CO Monitor Goes Off
- coaledsweat
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 13767
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
- Location: Guilford, Connecticut
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
- Coal Size/Type: Pea
Ummmm, breath is CO2, not CO.
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
So it is. I had just reflected back on O2 sensor low reading alarm test, I guess... but car exhaust is still not a "test' for proof of functionality of a CO detector folks.
How do you test a carbon monoxide detector?
Many can be tested using the following steps:
Find the test button.
Press and hold the button for a few seconds.
Listen for the beeping that tells you the device is working.
Release the button.
Change the batteries or replace the alarm immediately if it fails the test.
Step 1 - Install the Carbon Monoxide Detectors Correctly
Make sure all your carbon monoxide detectors are correctly installed, at least one per floor of your house, and more than 10 feet from carbon monoxide sources.
Step 2 - Test Each CO Detector for Proper Function
Press the 'Test' button on each CO detector to ensure it is drawing electrical power. It will emit high-pitched, loud beeping, usually louder than a smoke detector.
Step 3 - Test Digital Readout CO Detectors With a Low Level CO Source
To confirm that a digital readout CO detector is detecting carbon monoxide, test it with a substance that will emit low levels of the gas, such as a lit cigarette or a lit incense wand. As you move the cigarette or wand within eight inches of the CO detector, the digital display should change to register the presence of carbon monoxide. If the CO level detected is below 70 parts per million (ppm) the alarm will probably not go off. Should you have small children or people with respiratory problems living in your home, a level as low as 30 ppm can make them feel ill. Be sure to install at least one digital readout CO detector in your home.
Step 4 - Use a Carbon Monoxide Detector Test Kit
Carbon monoxide detector test kits can be purchased where you buy your CO detector. They include a small container full of gas at a high CO concentration, usually up to 1000 ppm, and a plastic housing that you put around the detector for the test. The alarm will certainly sound during this test, so be prepared. However, this test proves only that your carbon monoxide detector will respond to a CO level well beyond the lethal range.
Step 5 - Know When Your Carbon Monoxide Detector Will Sound an Alarm
A CO detector approved by UL, the Underwriters Laboratory, will sound an alarm when concentrations of CO reach 70 ppm and remain steady for one to four hours. The alarm must sound within 10 minutes to one hour of constant CO levels of 150 ppm. At 200 ppm, the alarm must activate within half an hour. Your CO alarm must buzz within 15 minutes of a CO level of 400 ppm. An air concentration of CO above 400 ppm will be fatal within three hours.
Never ignore a carbon monoxide alarm, even if you're unsure of whether the alarm is valid. Get everyone in the house outside, and open all the windows near the detector to reduce the CO concentration in the air. Call 911 for emergency services and contact your local gas company.
-
- Member
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 21, 2014 6:48 pm
- Location: berks county pa.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby
- Coal Size/Type: Nut anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil
Just thought I'd mention something I noticed a few weeks ago.
Every once in a while when it gets a little warmer outside. Around 50 to 60 degrees. I sometimes get an alarm from one of my co monitors on my second floor closest to my chimney. I always open my windows and air out of course. I'll crank up the stove to get a stronger draft and just regulate temps by opening windows.
My stove is on my first floor and I never have had my first floor detector go off. I was beginning to think my 150 year old brick lined chimney that is built into a 2' thick stone wall was possibly leaking and was dreading about having to try and solve this problem. My chimney looks like it is in very good condition though.
Then one warmer and moist night while burning wood I went outside with all my houses security spotlights on and noticed something unbelievable.
The smoke from my chimney was rolling out of my chimney then down my roof and then down the wall to a lower roof and then almost to the ground like a rock concert fog machine!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing!
I Realized that the same thing is probably happening while burning coal but never could see it because of no smoke.
I now think that my drafty windows, eve vents and ridge vent were allowing the flue gases to enter my house and set off the detector in that one room.
Every once in a while when it gets a little warmer outside. Around 50 to 60 degrees. I sometimes get an alarm from one of my co monitors on my second floor closest to my chimney. I always open my windows and air out of course. I'll crank up the stove to get a stronger draft and just regulate temps by opening windows.
My stove is on my first floor and I never have had my first floor detector go off. I was beginning to think my 150 year old brick lined chimney that is built into a 2' thick stone wall was possibly leaking and was dreading about having to try and solve this problem. My chimney looks like it is in very good condition though.
Then one warmer and moist night while burning wood I went outside with all my houses security spotlights on and noticed something unbelievable.
The smoke from my chimney was rolling out of my chimney then down my roof and then down the wall to a lower roof and then almost to the ground like a rock concert fog machine!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing!
I Realized that the same thing is probably happening while burning coal but never could see it because of no smoke.
I now think that my drafty windows, eve vents and ridge vent were allowing the flue gases to enter my house and set off the detector in that one room.