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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:
PriamFarrl · 09/04/2023 23:31

As said above, why bother having an alarm if he won’t act on them.

Skyeheather · 09/04/2023 23:54

Ours went off last year - we called the emergency number and someone came out very quickly. We were told to open all windows until they arrived.

Turned out it was a fault with our boiler. They cut off our gas supply to ensure that we didn't use it until it had been looked at by a qualified engineer. They did leave us an electric heater and electric hob to tide us over.

Boiler got condemned. You can't ignore the alarm, better to be safe than sorry.

My DH was like yours though, changed the batteries in the alarm and thought everything would be fine!

Mirabai · 09/04/2023 23:59

Have you moved the CO monitor to the boiler to check it?

Ducksxinarow · 10/04/2023 00:03

We need an update OP.

Sleepyandconfused · 10/04/2023 00:34

The number of people saying just open the windows or that it’s probably a false alarm. Why would anyone ignore something that could literally kill them?

EasyPeelersAreNotSatsumas · 10/04/2023 00:40

When mine went off it was my fault as I'd left the ash bucket inside rather than take it outside immediately as I normally would.
I was shocked when the engineer who came out told me that.

snowymountainsandahotchocolate · 10/04/2023 00:55

She's obviously not going to call anyone out to check, otherwise she'd have done it by now. I hope you've not got children in the house OP. If you have then you're so bloody irresponsible

Codlingmoths · 10/04/2023 01:01

I’d absolutely have called, ignore your dh!

Codlingmoths · 10/04/2023 01:03

snowymountainsandahotchocolate · 10/04/2023 00:55

She's obviously not going to call anyone out to check, otherwise she'd have done it by now. I hope you've not got children in the house OP. If you have then you're so bloody irresponsible

She said that she has called. I personally think if you’re a responsible parent you should learn to read unless there’s a learning difficulty, but each to their own.

LuluTaylor · 10/04/2023 01:04

EasyPeelersAreNotSatsumas · 10/04/2023 00:40

When mine went off it was my fault as I'd left the ash bucket inside rather than take it outside immediately as I normally would.
I was shocked when the engineer who came out told me that.

People camping have died from putting the remains of a portable barbeque in the tent then going to sleep after. Maybe it's not common to know about the CO in these situations.

SoCunningYouCanStickATailOnItAndCallItAFox · 10/04/2023 01:18

Co is produced from incomplete combustion. It binds to your red blood cells in preference to oxygen so your body can't uptake oxygen. You don't feel like you're suffocating because you are still able to respirate your co2 out (which is actually what causes you to be desperate to take a breath if you hold your breath, not because you aren't breathing in oxygen)... But you are suffocating and that's why you die.
Never be dismissive of a co alarm.

snowymountainsandahotchocolate · 10/04/2023 01:25

@Codlingmoths I do have a leaning disability

Codlingmoths · 10/04/2023 02:53

snowymountainsandahotchocolate · 10/04/2023 01:25

@Codlingmoths I do have a leaning disability

So then why would you jump into threads and have a go at people? When you don’t know if they’ve called or not?

Abraxan · 10/04/2023 03:28

When DD's went off in their student house they called the gas people out, who attended quickly at no cost to them.
The gas people turned the boiler off and it had to be checked. They weren't allowed back in the house until the boiler was cut off and checked out for safety. A new part was fitted the following day.

lljkk · 10/04/2023 04:59

Hoppingmad231 · 09/04/2023 23:03

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

Show quote history

And yet.. we survive. Maybe cat farts set it off.

Oil-fired boiler that barely comes on so that wasn't source. Log burner had finished hours earlier. I have a big house & the alarm was far from the bedrooms. 5am so not pleasing to be woken for false alarm. There was a smell about the place I couldn't identify.

User639762456 · 10/04/2023 06:50

I would get a second monitor to put near your boiler if it's in a different room, OP, if you haven't got one. One won't be sufficient for both rooms especially if the doors are shut

Coffeellama · 10/04/2023 06:57

lljkk · 10/04/2023 04:59

And yet.. we survive. Maybe cat farts set it off.

Oil-fired boiler that barely comes on so that wasn't source. Log burner had finished hours earlier. I have a big house & the alarm was far from the bedrooms. 5am so not pleasing to be woken for false alarm. There was a smell about the place I couldn't identify.

Show quote history

Have you considered getting a new alarm?

SoCunningYouCanStickATailOnItAndCallItAFox · 10/04/2023 07:30

Log burners often continue with partial combustion processes long after they look out. Probably you do have co.... It just hasn't been deadly, you can be breathing in co and be fine to a point, you won't even feel it. In your situation I'd ventilate regularly after your burner has been used.

QuintanaRoo · 10/04/2023 07:50

This is why I say you should have two alarms. I had one alarm, went off in the middle of the night I was sure it was faulty as I thought all the gas was off (in a caravan). I chucked it outside for a bit, brought it back in, went off again, in the end even the I still thought it was faulty I turned the gas off at the bottle. Went back to sleep.

went into town got a second alarm, went for a walk, had terrible stomach pains. Came back to the caravan, both alarms now up and the gas back on, felt really tired and fell asleep. Woke up to both alarms going off! Finally realised there was a problem.

monsteramunch · 10/04/2023 08:04

@lljkk

Why on earth haven't you got a new alarm if this is an ongoing occurrence? I don't understand. It's dangerous not to have a working, reliable one.

IAteAllTheTomatoes · 10/04/2023 08:13

What is the point ofor having a potentially life saving device and then ignoring it?

Far better to act on a false alarm than die.

Coffeellama · 10/04/2023 08:54

QuintanaRoo · 10/04/2023 07:50

This is why I say you should have two alarms. I had one alarm, went off in the middle of the night I was sure it was faulty as I thought all the gas was off (in a caravan). I chucked it outside for a bit, brought it back in, went off again, in the end even the I still thought it was faulty I turned the gas off at the bottle. Went back to sleep.

went into town got a second alarm, went for a walk, had terrible stomach pains. Came back to the caravan, both alarms now up and the gas back on, felt really tired and fell asleep. Woke up to both alarms going off! Finally realised there was a problem.

This suggests having 2 alarms is a bad idea. Because you ignored it when only one was going off and became unwell as a result, only listening to it when you bought a second one and both went off. If the leak had have become worse or small children were sleeping near the leak it could have been far worse.

Have a decent carbon monoxide alarm installed in the recommended place, if it goes off call the gas number immediately as advised, if it turns out to be a false alarm be happy and buy a new alarm as you now no yours is faulty. Simple.

deplorabelle · 10/04/2023 09:03

lljkk · 10/04/2023 04:59

And yet.. we survive. Maybe cat farts set it off.

Oil-fired boiler that barely comes on so that wasn't source. Log burner had finished hours earlier. I have a big house & the alarm was far from the bedrooms. 5am so not pleasing to be woken for false alarm. There was a smell about the place I couldn't identify.

Show quote history

It sounds like you have a device emitting a very low level of CO. Most of the time there's enough air flow to dissipate it before the alarm triggers but when the air is still for long enough it's enough to detect (eg 5 am when nobody has been moving about and there's no heating stirring the air).

Please get your oil boiler and log burner serviced. One of them has a low level fault.

AgrathaChristie · 10/04/2023 09:14

Elasticatedwaist · 09/04/2023 21:40

No I can call them but dh thinks I’m over reacting and i quite often am so wasn’t sure. I’ve gone outside and into his man cave now with the dog and asked him to call them. Hopefully he will.
would it be leaking from a gas central heating pipe ?

Could be anything from anywhere.
Neither you or your DH is a qualified gas engineer so how would you know and how would you fix it?
No point in having alarms if you don’t act on them.
Overrule your DH, call the emergency number. They will sweep your house with detector thingies.

Butterfly44 · 10/04/2023 09:19

You did the right thing calling. Many men (I'm generalising) think we fuss too much. My hubby is the same. Trust your instincts. Better safe than sorry