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See my post above, that is not the way they work. You would need a very high concentration which can accumulate such as you would have a in a closed space. If you're setting it off you shouldn't be where you are at because you're going to be incapacitated in a short time.
They have to accommodate things like gas stoves that give off a little CO, if you were to try you're experiment for a few hours, days or even weeks you'll set it off eventually.
Thank you that is interesting. I think that these things are just not what I am looking for.
If I have enough CO2 that the detector on the cieling is getting the equivalent of a direct blast from a car exhaust. I want it to go off now. Not in a week or three days or even an hour. If someone leaves my stove on and natural gas is flowing out into the house, I want an alarm now. Not in an hour. I will probably not live to hear it go off in an hour.
If my fireplace chimney is leaking fumes into my house. I need it to go off in a few minutes, not in a few hours or a week. We will have suffocated by then.
I guess they just do not make what I am looking for in a CO2 detector. I am not interestedin a device that will notify me that I have died.
And yes, there are CO detectors that monitor low and high levels of CO. But these are more expensive. Carbon Monoxide | CMHC
Quote:
Choose a detector with a memory if you want to monitor long-term, low-level exposure and short-term, high-level exposure. Even though product standards do not allow manufacturers to display low levels of CO, these units monitor and store this information. Peak levels, no matter what the level of concentration, can be viewed by pressing a button.
I guess they just do not make what I am looking for in a CO2 detector. I am not interestedin a device that will notify me that I have died.
If CO detectors were to go off every time you had any CO in the house no one would use them because they would become very annoying pretty quick. The other issue is "crying wolf", people are going to ignore them at some point. A lot of people have issues now where they are going off and being annoyed because it's not really a dangerous situation. We used to have this farm house back in my younger years that was basically used for a party house that we'd get packed with people drinking, smoking and having a good time. The CO alarm would go off every time if you had 30 people in there during the cold weather with the windows closed. If it's not going off it hasn't reached a level where you can be given ample warning about impending danger.
For example suppose we have a concentration that is going to kill you over a twleve hour period, I don't know what the exact time frame is but lets say it will go off if that concentration level is achieved for 1 hour. You still have 11 hours to hear the alarm and get out of the house....
If you want absolute readings they do have ones that will give you the concentration level and I'm sure they must have ones you can have custom settings if it's that much of a concern for you.
Where are your CO detectors? I have a combo smoke/CO detector. At the time, the store didn't have a stand-alone CO detector for purchase.
So high on a wall or low to the ground? If I am remembering correctly, CO sinks and builds up from the ground up. My CO detector directions say to hang it high I think because of the smoke detector. I already have smoke detectors in the kitchen and hallway by the bedrooms (small house ~1200 sq ft).
My gut is telling me to hang it low to detect CO better. Thoughts? Suggestions?
If CO detectors were to go off every time you had any CO in the house no one would use them because they would become very annoying pretty quick. The other issue is "crying wolf", people are going to ignore them at some point. A lot of people have issues now where they are going off and being annoyed because it's not really a dangerous situation. We used to have this farm house back in my younger years that was basically used for a party house that we'd get packed with people drinking, smoking and having a good time. The CO alarm would go off every time if you had 30 people in there during the cold weather with the windows closed. If it's not going off it hasn't reached a level where you can be given ample warning about impending danger.
For example suppose we have a concentration that is going to kill you over a twleve hour period, I don't know what the exact time frame is but lets say it will go off if that concentration level is achieved for 1 hour. You still have 11 hours to hear the alarm and get out of the house....
If you want absolute readings they do have ones that will give you the concentration level and I'm sure they must have ones you can have custom settings if it's that much of a concern for you.
Just like our smoke detectors. If they go off, everyone covers heir head with a pillow and waits for dad to find the false alarm and reset it. Actaully right now almost all of them are disconnected. I need to put them back up one of these days and let them start annyoing everyone again.
I understand now why CO2 dectectors work they way they do. I just do not find them useful like that. My main concern is that my fireplace chiminey may start leaking or someone may lave the gas stove on. Either way I want an immeidate alert. If it goes off a day later, I will have no idea why it went off. the really old plug in one that we found in the garage gives a red out of the CO2 levels at all times. However I do not know what a high level is, so all I can do is watch for a change. That one does work pretty well as far as alarming if you hold it in a car exhaust or in the smoke from a fire.
I don't have one. Guess I should. Like others have mentioned, we gave up on our smoke alarms years ago because the ear piercing false alarms.
What emits CO2? Any gas burning appliance that is unvented? So my boiler is vented, my dryer and oven aren't vented. Neither has standing pilots. Does that mean that they only emit CO2 when they're on? I guess the boiler could also emit C02 if the vent is clogged. Again, it has no standing pilot. I'm just trying to understand the risks. No fireplaces here, btw.
I don't have one. Guess I should. Like others have mentioned, we gave up on our smoke alarms years ago because the ear piercing false alarms.
What emits CO2? Any gas burning appliance that is unvented? So my boiler is vented, my dryer and oven aren't vented. Neither has standing pilots. Does that mean that they only emit CO2 when they're on? I guess the boiler could also emit C02 if the vent is clogged. Again, it has no standing pilot. I'm just trying to understand the risks. No fireplaces here, btw.
You mean CO, not CO2. CO is toxic. Yes, a CO detector is necessary for your home. For the smoke detectors, look for ones with photoelectric (not ionization) sensors. Photoelectric smoke alarms are less prone to false alarms, and have far superior detection capability of slow smoldering fires.
Where are your CO detectors? I have a combo smoke/CO detector. At the time, the store didn't have a stand-alone CO detector for purchase.
So high on a wall or low to the ground? If I am remembering correctly, CO sinks and builds up from the ground up. My CO detector directions say to hang it high I think because of the smoke detector. I already have smoke detectors in the kitchen and hallway by the bedrooms (small house ~1200 sq ft).
My gut is telling me to hang it low to detect CO better. Thoughts? Suggestions?
CO has nearly the same specific gravity of "air". It doesn't sink so anywhere in vicinity of the unit that is potentially emitting CO. Other than IMO is to have them wherever you might have natural air currents in the house like a stairway.
What emits CO2? Any gas burning appliance that is unvented? So my boiler is vented, my dryer and oven aren't vented. Neither has standing pilots. Does that mean that they only emit CO2 when they're on? I guess the boiler could also emit C02 if the vent is clogged. Again, it has no standing pilot. I'm just trying to understand the risks. No fireplaces here, btw.
Natural gas emits very little CO when the unit is operating correctly, they even have ventless gas fireplaces. The bigger concer with gas is if it malfunctions, suppose it's not getting enough oxygen and you'll get incomplete combustion which will produce a lot of CO. It will also produce a lot of soot potentially blocking the flue.... you can see where this is leading.
Natural gas emits very little CO when the unit is operating correctly, they even have ventless gas fireplaces. The bigger concer with gas is if it malfunctions, suppose it's not getting enough oxygen and you'll get incomplete combustion which will produce a lot of CO. It will also produce a lot of soot potentially blocking the flue.... you can see where this is leading.
Thanks! I can see where it's leading and how it's relevant to my situation. I'll go pick up a CO detector today.
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