CO detector scare

Leo

I once went on a plugged oil boiler call. The man said the CO detecter had gone off about 3 AM. I specifically asked and he said NO, the Smoke detectors never went off. He has firefighter background and the Fire Dept was called when it happened. By the way the detectors that went off were UL so God only knows what the readings were.

Leo

Rich Ferris

CO detector creates service call

On call tonight. Get ready to take off for my youngest son's first soccer practice. Told my wife that I'll take the work truck with me just in case. As history proves itself I usually get the calls when I'm not in the truck. Oil Boiler in the house that I cleaned two months ago. Everything in spec at cleaning. 11.8 CO2, O-T , -.02 O.F. and -.04 Breech. W/M at 85%. Customer calls tonight the detector is reading 19. First thought Low Battery. But that would be lb and 97 or 91 upside down. Now reads 27. It's only the 2nd floor of a cape. Daughter's room. I asked her on the phone how old the detector was. 10 Years. Hmmmm. What about the other floor. They have detectors also 10 Years old not changing at all. No funny odors. I told her that the shelf life was long exceeded and she should get new detectors. I told her that If she would feel more comfortable that she should turn the Boiler off at the switch. She tells me that she had a problem 10 years ago with the flue and boiler, the CO detectors they just bought after seeing a program on TV were going off. She called the F.D. and they had a blockage. So there I go off to the rescue of the CO detector gone mad. Daughter's Hair products, perfumes and parrafanela all around the unit which is plugged in and at 3 Ft from the floor on the 2nd floor. I found the spot due to the burn mark on the wall from the unit overheating. Hmmm the Chemical Factory and the Age probably did it in. But I still did the complete combustion check on unit and went around the house looking for another source. Just to be safe and so the lady could sleep. After all that the boiler is still in tune and history repeats itself in the FERRIS FAMILY TREE.(WHERE IS DAD HOW COME HE ISN'T HERE) GOT TO LOVE THIS BUSINESS. Well the nighthawks are going to trash (all three) hopefully and My Home Depot stocks are going up (Just Kidding). They really should put the word out that the detectors are not plug em in and forget about them and that they should be replaced periodically. Had to Vent.

Thanks, Rich

J.C.A._3

.....

Got a sharpie? Make it ugly enough that they will look up at it every now and then. The flashing lights just don't make enough of a statement...and the "beeps" just make people mad.

Ask some how the numbers,that were being shown "just didn't matter" on the units that were installed. That's what it always says...They were old, but not replaced...

I don't know the answer...but I DO know that homeowners need to be MUCH MORE informed of the lifespans of their CO detectors...and need to check on them when purchasing them. I had one couple buy them, for their own safety a few years back, and the expiration date on the unit was only 2 years after the purchase.

There has to be a better way. Chris

Mitch_6

Don't forget

you cannot just condemn the source of co from the boiler there are so many other things that can set an alarm off.

Some funny, some not so funny.

Had similar scares myself, some times you laugh some times you grab your chest.

Mitch S.



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Rudy

Also remember

If the alarm is UL approved, it is prohibited from ever, ever displaying or alarming below 30 ppm. Between 30 and 70 it can display but is prohibited from ever, ever alarming.

If it is displaying or alarming within these ranges, there is something wrong with the alarm...

Rich Ferris

Thanks for the information

As a primarily Oil Service Contactor, CO isn't a big Service item and rarely have I seen an Oil Burner set off the CO detector. Makes you wonder if the really work since I've been to many plugged boiler that left the house inhabitable untill the unit was serviced and all the windows were opened for a long time. It's that time of year in CT for this type of crap.

Rich

Mark Hunt

Also


opening windows when you have a plugged boiler or blocked chimney will turn the house into the chimney. You think you are doing good when in fact you are doing bad.

An alarm on ANY CO detection device is reason enough to evac the dwelling. Until a trained pro gets in there to test with equipment that actually tests for CO, assume the worst. "Could be dead batteries" might translate to "guaranteed dead occupants".

You are correct that CO alarms should not be trusted past 5 years. That does not mean 5 years from date of purchase, it means 5 years MAX from date of manufacture. Beer has a "born on date", CO alarms do not.

The manufacturers of UL approved CO alarms have changed the warnings on their products. UL2034 has not changed and neither have the alarms that meet the standard. The operating instructions with the older units warned people that the alarms offered no protection for elderly, children and folks with chronic illnesses. They don't say that any more. Now they tell you to consult your doctor if you think you may have special needs. They do not mention what those "special needs" might be. That's up to you to determine. Good luck!

I do not sell nor will I recommend junk CO alarms. Anything that complies with UL2034 is junk. J U N K!

The NSI3000 is THE BEST CO monitor available today followed by the CO Experts unit. Literally everything else is JUNK. I'd rather a person buy a canary rather than a UL listed CO alarm. Problem is, the canary will not make a sound before it dies from CO poisoning. And neither will the people in the house. Or the first responders on the scene. Or the second responders on the scene.

I do not want to insult you, you went when most would not. Do not think that oil fuel does not make enough CO to kill people, it does. That shaker bottle test is useless for determining CO. It simply doesn't test for it and is therefor useless. CO is a product of incomplete combustion. I can make it with an electric toaster. CO only enters a dwelling when it has no place else to go or it is easier to go through the dwelling. All of these things can be tested.

The question is ARE they being tested?

In most cases.............no.

Mark H







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