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Original poster

Carbon monoxide alarm has just gone off

112 replies

Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 21:04

It’s the ventilate symbol that’s flashing. I’ve opened the windows. What do I do ?
dh is really blaze says it might just be the glue that he’s been using today to fit the new wood floor but I’m worried I’ve candles lit and the log burner on.
I’ve no idea about co2 other than it’s a silent killer.

OP posts:
Helenahandkart · 09/04/2023 22:39

Coffeellama · 09/04/2023 22:31

But why if you don’t think they are reliable?

Show quote history

Just giving my own opinion, based on my own experiences.
On three occasions I have had a carbon monoxide detector tell me that carbon monoxide is present. On each occasion an emergency engineer has told me that they cannot detect any carbon monoxide but that they are required to shut down my gas supply. I have then had to pay for a gas safe engineer to visit and reconnect my gas supply after they confirm that it was a false alarm.
I now have three detectors in the same room, and if only one of them goes off ( as it has on one occasion) I assume that it is yet another unreliable detector giving a false alarm. No one has died from carbon monoxide poisoning on my watch.
Gas Safe engineers have discussed with me how often the detectors give a false alarm. They can’t be relied on.

SprinkleRainbow · 09/04/2023 22:39

I got jolted awake in the middle of the night by mine last year, I thought it was the fire alarm to begin with! By the time I was awake it had stopped and I was very freaked out. I didn't call the gas engineer as I was a bit like 'Did that really happen?' but when I had my annual gas check the next month the engineer replaced it with a more reliable model.
Always call the gas people, at the very least your monitor may need changing and its a false alarm.

User639762456 · 09/04/2023 22:41

We have two monitors in our boiler room in case one gives a false alarm then both should go off

eurochick · 09/04/2023 22:42

If he's been fitting flooring could he have put a nail through a gas pipe or knocked out a joint?

Stravaig · 09/04/2023 22:44

I’ve gone outside and into his man cave now with the dog and asked him to call them. Hopefully he will.

YOU call. Why on earth would you abdicate responsibility for your own safety to a man hiding out in his man cave? You better not have children in the house!

Coffeellama · 09/04/2023 22:44

Stravaig · 09/04/2023 22:44

I’ve gone outside and into his man cave now with the dog and asked him to call them. Hopefully he will.

YOU call. Why on earth would you abdicate responsibility for your own safety to a man hiding out in his man cave? You better not have children in the house!

It’s her hiding in the cave… rather than calling. But hopefully she’s called them by now.

GCWorkNightmare · 09/04/2023 22:45

tinyblackcat · 09/04/2023 21:56

I had a friend who died of CO2 poisoning.

Please call the emergency number.

Carbon dioxide? 🤔

Quisquam · 09/04/2023 22:48

We have had carbon monoxide poisoning, because a cap was not put back on a hole, on a pipe coming off the boiler. It allowed carbon monoxide to discharge into our kitchen. We had a carbon monoxide alarm; but apparently doses below the alarm level can still affect people. It’s best to have a monitor with a digital display, we found out afterwards.

Singapore4 · 09/04/2023 22:48

bigbluebus · 09/04/2023 21:42

The OP hasn't said that she's got gas. Why would she ring the gas network?
I've got a Carbon monoxide monitor but there's no gas within a few miles of my house. The monitor is for the log burner. If it went off I'd call the chimney sweep ASAP.
My DM had a monitor which went off when she was in hospital. The neighbour heard it when he was picking up the post. He called British Gas who did come out and said it was a fault with the monitor. We got a new one from B&Q

You do call your gas supplier. I had one of these fitted recently and he told me to do the same. You have them fitted by law for a reason. OP must have a gas boiler.

Helenahandkart · 09/04/2023 22:48

eurochick · 09/04/2023 22:42

If he's been fitting flooring could he have put a nail through a gas pipe or knocked out a joint?

That would cause a gas leak, but wouldn’t set off a carbon monoxide alarm. They’re two different things. You can smell a gas leak, but carbon monoxide has no smell.

Whiteroomjoy · 09/04/2023 22:49

Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 21:29

It’s not beeping now. Dh has closed the windows to see if it goes off again. I’ve asked him to call the number but he seems to think it’s a false alarm. Ffs

Before you leave it, make sure you dust it carefully, and check the battery.
sometimes spiders web, spiders, or even just dust can interfere with detectors.

Aerosarethebest · 09/04/2023 22:51

GCWorkNightmare · 09/04/2023 22:45

Carbon dioxide? 🤔

Show quote history

Carbon dioxide can also kill you.

User639762456 · 09/04/2023 22:52

Singapore4 · 09/04/2023 22:48

You do call your gas supplier. I had one of these fitted recently and he told me to do the same. You have them fitted by law for a reason. OP must have a gas boiler.

Show quote history

It's only law for landlords to fit monitors in rental properties not private owners.

cocksstrideintheevening · 09/04/2023 22:58

Mine goes off when the batteries have gone. Is it mains or battery?

Original poster
Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 22:59

I’m the one in the man cave with the dog.
He has called the number and we are now waiting. Dh thinks it must be the log burner .
we had lit it about half an hour before the alarm went off and the alarm is right near it. Central heating hasn’t been on all day, we haven’t an alarm near the boiler.

dh is now mad with me because he says he could have just turned the gas off himself and got someone out to check the log burner tomorrow or whatever but with me insisting we call tonight now we have to wait etc. He says he could have taken the alarm to near the boiler and figured out where the problem was himself. As usual I am a drama queen ..at least I won’t be a poisoned one..🤬
thanks for the advice.

OP posts:
Original poster
Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 23:00

Meant to say , we did reset it and it went off a second time.
Again it was the warning one , to ventilate ,
so low level at least.

OP posts:
Chockybiscuit · 09/04/2023 23:03

It's helpful to understand that CO alarms are different from smoke alarms. They are activated by a combination of CO concentration and time. Important to be wary of just silencing the alarm.

"The higher the concentration, the faster the alarm will respond. For example, the alarm will respond to concentrations of about 70 ppm in as little as an hour but will respond to concentrations of 400 ppm in as little as four minutes"

home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/air-freshener-dangers.htm

Hoppingmad231 · 09/04/2023 23:03

lljkk · 09/04/2023 21:10

meh, mine goes off when nothing at all is happening in the house. Weird devices.

Erm maybe get your boiler checked how odd that you think its normal and would ignore a deadly warning.

Amethystanddiamonds · 09/04/2023 23:07

Ours went off last winter. Fortunately we took it seriously as the boiler had packed in and was emitting quite a lot of CO. Better safe than sorry. We've never had any of ours go off until there was actually high levels of CO.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 09/04/2023 23:09

Just call the number. Why have you got detectors if you are not going to react to them?

NotDavidTennant · 09/04/2023 23:11

Central heating hasn’t been on all day, we haven’t an alarm near the boiler.

If the central heating hasn't been on then the CO can't have come from there. Probably your log burner doesn't have enough airflow.

Coffeellama · 09/04/2023 23:16

Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 23:00

Meant to say , we did reset it and it went off a second time.
Again it was the warning one , to ventilate ,
so low level at least.

You’ve done the right thing, even the poster who thinks they can’t be relied upon said to call if it went off again, it’d your DH that’s the odd one here. Hopefully they don’t take long to get there, has DH joined you in the man cave now?

JudgeRudy · 09/04/2023 23:26

Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 21:29

It’s not beeping now. Dh has closed the windows to see if it goes off again. I’ve asked him to call the number but he seems to think it’s a false alarm. Ffs

While he's at it ask him to touch you hair irons and see if they're still hot, or maybe fry up a few of those toadstools from the garden.

@Kialla advice is good. Ring the number and ask for advice. If someone comes out and there's no issue that doesn't mean you weren't right to ring. You won't see or smell it, you'll just feel a bit chilled, then sleepy.....then dead!

Newnamefor23 · 09/04/2023 23:30

Put the log burner +candles out, turn off CH boiler, open windows.

Call gas emergency number - they’ll have more about them than a chimney sweep and are a 24 h service.

Chat with them, see what they suggest. Act on that not us on here.