CO alarms today

This is my 3rd year heating w/ the Hyfire II using a SWG power vent. This morning for the first time my CO alarms went off. Glad we had them - and glad I'm a light sleeper. In the past, the stove has shut down automatically as designed to do when excess gas has built up - it didn't shut down this time. Anyone have any idea how gasses may have built up w/out triggering the stove to shut down as in the past?

I was going to shut it down and give it all a good cleaning today anyway - have probably burned almost a ton of coal already this year.

My baro is close to the stove, then about 5 foot of pipe leading to the powervent. No problems in the past.

Am going to borrow a manometer today and do more searching this forum for possible causes, but any opinions/ input would be appreciated.

Glad you and your family are okay.

Have you replaced your CO detector since you first installed it? Also, does it have a digital readout?
If so, what was the reading?

Excellent post to show the need for multiple CO alarms!!

They probably saved the lives of you & your family!!

If you have a readable co det. such as the "Kidde" model KN-COPP-3, you can press the peak button and it will tell you the highest level of co you had. Would be nice to know. Incidently the manual says to place the det. at least 5' from the stove.
It also tells you that it will go into alarm with 100ppm of co for 20 minutes. It takes 3200 ppm for 1/2 hour to do real damage (as in your now dead). Thats according to the book anyway.

Hope you find where its leaking from, that can be unnerving.

The Blocked Flue Switch (200 degrees) probably didn't get hot enough to trip the stove, since the PV was still running, but, there was definately enough leaking out of the vent or baro to set your alarm off. Something wasn't working properly. ??

Gonna finish the maintenance while I have her shut down, recheck the seals one last time, and restart her today.

I have a CO alarm on each level of the house - basement, first, and second floor. All different models. None digital - but I've got my eye on moving in that direction. The basement one came w/ the stove - 3 yr old. The other 2 are due to be replaced - 7 years old. The alarm on the first floor issues a "warning" beep for 4 seconds every 3 minutes when it detects levels starting to rise above a certain point.
The basement and first floor ones triggered. The basement one is about 20 feet from the stove.

Funny thing is the first floor one triggered first, then the basement one some time later.
If that's not a case for having one on every floor of your house, nothing is!

Are your kids saying you are hard to buy for at Christmas and are asking what you want??? If you don't have a detector on each level, give them the hint. You think they are never going to trigger, until they actually do.