Another thread about fire detectors reminded me about the importance of Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. Please, please, please – see that your home and the homes of your loved ones – have a working CO detector.
We have them on all floors of our home. About 5 years ago during the spring, about 9PM, my wife and I were in the living room reading/watching TV. We heard a dull “thump” but couldn’t place it. About 15 mins later, our CO detector goes off in the basement. To ensure it wasn’t a false alarm, I quickly go down and check it out. This monitor is in our laundry room which also has the hot water heater and furnace. It wasn’t a false alarm and the readout was very clear – “danger, you need to evacuate!”
I alerted everyone and we and our dog got out of the house. I called 911. In our municipality, they send our an emergency response car with one individual for CO calls – just to make sure not to call out the fire dept in case of minor issues or misreads. The person pulled out his monitor and entered our front door with me behind him (the family was sitting in the driveway in our minivan). His handheld monitor went off the chart and he didn’t take another step forward. He backed away and called in for the fire trucks. They came and entered the house in full respirators, opened up the windows and laid out enormous fans that started drawing out the CO from the house.
The emergency first responder said he’d never seen such a high reading and that he and his wife had just moved into a new home and he hadn’t installed CO monitors. He said after his shift, he was going to Walmart to get them before going home!
The firemen came out and told us that some scaling build up inside our chimney had fallen and clogged up the CO vent from our hot water heater. That was the earlier “thump”. The hot water heater was going full bore due to laundry, dishwasher and some showers that evening. The CO couldn’t vent and flooded the home.
After the house was cleared, I went inside and plugged my CO monitor back into the wall. It was surreal but I was holding in my hand a device that literally just saved the lives of me and my family! We would have been in the next day’s TV news.
Please, please, see that you and your loved ones have working CO detectors. I mean today – go out and get one if you don’t have it.
I am getting one for my D’s apt. Do they allow a CO monitor in the airplane? I could buy one when I am visiting but,I’d remember better if I took one with me.
interesting - we bought one last week after we were reading how starting in 2017 you cant sell a house or rent an apartment in our state without one. We figured if they were that important, we should have one. Your situation was scary. So glad it turned out OK.
Wow! So glad you are ok. I know we have combination smoke alarms/CO detectors, but not sure if DD’s apartment has the same. I will be sharing your story.
Our CO detector went off back in 2008, when we were putting an addition onto our house. It was the coldest December that oldtimers could remember, so we had a heater sitting in our basement, blowing air on the newly poured foundation. One of the basement walls had been removed, so we thought there was plenty of ventilation. Nope! The detector started going off, so we got everyone out quickly. So it can happen to anyone, even engineers who should know better!
I own a heating company so this is near and dear. Please be aware also that smoke and CO detectors have a limited lifespan - check the expiration dates while you’re thinking about it! When we were changing batteries in my own home this spring we realized they had all expired - 10 new smoke/CO alarms is a tiny expense relative to the peace of mind!
We got an alarm once, when our furnace heat exchanger cracked and an incorrectly installed pipe vented the CO into our house. I have heard enough stories to make a working CO detector a top priority.
Most CO detectors sold within the past 10 years or so have visible and audible warning when they reach their end of life. They used to say battery units were useless, that you should get units that are either hardwired (likely a dual smoke detector/co unit) or plug in, but I am not seeing those warnings any more. They also tell you not to have the CO detector close to a stove or in a furnace room, shouldn’t be in a humid location like a bathroom or where there is a lot of dust and grime. I have a wired smoke detector system in my house (interconnected), eventually I may to go dual co/smoke detector for at least 1 unit/level, but right now I use plug in units.
Are CO detectors needed where there is no heating, like HI? I can’t figure out what the CAo source around here would be, other than BBQ, which is done outdoors and WELL ventilated.
D just moved in a small house with a wall heater. One of the first things I did was to buy her a CO detector. I didn’t search for one elsewhere in the house, but thought it would be a good idea to put one in her room. Replaced ours at the same time because I know it’s older than 10 years (although there’s not been any end-of-life warning chirps).
@HImom Do you have gas appliances or an attached garage? If the answer to either is “yes,” it would be prudent to install a CO detector.
@HImom, I found your question interesting so I did more research. Is there ever the possibility of liquid-fueled space heaters (kerosene or propane) being brought in? Do you have a wood burning fireplace or wood stove? Even if outside gas-fueled vehicles, BBQs, etc. are well ventilated, are they up or downwind?
HIMom, you are likely ok without one. Although if you want to get one, Costco sells them for about $40 or so. Ours did register a very, very low level of CO when Mr. B idled the car in the garage for 3 min (the exhaust pipe was pointing towards the open double door. He will never do that again.
