Bitaemo
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Canadian
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2009
- Messages
- 266
Hi everyone,.
I wanted to express to everyone how important it is to own a CO detector in your home. This $25 device can save your life, your children, and your pets.
Yesterday morning at appx 4:30am, I woke to hear 4 beeps repeating. I arose out of bed and went to the furnace room and found it was my CO detector going off. I tried to reset the unit, replace the batteries, etc, but the unit kept going off.
So I called my gas company, Manitoba Hydro. They said I sounded coherent enough on the phone, but these CO Detectors generally don't have false alarms. I should wake everyone up and get out of the house. They would be there within 30 minutes to investigate.
5 minutes later fire trucks pulled up. Apparently Manitoba Hydro called them. They checked out the basement with their portable meter and said we could go back into the house and put the kids to sleep upstairs were it was better ventilated. Less then 30 minutes later (Now 5:20am) Manitoba Hydro showed up.
He said most of the house was 30ppm which is considered safe and normal. However my basement where my older daughter sleeps was a different story. Outside the furnace room door it registered at 400ppm, (Lethal in 3-5 hours) and my furnace was outputting 1000ppm (Deadly in less then an hour)
My house was served an inspection notice and red-tagged by the Gas/Hydro company. I have 30 days to have everything serviced and certified clean or the gas company will shut off service to my home for being unsafe.
Hopefully everything will be ok, the furnace / boiler is 5 years old so maybe just needs a good cleaning. I was told its possible the top vents were clogged and as such wasn't venting properly causing this. I cant get anyone out for the life of me to come look at it, but hopefully that will change. Its getting cold in the house with no heat! (64f)
Wrapping up, I want to say how easily this can sneak up on you. There truly is no smell, and no indication of a problem. Besides the CO detector.
If you don't have one, go buy one right now. Best to buy an AC adapter one I was told, and if possible a battery backup as well.
My old one has a place of honor in our house now. In a wood frame. No joke.
I wanted to express to everyone how important it is to own a CO detector in your home. This $25 device can save your life, your children, and your pets.
Yesterday morning at appx 4:30am, I woke to hear 4 beeps repeating. I arose out of bed and went to the furnace room and found it was my CO detector going off. I tried to reset the unit, replace the batteries, etc, but the unit kept going off.
So I called my gas company, Manitoba Hydro. They said I sounded coherent enough on the phone, but these CO Detectors generally don't have false alarms. I should wake everyone up and get out of the house. They would be there within 30 minutes to investigate.
5 minutes later fire trucks pulled up. Apparently Manitoba Hydro called them. They checked out the basement with their portable meter and said we could go back into the house and put the kids to sleep upstairs were it was better ventilated. Less then 30 minutes later (Now 5:20am) Manitoba Hydro showed up.
He said most of the house was 30ppm which is considered safe and normal. However my basement where my older daughter sleeps was a different story. Outside the furnace room door it registered at 400ppm, (Lethal in 3-5 hours) and my furnace was outputting 1000ppm (Deadly in less then an hour)
My house was served an inspection notice and red-tagged by the Gas/Hydro company. I have 30 days to have everything serviced and certified clean or the gas company will shut off service to my home for being unsafe.
Hopefully everything will be ok, the furnace / boiler is 5 years old so maybe just needs a good cleaning. I was told its possible the top vents were clogged and as such wasn't venting properly causing this. I cant get anyone out for the life of me to come look at it, but hopefully that will change. Its getting cold in the house with no heat! (64f)
Wrapping up, I want to say how easily this can sneak up on you. There truly is no smell, and no indication of a problem. Besides the CO detector.
If you don't have one, go buy one right now. Best to buy an AC adapter one I was told, and if possible a battery backup as well.
My old one has a place of honor in our house now. In a wood frame. No joke.
