once.
Then it alarmed reading 271ppm!

OK! Opened the windows, left the room with the alarm trying to silence it, put it out of an open window and after several more alarm activations it went back to zero.
I returned to the room and the detector continued to read zero. Ok, so maybe the air is clear.
Pressed the test button again and it beeped once and then alarmed reading 271ppm! More and several resets outside and it went silent and reading zero.
Left it a while and then went to my GP appointment, leaving the windows open.

I returned to a freezing cold room and the detector still displayed zero. I pressed the test button and it beeped once, then it alarmed again reading 271ppm.
I waved it out the window and reset it again. Brought it back in and it reads zero.

I put it outside and pressed the test button. As above it beeped once and then alarmed at 271ppm.
I reset it and brought it back inside where it still sits next to the boiler reading zero.

OK, I can't trust it now.

can I suggest you read the instructions - it may be that the test function fakes a reading of 271ppm to force an alarm!

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I burn coal. Surely I don't need one for that? My house is well ventilated judging by the draughts that come through the windows and front door at least.

Yes you do.

 

[Night Train]

can I suggest you read the instructions - it may be that the test function fakes a reading of 271ppm to force an alarm!

Done that.
In a table of functions it shows that it will display a random number around 200ppm when the test button is pressed and will sound the beeper.
For a true alarm it will do as above, with the ppm reading and flash the red alarm light as well.

This is flashing the red alarm light when I press the test.




Edit: Hmmmmmm, right at the end of the instructions there is an addition for the model I have that says the test response is as I have experienced!
Just tried it again and it is choosing a random reading of 219ppm now for each test!



Ok, as you were, nothing to see here.

 

[Arch]

I do hope when I'm next over, you'll give me a demonstration of you doing

 

[Night Train]

I do hope when I'm next over, you'll give me a demonstration of you doing

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
No!

 

[coffeejo]

Edit: Hmmmmmm, right at the end of the instructions there is an addition for the model I have that says the test response is as I have experienced!
Just tried it again and it is choosing a random reading of 219ppm now for each test!



Ok, as you were, nothing to see here.

 

[ColinJ]

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

Best not to ask me how I know this.

Too true! I thought I had caught a flu bug, and just sat in front of my dodgy fire getting more and more poorly as the days went by. The CO poisoning turned my mind to mush. I was thinking so slowly that I didn't actually realise what was going on until I woke up after blacking out.

I became slow witted again from lack of oxygen last summer due to clotting and I thought it was a bug that time too, until I'd blacked out again!

Hmm, there's a bit of a trend developing here ... The next time I get seriously whoozy and feel like I'm going to die, I'm going to assume that something really nasty is going on and not wait until I black out again - I might not wake up next time!

 

[ColinJ]

It just struck me that I haven't been feeling great the past few days and I've been sat right in front of a wall-mounted gas heater most of the time. Of course, my CO alarm was in a different room ...

I've just put some fresh batteries in it and mounted it next to the heater. All seems to be okay, but better safe than sorry, eh?

Ah - I've just been reminded of why I hated having it in my other bedroom - a bright green led flashes once or twice a minute to show that it is working and that used to wake me up when I was having problems sleeping. Bit of duct tape soon sorted that out!

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Ah - I've just been reminded of why I hated having it in my other bedroom - a bright green led flashes once or twice a minute to show that it is working and that used to wake me up when I was having problems sleeping. Bit of duct tape soon sorted that out!

Blimey it would need to sprout a large mallet and beat me repeatedly over the head to wake me up

 

[summerdays]

Ok, as you were, nothing to see here.

At least you tested it - this thread prompted me to go and check mine .... and realise that I don't know where it should be positioned and what the actual warning thing is etc. (It's a Fire Angel? and a green and red light went on and off and it beeped).

 

[ColinJ]

Blimey it would need to sprout a large mallet and beat me repeatedly over the head to wake me up

I've been sleeping a lot since I got ill but normally I'm a light sleeper, and when I'm stressed, a borderline insomniac. It's why I drank so much beer!