How do I know if my CO alarm went off because of Carbon Monoxide?

[Safelincs]

Hi Kris, you need to check the replacement date on the unit. CO alarms last between 5 and 10 years.

Harry

[Guest mamagee]

On 23/11/2017 at 23:21, Guest Janiebsmith said:

We've just had an extension built and they came to do the floor screed today. Our CO detector went off late afternoon and my husband called British Gas who have since been and disconnected the gas supply, however, the detector has gone off again. A friend of a friend had the same experience when their floor screed went down - has any one else heard of this happening?

Just happened to us. Had floor screed laid this morning and CO detector going off intermittently this afternoon. We have all doors and windows open. Have been googling to see if this is normal and came across your question so thought I would reply, though I do not see any other answers that suggest this could happen. We are not on a main road and no traffic nearby. Wondering if it’s just chemicals being released by the fast drying screed which is tricking the monitor. 

[Guest Mamagee]

It went off again during the night. It’s located downstairs in the room that has had extension. We had living room door shut and alarm was blaring continuously waking us up. Brought it upstairs into our bedroom and shut the door. It has not gone off again. Think it’s definitely to do with the floor screed but not sure how. It is a plug in alarm. 

[Tom Sutton]

I know laying a screed can been dusty job so have you vacuumed the sensor that may be the problem.

[Guest Molliepopcorn]

Hi can anyone help please

around 3am this morning our co2 alarm went off my husband went downstairs and as soon as he turned the kitchen light on it stopped? 

Its a digital screen which showed a 0 on it and we all felt fine just seems strange??? 

Thanks 

[Safelincs]

Hi,

Maybe it was a short term spike. If it was a Fireangel digital CO alarm you can get a peak reading by pressing the test/mode button. This should hopefully also show zero.

Certain chemicals can also set off a CO alarm (new floor screed, vented car/boat batteries being charged etc).

Check the replacement date as well to make sure the alarm is not overdue for replacement.

What model alarm do you have?

 

Harry

 

[Guest Gigi]

Hi, 

So one of the CO detectors went off in my house and then went off again but my parents think it is faulty since the one downstairs did not go off. They brought the one from downstairs up to the first floor so that we could double check and it hasn’t beeped. Does that mean our house is CO free?

[Guest Charliecat82]

Hello

our Fireangel CO alarm went off at 5am this morning. We've got no heating on. It sits near a gas fire but that wasn't on and hasn't been for months. 

It was right next to an air freshener so could chemicals in that have set it off? And also the room has just been painted so could it be that?

i took it out of the room and it stopped and put it back in and it hasn't gone off since. 

[Guest Charliecat82]

I should also say it's also had new flooring in the last few days. 

[Guest Graham]

On ‎23‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 23:21, Guest Janiebsmith said:

We've just had an extension built and they came to do the floor screed today. Our CO detector went off late afternoon and my husband called British Gas who have since been and disconnected the gas supply, however, the detector has gone off again. A friend of a friend had the same experience when their floor screed went down - has any one else heard of this happening?

30th August 2018

Just had exactly the same problem after new floor screed went down earlier today!

 

[Safelincs]

Hi Graham

Yes, fresh screed seems to have an impact on CO alarms. This is something I only picked up quite recently.

Harry

[Guest Syd]

My alarm just went off and was sounding for about 30 seconds and then stopped.  I didn’t take it down to remove batteries it just stopped.  Explanations?

[Harry]

Hi Syd

Most likely it did its job and detected CO.  Sometimes there are spikes in CO (start up of boiler, gust of winds pushing air down a chimney etc)

Harry

[Guest Tania84]

Hi, I noticed my Kidde CO alarm flashing red checked the manual to see what it meant as Id not heard it sound an alarm. The manual stated that the red flashing indicated it had detected CO in the past 14 days and that it may have gone off whilst I wasnt at home. I had been out most of that day at hospital and doctors appts as Id been suffering health problems on and off for about 6 months. My mum called the gas board and they told me to turn the gas off and open all doors and windows and wait for a gas engineer to come. The guy turned up after 1.5 hours and didnt find any co readings in the flat (he also checked the flat above) but put an 'immediate danger' notice on the boiler. Mum insisted I go to a&e to get myself checked over, which I did and I was found to have very high CO levels and was put on 100% oxygen for 2 hours. This all happened Weds night. On Friday afternoon the company that maintain my boiler came out and tested the boiler and said it was fine and there were no leaks. When i asked why the CO monitor went off they said it could be faulty, and when i asked how that could explain the high CO levels I had they suggested it could be the vehicle I drive (its a 2017 Vauxhall Movano). Just wondering if its a coincidence that the monitor went off and the same night i had CO poisoning. Could there be any other explanation if what the boiler company said is right, and there was no fault with it? 

[Harry]

Hi Tania, 

Your case shows how important it is to have CO alarms. With you having high CO levels in your blood and the alarm having gone off, there has most likely been a CO exposure.  Sometimes boilers only have short term CO leaks. Short term CO peaks can result from wind and certain weather conditions pushing the fumes of the boiler back down the flue. When a boiler starts up and the flue is cold this can also create short term CO leaks. 

Has the chimney or flue been been swept this autumn? There could be a physical partial blockage in the flue.

Harry

[AnthonyB]

I'd be wanting further investigations, did they do any flue checks? I'd be loathe to accept that the boiler and flue were all completely safe and whilst it's not impossible for fumes to enter the passenger compartment of a car that's a major cop out. I'd consider a second opinion and to check whoever you use has a genuine and current Gas Safe registration https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/  

[Guest Tania84]

 

11 hours ago, Harry said:

Hi Tania, 

Your case shows how important it is to have CO alarms. With you having high CO levels in your blood and the alarm having gone off, there has most likely been a CO exposure.  Sometimes boilers only have short term CO leaks. Short term CO peaks can result from wind and certain weather conditions pushing the fumes of the boiler back down the flue. When a boiler starts up and the flue is cold this can also create short term CO leaks. 

Has the chimney or flue been been swept this autumn? There could be a physical partial blockage in the flue.

Harry

Hi Harry,

 

Thanks for your reply. Someone else I spoke to today mentioned the wind could play a part in it. If that was the case, is there any way that could that be prevented from happening again? The boiler/flue hasn't had any work done it since December 2017 (except for when the heating company came out after the monitor went off!)

 

Tania

[Guest Tania84]

1 hour ago, AnthonyB said:

I'd be wanting further investigations, did they do any flue checks? I'd be loathe to accept that the boiler and flue were all completely safe and whilst it's not impossible for fumes to enter the passenger compartment of a car that's a major cop out. I'd consider a second opinion and to check whoever you use has a genuine and current Gas Safe registration https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/  

Thanks AnthonyB. I wasn't there when they tested the boiler after the event, but they did show me the print outs from their machine which looked normal. I did also get a second guy in to check the levels and watched him and his printout was normal too. What's worrying is not knowing and the thought  that it may happen again. Ive suffered so much ill health over the last 6 months and feel much better after having had that oxygen! Not sure if I could go through all that again! I agree, that the vehicle comment did seem like I was being fobbed off a bit. The company is Gas Safe Registered through. 

[Guest Jay]

My fire/CO2 alarm sounded at about 12:30 a.m.  We were startled and groggy, but we think we heard about three short beeps, then “fire,” then more beeps, then “carbon monoxide.”  It sounded this pattern only once.  I checked the batteries, and they seemed to be working fine.  We went back to bed for the night and fortunately didn’t die!  And yet, it hasn’t beeped again in over nine hours.  The alarm has been on my upstairs hall ceiling for only three years, but is warranted for 10 years.  Do you have a suggestion?

[Guest bee]

we have co and smoke alarms in four rooms in our home.  Today we have intermediate beeping coming from the one in the hall and in the back of the house.  These are hard wired and appear to have no batteries. What should we do.

 

[Harry]

Hi, please have a look if you can identify the replacement date. The alarm might be too old by now and might need to be replaced. Could you post a photo of the alarm? I might then be able to help further.

Harry

[Guest Relly]

Hi. 

We have a fire angel Co 9B Co alarm. It's been here for 7 yrs. It woke me up at 130am, with 4 loud quick beeps, with around 10 seconds silence then the 4 quick beeps again, this continued until I took the batterys out to stop it. I put the batteries back in and tested the unit, it beeped accordingly and the green power light is flashing every min. Once batteries were back in it has not sounded the alarm since. 

 

Its now 3am and its still not gone off. Boiler was always off tonight. 

 

Is this more likely end of life? I assume if Co carried on building up in the kitchen then the Co alarm would have started to go off again? Thanks for your help, great site, it's so helpful. 

[Harry]

Hi Relly

The CO9B has a seven year life, so I am afraid your CO alarm will need replacing. 

Harry

[Guest Jessica]

My first alert plug in Carbon monoxide detector was beeping 4 loud beeps every minute. I unplugged it, moved to a different outlet, plugged it back in and it never beeped again. Issue or no?

[green-foam]

Since you have the particular unit , and I do not have one, what do the instructions say 4 loud beeps every minute mean?