Carbon Monoxide - please make sure you have an alarm people it is so so important!

[Ozuye1981]

I?ve not posted here before ? but really wanted to get a message out to everyone ? and make something positive out of a complete tragedy. I?m a new mum and have found the advice on here so useful so wanted to give something back.

Tuesday would have been my big sister's 33rd birthday ? her death two years ago from carbon monoxide poisoning has had a devastating impact on my family and I can?t help feeling if she?d read a post like this she?d have known the dangers that we can all face in our homes and, most importantly, would have been able to take some action.

My sister died as her boiler was faulty ? if she?d have had an alarm she?d have been warned of this silent danger and would have been able to do something about it. So many appliances in the home can emit this gas if they are put together wrongly or not serviced - even camping lamps or BBQs - but one of the most common killers is what we all have in our homes - a boiler. I want to make sure I keep my baby warm and safe ? it is terrifying to think we could all have something in our houses which can do such damage.

So please musmnetters make sure you have an alarm, get your boiler serviced regularly and take an alarm with you when on holiday. Make sure everyone you know does too ? it really can save lives.

[The3Bears]

Thank you, this thread just reminded me to get one I kept forgetting but have ordered one straight away of amazon. We have our boiler checked annually but it doesnt mean it's safe and not worth the risk at all.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

What if boiler isn't in the main house?

When it was in the kitchen we had the indicator dot things. Boiler now moved to garage which is part of the house but with no connecting doors (ie have to go outside to get into it).

Do I need an alarm?

[MoreBeta]

Yes you need one in your garage. If your garage in unventilated CO could easily build up in there.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

But surely my guinea pigs would be my detector .

Although it isn't constantly ventilated door is regularly open to dry washing in tumble dryer.

We are only ever in and out of garage, to feed guinea pigs and load/unload guinea pugs.

[dogsagoodun]

I feel really strongly about this. A couple of years ago a friend of hours nearly lost both his parents to carbon monoxide poisoning. They were found just in time (both had lost consciousness). As a result of this we bought one and the day before my daughter was born it went off. The strong winds had pulled the flue from the wall and the fumes had been building up through the night. Luckily we were okay. The alarm could very well have saved our lives. I shudder when I think of the what ifs? Please everyone, make it a priority to get one of these today!

[madasa]

I have to do an order today from Amazon...will add an alarm to the order.
Thank you for your post...is something I have been meaning to do but somehow never get round to.
So sorry to hear about your sister.

[anniewoo]

Sorry for your loss. I agree. Our carbon monoxide alarm alerted me to the fact gas fire had not been turned off properly and carbon monoxide was present in the kitchen/ living room lately.

[abas]

I just want to add my voice to those above after having lost my daughter from CO poisoning. Please think about getting an audible detector even if you don't have a gas boiler because you can be poisoned by Carbon Monoxide coming from your adjoining neighbours' properties via shared flues or chimneys and also through brick walls. Open fires and gas cookers also can produce CO - as can camping heaters for the tent which aren't assembled properly. Please keep safe and think about elderly relatives too.

[MoreBeta]

I am terribly shocked and saddened by this thread. So many people with loved ones who have died from CO poisoning.

Do building regs specify CO detectors in new build homes? I don't think so?

[Rootle]

Have just ordered a detector after reading your post and am emailing my close friends and family to encourage them to do the same. Feel government should run a campaign along the lines of ones for smoke detectors to raise the profile of this danger.

[StitchingMoss]

Ozuye, your sister lived just up the road from us - such a tragic case. There has been a lot about it on the local news, and I know your family and your sister's widower have done so much to raise awareness.

We have always had a CO2 monitor, but constantly remind our friends to get one now.

A tragic loss for you all x

[MoreBeta]

By the way everyone its a CO (carbon monoxide) detector you need in the home not a CO2 (carbon dioxide) detector.

They are two quite different gases but can both be lethal.

[StitchingMoss]

sorry MB, I knew that , never was very good at science, but I do know it's MONOxide and not dioxide.

[MoreBeta]

Stitching - sorry I was't picking you up on it. I know it was just a typo.

I had a friend who died in a grain silo of CO2 poisoning (fairly common on farms) so I know CO2 detectors do exist as well and didn't want people to get sold the wrong thing.

[TunipTheVegemal]

I didn't know CO2 detectors existed.

I once got very annoyed about a thriller where the hero supposedly smelled carbon monoxide.
It's a colourless odourless gas FFS! That's one reason why it's so dangerous.

[MoreBeta]

There are CO2 detectors and are very important in beer cellars in pubs. Many landlords have walked down the stairs into a beer cellar full of CO2 from an accidentally discharged CO2 canister and died.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderstood]

just also thought I would add that if you have a caravan please make sure you have one in there. It was in a caravan where I lost my Aunt and Uncle & family.

[ilovesprouts]

i have 2 one upstairs/downstairs

[abas]

Please make sure you explain to your children when they are old enough about the dangers of CO. There is a CO charity which has a painting competition each year for 10/11 year olds, asking them to design a poster. It is a useful way of getting the message across at an early age without frightening them. Hopefully, when they go to uni or on gap years abroad, they will automatically think of taking a detector with them.

[wandawings]

I do have one but I have just spread the word on my FB status. So sorry for your loss.

Our's recently went off. I left the property with my daughter, went to a friend around the corner and called the number posted above. Within an hour, someone came to see if our boiler was dangerous. Luckily, I had been daft and moved the detector too close to the boiler when rearranging furniture and the device had got too hot thus setting it off. No CO leaking but I was so glad that I had the device and had heard it in action as it gave me a dummy run with my daughter should it ever go off for real.

[bobbledunk]

So sorry to hear about your sister and thank you for posting this. I've been meaning to get one for ages, reading this thread has made me realise how serious not having one can be. Will get one tomorrow.

[BerylStreep]

We have one, but I probably need to get another 2. Thanks for the reminder.

[befuzzled]

I've bought 2 more for our house as our exiting one was old and you made me realsie we need one on each floor - thank you

[Letitsnow99]

Got the warning that this is a zombie thread, if only it was so easy to bring back loved ones lost to CO