Husband thinks we don't need a carbon monoxide detector aibu?

[Jasmine29]

It's just part of a long list of things we don't agree on. I'm the sensible (boring!) practical one and he's the immature doesn't think things through one. He seems reluctant to spend any money on the house but will happily spend it on himself. We both work full time and I don't have a problem with him treating himself but whenever I suggest buying things for the house it always ends in an argument. We've lived together for 8 years and I'm fed up of this always being an issue. The carbon monoxide detector has just pushed be over the edge! I'll end up getting one myself (and fitting it, that's another thing, he doesn't do diy) but I feel so resentful 😐

MyGuideJools it was gas our cooker that went (and started emitting CO, despite having passed a gas safety check earlier that year), and due to the layout of the house, the cooker was a long way from the boiler; the alarm near the boiler never went off.

The one advantage of the cooker failing is that it isn't on continuously, and rarely when you're asleep, so it isn't as dangerous, but I'm glad we found out!

Have experience of carbon monoxide, very frightening. Please get an alarm with a display showing how much is in the air. A large amount will kill you in a short time, a small amount could kill you over a period of time.

I used to keep mine near the boiler, but boiler repair guy told me to keep it in the bedroom. I do, though with hindsight I'm not sure how much sense that makes, as boiler is almost always off when I'm sleeping anyway.

For goodness' sake - is it worth dying over. Go and get a carbon monoxide detector now. Do not sleep another night in your home without one.

I haven’t rtft but please get one OP, in our last flat our detector saved my life, it went off and I rang the guy who did the gas safety check for the landlord (13 day previously) who told me to ignore the alarm and to switch it off, potentially deadly advice which I didn’t follow and Northern Gasworks came out when I rang and condemned our hob, despite the alarm I still ended up in hospital through the incident though it could’ve been fatal.

In our case the hospital believe we may have a had a slow leak for a number of months (based on symptoms of DP and I) but it developed into a big issue, please don’t risk your lives OP

I have no idea if dh thinks a CO2 monitor is needed or not, I just bought one and stuck it up. If he didn’t think it was needed he wouldn’t even mention it, the fact one of us wanted a very cheap safety device is enough, no discussion required.

An elderly couple I knew died due to CO poisoning when they had their gas heater on full blast and all the vents blocked as they hated draughts.

My own boiler was cut off six months ago and given a cert of non-compliance: after a house renovation it had been incorrectly (dangerously) reinstalled. I had thought my beeping monitor was cheap faulty, but it was right. I had it in my utility room, so not a room I would spend much time in, except when ironing - but the consequences of me ignoring it could have been dire. The boiler service was two years overdue, and it was the text reminders that guilted me into getting it checked.

In Ireland there was a case a few years back of a dad and two kids who died peacefully watching Tv as they had thrown plastic packaging on an open fire and just fell asleep from the fumes. Also in Ireland, criminal proceedings were taken against an installer when a hotel guest died and another became critically ill when overcome by fumes from a radiator.

Silent killer, truly, Invisible, but a monitor can save your life. For a tenner.

www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/crisp-bag-in-chimney-blamed-for-fumes-that-killed-dad-and-children-26806224.html

Glad you've bought some alarms.

In January this year I started to feel tired all the time. It gradually got worse and worse to the point I would be falling asleep on the sofa within half an hour of getting home. I then started to get awful dizzy spells, I have low blood pressure and initially thought it had gone lower until one day I went so dizzy I had to crawl from the living room to the kitchen - I couldn't walk as I was bouncing off the walls. The dizziness, nausea and inability to walk (I either had to crawl everywhere or cling onto walls) got so bad I thought I had vertigo and was in the verge of ringing the DVLA to put my driving license on hold.

One Friday I noticed the boiler was unusually hot, I then glanced through the small window (the boiler is located in a really stupid awkward place) and saw the flames were bright orange and there were small sparks flying about in there. It had an odd smell of burning metal too. I immediately switched the whole thing off and got a gas engineer round the next day.

Transpires I was being slowly poisoned by carbon monoxide. God alone knows how my OH and our son weren't affected but thankfully they weren't and were both fine. Our boiler had the most major service ever and the gas engineer showed me the outside flue which had black smut reaching three foot up the outside wall.

He bought and fitted a carbon monoxide alarm for us for £20.

Thankfully the alarm has not gone off and I returned to feeling normal after around a fortnight.

Anyone faffing about thinking about buying an alarm, just buy one.

They’re cheap and can be free standing. I have two. Didn’t discuss with DH, just bought them - what’s to discuss?! Glad you sorted it.

They are in the Aldi sale at the moment - reduced forkm £19.99 to £5.99 I think.

Can someone clarify then that I still need one if the boiler is outside? Our engineer said it wouldn’t be needed but now I might get one anyway!!

OP you are totally right and your DP is being an utter wanker. Just ignore him and get one. He is a fool.

Mrscog - why not get one anyway? Cheap and covers all bases, even neighbours venting in through your windows, so for a tenner or so why not?

Yeah I probably will - no neighbours close enough to worry about venting, but I think for peace of mind I’ll just add another piece of clutter to the house!!

Agree with op. They are relatively cheap. Just get one for every floor of you house. We’ve had ours for a few years and they’re still ok (we check on a semi regular basis). Safety first!

I made my husband go out and buy one at 7pm at night when I'd had a headache for a few days- I was horrified when I realised we'd forgotten to fit them when we moved. Luckily we were fine but yes gobout and get one. We also bought a small fire extinguisher too after I had a small fire in the kitchen which I had to put out with a washing up bowl of water. I'd say a small extinguisher or fire blanket are also good to have just in case

Please buy a CO alarm to EN 50291 from a reputable supplier. It could save your life. However, you should also have all your appliances properly installed, regularly maintained, ensure adequate ventilation and have the CO alarm as an extra safeguard as they are designed not to alarm until you have been exposed to 30 parts per million of CO for 120 minutes. That doesn't sound much CO but you are better off not being exposed to any CO or as little as possible. Also a CO alarm will not sound if you are exposed to other products of combustion.
Please remember it's CO NOT CO2. CO is carbon monoxide (one atom of carbon to one of oxygen whereas CO2 is one atom of carbon to two of oxygen).
Please do buy a decent alarm not a black spot detector for hopefully obvious reasons.
Even if you are all electric it's a good idea to have a CO alarm as the CO could come from next door, flat above or below etc.
If you are detached, what about your garage? Do you ever leave a car inside the garage with the engine on and doors closed?
Do you ever, or could you use a barbecue indoors?
Please watch our one minute film about Sue who had carbon monoxide poisoning – could save your life www.co-gassafety.co.uk/one-survivors-story/
I hope you are well aware carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas - can't be sensed using human senses & less than 2% of CO in air can kill in 1-3 mins.
www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/hid_circs/technical_osd/spc_tech_osd_30/spctecosd30.pdf see Para 74 table 23 page 26
12800 ppm immediate effect, unconscious after 2 to 3 breaths, danger of death in 1 to 3 minutes.
Please note that 12800 Parts Per Million of CO in the air is less than 2%
Please also see our leaflet www.co-gassafety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Leaflet-08.02.17-atom.pdf & see part near the end in green re the Corfu case.
Please also see www.co-gassafety.co.uk/about-co/prevention/

Great post - can we use this for our press pack/report?
My email is [email protected]
My name is Stephanie Trotter

Sorry - bogged up was trying to message Woobedoo I think - the one who had the CO poisoning experience.

I can’t believe the number of people who think it isn’t absolutely essential to have these. Two teenagers near me died in their home a couple of years ago from CO poisoning. With a proper alarm these types of deaths are so preventable.

To me they are essential..specially as we have been in two properties where we have had carbon monoxide pissing out of a boiler. The first time was a rented property and the gas man told us it was only because I always opened the window first thing that we hadn't been more ill. As it was DS was a 3 month baby and would always wheeze when I bought him downstairs...we were frequently more tired than we should of been.

Next time we moved into a house with a three year old boiler that hadn't been serviced...and while you cant smell CO, I could smell that the boiler wasn't burning correctly and could see the soot and an orange flame

@COGasSafety it may be better to send @Woobeedoo a direct message (click Message poster under her post).

My husband is a gas engineer and I'm always devastated by the stories of death that carbon monoxide poisoning can leave. One case was an almost an entire family, wife, her parents all died, think the husband survived.

Just get one.

Those that think an annual service of your boiler is enough are sadly mistaken.

He's an idiot, @Jasmine29. My parents and sister nearly died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. They only survived because my mum was woken up by my sister vomiting, and realised there was a problem so woke my father (with great difficulty).

Had she not woken up, they would all have died - no question about it - and I would have been left alone, at age 17.

It is worth it, for peace of mind, imo.