Signs of CO in home?

[onlineharvest]

In my most recent Enbridge bill, I noticed this statement in a pamphlet on Carbon Monoxide, "If you notice stale or stuffy air, excessive moisture on windows and walls or soot build up around appliances and vents, CO might be present in your home"

Please note the bolded points.

I never knew these were signs, although I believe most people have seen this or experience these in their home (and it could be other things). Does anyone know why these are signs? Should there be concern or the purchase of a meter that measures CO in your home (alongside the CO alarm?)?

Thanks!

[specko]

CO Detecters should be mandatory around any sort of burning flame, ie: water heater, home furnace, fireplace etc.

The cheapest CO detector would be... wait for it... brain damage or death. Do yourself and your family a favour and buy atleast two, one near the furnace the other near the bedrooms.

** By the way: (inexpensive) but good quality alarms have a built in record of the highest CO levels ever registered**

[onlineharvest]

CO Detecters should be mandatory around any sort of burning flame, ie: water heater, home furnace, fireplace etc.

The cheapest CO detector would be... wait for it... brain damage or death. Do yourself and your family a favour and buy atleast two, one near the furnace the other near the bedrooms.

** By the way: (inexpensive) but good quality alarms have a built in record of the highest CO levels ever registered**

Thanks for the tip. The home I bought has a dual fire/CO detector but I believe CO is better served at the floor level, not ceiling, correct?

I appreciate if anyone knows about the bolded statement also...

[woof]

"If you notice stale or stuffy air, excessive moisture on windows and

The idiot that wrote this must have been suffering from CO poisoning at the time. Total utter nonsense. Stale or stuffy air is simply a ventilation issue. Moisture on windows is caused by high humidity inside the house hitting cold windows - common problem starting this time of year. In theory these conditions can indicate a CO leak as well, but the chances are that if the problem is this severe then you're long dead. Get a couple CO detectors and then don't worry.

[dbzsr]

Thanks for the tip. The home I bought has a dual fire/CO detector but I believe CO is better served at the floor level, not ceiling, correct?

I appreciate if anyone knows about the bolded statement also...
Yes, since CO is heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom.
Also, CO is highly reactive and an unstable compound. It reacts with the oxygen in the air quickly, and produces CO2..

[fireguy9]

Yes, since CO is heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom.
Also, CO is highly reactive and an unstable compound. It reacts with the oxygen in the air quickly, and produces CO2..

INCORRECT!
CO is lighter then air but barely. If air is one,,, CO is .9657

safest place to put detector if you have only one is near sleeping area,,,, and never put one close toa fuel burning appliance.
Replace every 5yrs

[speedyforme]

I have a ceiling smoke/CO detector on my main floor and upper hallway. I also have a CO detector that I place in my bedroom near the floor and on the main floor hallway near the floor as well.

[woof]

CO and CO2 are only created when the furnace burner is on and there is a leak through a defective heat exchanger into the hot air duct work. These gases are then circulated throughout the house. Since this is hot air that we are talking about, as it is blown up through the floor vents it will rise and mix quite well with existing air in the room. Thus in theory a CO detector could be located at any height level and be equally effective since as has just been pointed out CO has essentially the same density as air and will not settle to the bottom of the room even as it cools. A CO detector will probably be slightly more effective if it is located near the hot air floor vent so it can more quickly sample incoming air.