ᐅ Chimney and Carbon Monoxide

Created on: 1 Feb 2017 10:28
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HilfeHilfe
Hello,

I was shocked by the news about the six young people who died.

I’m wondering if something like this could happen in our case, since we have a newly built house with a fireplace and small children.

We don’t have any mechanical ventilation or similar systems; the fireplace is only used for cozy atmosphere and occasional heating. When it gets too warm, we tilt the window open.

We burn regular wood. Could something like this happen to us as well? The local chimney sweep included a note on the last invoice that he is happy to inform about and install carbon monoxide detectors.

What do you think about these concerns?
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Bieber0815
2 Feb 2017 08:34
The fireplace is unlikely to be burning while the residents are asleep. Therefore, I would install it in the living room at some distance from the fireplace.
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toxicmolotof
2 Feb 2017 08:43
It was probably not the stove but a fuel-powered generator inside the building.

Don’t be offended, but I almost want to say: it’s hard to believe.
andimann2 Feb 2017 09:11
Hello,
toxicmolotow schrieb:
It probably wasn’t the stove but a fuel-powered generator inside the building.

With all due respect and condolences to the families,
if this is really true, the six of them have certainly qualified brilliantly for the Darwin Award...
With this incident, they are already among the top contenders….
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Alex85
2 Feb 2017 09:11
Then probably both. If it beeps downstairs, do you wake up upstairs? Same problem as with smoke detectors. Solution: interconnected devices.

I just read that a generator was reportedly responsible for the carbon monoxide emissions – although this still sounds only semi-official. It was operated inside the cabin... if that is true, the owner, assuming they installed the generator there, will likely face legal consequences soon. Unfortunately, this incident falls under the category of "lack of common sense."

A few years ago, there was an incident at the Wacken Open Air festival. A visitor, after a night of heavy partying, laid down to sleep on a trailer. Underneath the tarp, where the generator was also located... you can imagine the rest.
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ypg
2 Feb 2017 09:42
Bieber0815 schrieb:
The fireplace will hardly be burning when the residents are asleep. Therefore, I would install it in the living room with some distance from the fireplace.

When the fireplace is burning, the risk of excessive carbon monoxide (CO) is very low because CO forms in higher amounts when there is insufficient oxygen. When the fire is burning, there is enough oxygen.
At least, that’s how I understand it.

As a precaution, I would install an alarm in the room with the potential source of danger (in this case: the fireplace), and an additional device (or several) on the upper floor near the bedrooms.
However, it is important to also consider your possibly individual floor plan.
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Abzahler
2 Feb 2017 10:03
So, I ordered two of them to install one near the fireplace and one in the bedroom. The few dollars are worth the perceived extra safety for 7 years to me. And after 7 years, they just need to be replaced.