possible CO problem

I had a smoke detector go off last night about 10pm and,,,no smoke in the room??? then I remembered about the nasty gas CO. I have never smelled smoke in the house except after iv had the stove open for loading.

I had my dad look at the stove today while I was at work and he said the joints around the elbow need cement on them.

Is that possible that cement will stop CO from coming out of the pipe? I dont think it will.

I have no idea what my draft is but, I know that cigar smoke would pull right into the secondary air intake so it had negative pressure.

Could the detector be going bad? Iv bought a new CO detector and will install it tonight.

My wife and I have had the symptoms of CO (nausa, headache, hungover feeling) in the past but, it never registered what they were. We spent the night at my mother-in-laws house last night I'm not willing to risk the lives of my family.

CO is colorless and odorless.

Yes, CO detectors go bad, the sensors are good for 5-7 years. Read the manufacturer's instructions, they usually state how long they are good for.

I recommend spending the money for one with a digital readout. They can tell you a lot more than one that just alarms at setpoint.

My unit went off one night and I couldn't understand the display until my eyes focused and I realized I was reading "LB" upside down. LB meaning "low battery".

CH, you got some homework to do before you do kill that whole family of yours.Now, ask anybody, my social skills are somewhat lacking, soo, I'll do my best here.What the hell is wrong with you. Coal burning 101, plus about 1 million posts stressing the effects of CO & the importance of having CO alarms in the house--I have 3 batt. operated myself. 2 in the stove room & 1 at bedroom door. I hit the test button every month. You got smoke in the house???? Do you open your damper when filling stove?? I'm sorry if I've come off a little GRUFF, but, you're screwing around with something that can kill you. Sorry, no offense meant.

I should have been more clear this is a photoelectric smoke detector hard wired to 110 vac.

It never occured to me that I didnt have a CO detecor Iv got two smoke detectors one ionizing and the photoelectric. No offence taken on the gruff death is not to be taunted.

The only smoke in the house was coming from the lit end of my cigar I was trying to figure out if i had any draft.

The stove has a damper that is operated by the door.

Time to get on the straight and narrow...get yourself a CO detector with a digital readout for the stove room, and an alarm unit to put by the bedrooms.

Take the stovepipe apart and check for flyash in the flue collar, pipe, thimble, etc. If all looks good, reassemble and seal the seams. Closely monitor the CO reading the next time you fire the stove.

Please explain your chimney construction, it may be too large or short to provide good draft in mild weather.

I brushed the chimney in February I'll take another look at it. The chimney is about 10 feet overall of 6 inch prefab with one elbow.

What is the hung-over feeling? Please be carefull nothing to mess with. I just went through this with my freind.

10 feet? Far too short in my opinion.

The hung over feeling is nauseous, headache, feeling drained, just not feeling good.

Its about 55* outside and when I hold a lit lighter to the secondary air it pulls the flame in. So I think the draft is adequate, I think.

I'd start with your Dad's idea & go from there. Sounds like draft is good.

I have a 26 foot metal chimney with my furnace in the basement, and my draft has reversed twice - partly because it was warm outside both days and partly because basements tend to have a natural negative pressure. I fixed the natural negative pressure by installing vents to the outside thru my coal chute door that I open at will. I agree with Rob, 10 feet is way too short to depend on a natural draft, especially above 40 degrees outside.

I think you catch the drift on the CO detectors they can and will save your life in the event of a draft reversal. Carbon Monoxide is undetectable by us humans. Don't depend on the faint sulfery smell to alert you of a problem, it won't wake you up if you are sleeping. Oh um, you may not wake up at all....

Another point I didn't see mentioned, everyone with a hand fired should have a manometer permanantly installed to insure that you have a draft and to see when its getting close to zero. Trying to watch smoke get pulled thru the joints in your chimney doesn't tell you how close to a draft reversal you are.

I commend your effort on spending the night at a relatives house, Good job!

My metal chimney is short...
But goes much higher than the ridge of the house...
'Bout 5' over...
Draws plenty 'O draft...
Each chimney is different the only way to tell is to use a...
Manometer...

Get a draft gauge (manometer) to Make sure you have CORRECT draft. just because you have SOME draft that pulls you lighter flame, doesn't mean you have ENOUGH draft when it burning hot or at idle.

Back to the orginal concern.

Yes, smoke detectors go bad also. The recommendataion is to replace them every 10 years. Also, dust can cause false trips and should be detectors should be cleaned.

See attached consumer bulletin.

I have digital readout CO detectors on each floor. It shows the current reading (usually zero), and with the push of a button, the highest reading since it was last reset. I check the one on the wall near my stove every time I go downstairs. On warmer days, it sometimes gets a reading.

The biggest advantage of a digital reading is that it will show even a very small amount of CO presence. The simple "beep when it's bad" usually don't start beeping until just below the 'fatal' stage. About 2 years ago, I came home to beeping digital CO detectors, but the other CO detectors didn't sound off. The readings were in the 40s on the detectors, and I had a woozy dog.
Had I not had the digital detectors, I would not have been aware of any problems other than a sick dog.

I also have a problem in that I am hard of hearing. Fortunately, I keep my bedroom unheated and a window open all year. About 2 weeks ago, I opened the door to the hallway and was greeted by a chirping CO detector on the hall ceiling. I heard nothing in the bedroom with my hearing aids out. Good thing I keep the window open...