Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (1 Viewer)

[DBK]

I may have a faulty detector......?

It is brand new, I think we got it from B and Q, can't remember. It is a model CO-FA-9B First Alert Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

It went off a couple of mornings ago and woke us from our sleep. I jumped up and opened all the windows etc, then started thinking...... nothing is on except the pilot light on the water heater????

So last night before bed I turned off all gas appliances. Nothing was on.
This morning we are woken by the alarm again. I could not turn it of!!! I removed the batteries and went back to sleep!!!
I am still not dead, so I assume we have no CO in the van, and a faulty detector!

Anyone have any clue what might be going on, or is it really as simple as a faulty bit of electrics?

Might also be worth removing it and keeping it in say a bedroom at home. See if it goes off there. If it doesn't then you must assume there is a problem in the MH - batteries gassing for example as suggested above.

 

[OddSocks]

Wow! Scary. Thanks for the help. Not sure what we can do now, in the middle of the Dordogne!!!!

Will experiment and see if I can reproduce the problem, as I can't remember which batter was being charged at the time. Or even if we were on a EHU....?

 

[Al1]

How can I tell if the Battery is gassing/ being overcharged?

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[PhilandMena]

A timely reminder Jim. I've just ordered this to replace my existing detector, now out of date.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002DR4K5O/?tag=mhf04-21

 

[DavidG58]

we bought these, not from this supplier we paid just over £20

http://www.safefiredirect.co.uk/smo...rchantcentre&gclid=coyvozohkcecfy_itaod9aoaja



they have a 10 year life, we also fit them in our buy to lets

what I like is the display, which also has a resettable memory allowing a useful look at any small CO recording that may not trigger the alarm

but yes a good prompt possibly the most important thing in our MH

 

[DavidG58]

How can I tell if the Battery is gassing/ being overcharged?

When near the battery and possibly anywhere in the MH you will have a bad egg smell, you will also hear it literally boiling and hissing if you close to it

Do not move it, disconnect charger (turn off at least) and leave well alone for a good few hours

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[John & Joan]

Possible problem with monoxide from Gasparini (now Telco) LPG 2 stroke generators.

We have one mounted under the van behind the rear axel. The exhaust for these just vents under the van. Last week while the generator was running the Alarm went off. I had had the exhaust extended to make sure it was well away from our Truma S3002 heater.

I have had the cover off the heater and can see daylight below the heater from inside . I can only presume as it was still that the fumes had built up under the van and entered through the gap and then distributed by the heat.

 

[GJH]

Bill's winter usage thread reminded me that I noticed yesterday that Asda had some Kidde CO detectors on sale for £12. No excuse not to get one at that price.

I posted the same in Bill's thread but it's so important it's worth saying here as well.

 

[Charlie635]

Just been to Aldi, they have carbon monoxide detecters for £13.99

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[tonyidle]

You have nothing to fear from a well maintained system. Get a professional to service your cooker, water boiler and heater. You should have a gas alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm fitted. Again take advice from a professional as to where these would best be located in your particular motorhome.

You are right, sleeping with a gas heater on, even a fully serviced one, is not really a good idea. They can quickly warm a van in the morning though

Why?

I'm totally confused by this discussion. Motorhome OEM heaters have no connection with the inside air of the MH. Combustion air enters from outside the van, is mixed with LPG in the room-sealed heater, burned, then exhausts outside the van. If the flue is partially blocked and/or the flame isn't burning properly CO will be produced and exhausted outside the van. If the flue is totally blocked the heater will go out. All this applies to water and warm air heating both of which are designed to be used at night.

The fridge (if it's burning with a yellow flame) will produce CO and has a rather 'informal' flue arrangement and flue gases could possibly find their way into the van. Ovens and hobs produce large quantities of CO2 when burning correctly and don't have flues. If either burn with a yellow flame they're producing CO so it's important they burn blue. And you wouldn't use either at night (I hope!).

Well-publicised deaths caused by CO poisoning are invariably caused by something brought into the living area or into somewhere connected to the living area - barbecues, open flame portable heaters, generators etc. I don't remember reading of a single case of poisoning by permanently installed OEM appliances.

 

[Puddleduck]

Why?
Well-publicised deaths caused by CO poisoning are invariably caused by something brought into the living area or into somewhere connected to the living area - barbecues, open flame portable heaters, generators etc. I don't remember reading of a single case of poisoning by permanently installed OEM appliances.

I'd still rather have a CO detector that take any risk however minimal.

 

[Jim]

Why?

I'm totally confused by this discussion. Motorhome OEM heaters have no connection with the inside air of the MH. .

Modern ones don't, but older ones burnt the flame right there in the motorhome with you. Hence why the poster I was referring to saw flames.

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[DavidG58]

I was just typing virtually the same, but using more words

when the original comment was written in 2007 there would have been even more still in use, but I bet a good few MH's in regular use have the more traditional wall mount fire

Anyway CO is invisible and odourless, just get a detector

 

[stevetracey]

Interesting reading and a must. What do you think of this? Do you think its worth the money or go for the battery operated ones?

Broken Link Removed

 

[TheBig1]

Interesting reading and a must. What do you think of this? Do you think its worth the money or go for the battery operated ones?

Broken Link Removed

if it works as well as described, an excellent addition to any van or home for that matter

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[JaG]

i already have a combined one similar to the one above as part of the Sol-Alarm system I fitted when I bought the caravan in 2011. It also picks up narcotics. Pity the company went bust a couple of years ago so I hope I don't get any problems with it.
The link above looks a good option if picks up narcotics as well.

 

[mjltigger]

• Within 5 feet of any cooking appliance or kettle.

So it goes outside the van then?

On a serious note of course this is why it's so important to get the right type of alarm. Just any old CO alarm or smoke detector isn't any good.. it has to be meant for the situation you plan to use it in.

 

[robarb38]

There is a very good one for sale in the classified section

As well as a really good quality cycle rack.

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[GWAYGWAY]

I sometimes lie awake staring at the little red flashing light wondering if it is going to go off any second, getting paranoid.
Does it flash as a working check? is it going but the buzzers bust? Must go and put three more in different place and get really worried in my sealed box with a gassing machine with me. I must not read these posts as they worry me too much.

 

[JaG]

I sometimes lie awake staring at the little red flashing light wondering if it is going to go off any second, getting paranoid.
Does it flash as a working check? is it going but the buzzers bust? Must go and put three more in different place and get really worried in my sealed box with a gassing machine with me. I must not read these posts as they worry me too much.

Believe me, there is nothing funny about being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes it happened to us and our lives were saved by the alarm - see the link below so you do not have to read all the posts.
The little red flashing light is a self test and an indication that you can see all is well. When the battery is going down it bleeps once every minute to tell you to change the battery. This goes on for a couple of weeks before it finally dies and is very loud so can be heard outside the van.
The narcotics detector's main use if for gas. Have a leak in the van that you cannot detect and it will do it for you. More likely to save you from an explosion than being gassed. These are not gimmicks - they are common sense additions.
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/carbon-monoxide-poisoning.2713/page-5

 

[GJH]

Believe me, there is nothing funny about being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes it happened to us and our lives were saved by the alarm - see the link below so you do not have to read all the posts.
The little red flashing light is a self test and an indication that you can see all is well. When the battery is going down it bleeps once every minute to tell you to change the battery. This goes on for a couple of weeks before it finally dies and is very loud so can be heard outside the van.
The narcotics detector's main use if for gas. Have a leak in the van that you cannot detect and it will do it for you. More likely to save you from an explosion than being gassed. These are not gimmicks - they are common sense additions.
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/carbon-monoxide-poisoning.2713/page-5

I remember that incident Graham. I didn't realise it was as long as 6 years ago though.
Certainly sound advice which everyone should follow.

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[JaG]

Yes, six years. Scary where time goes so quickly isn't it.
We have one Carbon Monoxide in the lounge at head level, one in the bedroom above the headboard and a narcotics at floor level next to the bed and air vents and at the kitchen end so picks up cooker, etc - just as safety caution as we caravan on the continent.

 

[jezport]

At the Newark show they were giving CO detectors away for free! All you needed was to have either students at home, had a pension age person at home or a disabled person at home.

 

[rosalan]

Not the best situation if you are trying to sell them....
Alan

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