CO detector accuracy

gman

check other gas units in house(stove)...

allen h

CO detector accuracy

We have a 3 level townhouse built 17 years ago. Top floor has 2 bedrooms and full bath; second floor has living space which is living, dining, kitchen; and the first floor has a large room which is 11 * 18 feet with full bathroom. Also on this first floor is a utility room which has HB Smith direct vent gas boiler & 40 gallon direct vent gas water heater (possibly rheem).

The people that rented it have decided to use first floor as a bedroom. When they did this they purchased a CO detector. The first night the alarm sounded so we upgraded to a 50 dollar unit from local hardware store that has a numerical display. We had elevated levels of 95 overnight, called in a capable plumber and found slightly elevated levels. He siliconed (manufacturer told us to) the aluminum flue box to where it met the cast iron coils. His machine said no leak and read a zero. All was fine for a week when we were called again for a 50 reading and brought in same plumber. He found nothng wrong. He also turned up thermistat on the water heater to check that also and found nothing. As a precaution we installed a fan in the can which runs when boiler is on. Now we have a call that it scored a 90 overnight last night.

We are going in there tomorrow (window is open a tad and no one is sleeping there tonight). We are going to replace the door to the utlity room tomorrow with a very tight one.

The question is: has anyone ever heard of these detectors going off on other things? Like perfume or sitting next to the cold window? Just how accurate are these things? And do they have lots of false alarms? We will add the same type of detector tomorrow so we can see if they both track together.

TIA.

Allen

Unknown

CO Detectors

can alarm with a lot of different things. I would suggest you have a professional combustion expert to check this house. Do not let anyone stay there until it is given a clean bill of health. There is definitely something wrong. Is there any other equipment that burns a fossil fuel? Is there a garage attached which could allow exhaust fumes to enter the home.

The equipment needs to have a full combustion analysis done.

You also need to have a pressurization test done on the house.

If you need any more information send me an e-mail and I will try to get you some help.

steve_6

CO

I agree with Timmy , something is wrong. Call your fire department or your local gas company right now! Have them check your house and try to recreate the problem. Do you have an attached garage? and were you running a car inside it during or around any of these times that your detector was alarming? Where do you have your detector located. Has anyone felt ill in the house , headaches, sick to their stomaches ect. flu like symptoms? Don't take any chances

Glenn Harrison

Here's some thoughts

First, I would like to say that putting an air tight door is just going to lock the CO in the utility room, which then means that the utility room could become a death trap for the first time someone goes in the utility room!

Second, since this is a utility room, is there a gas dryer in the room, or else where in the home? If so, the vent may be plugged, holy, or disconnected.

Do you have a gas stove/cooktop/range? This is another source of CO.

Is there a fireplace, and has it been checked recently?

Third, where is the detector installed. Is it in the room with the boiler and water heater? If so it may be affected by too much heat. Also, are there any chemicals (laundry soaps, fabric softners, bleach etc.) near the detector?

Do you have an attached garage? If so is there any correlation between the detectors going off and a car being driven in/out of the garage?

Is there other homes attached to your townhome? The CO may be coming from another unit if this is an attached multifamily situation.

Last, do you have a sump pump with a battery backup pump? The battery could be leaking acid fumes which would set off a detector also. You also might want to check all the sewer lines and ejector pumps. A leak of sewer (methane) gas will also set off a CO detector.

Repeating what has been said, DO NOT let this go. Get it figured out, and don't let your tennants stay until the problem is permantly resolved. You are ultimatly responsible for the lives and health of your tenants.

And by the way, don't trust having a "window open a tad" as a way to prevent the CO in the house. This is a false scence of security.

Glenn Harrison Residential Service Tech

Althoff Industries Inc. Mechanical and Electrical Contractors

Crystal Lake, Illinois