Carbon Monoxide Detectors

[Rozzie50]

Can anyone recommend a good Carbon Monoxide Detector? There are so many on the market but they need to be at certain heights etc. Just wondered if anyone has a found good one to be used in a Cali!

 

[choplee]

i know someone in my local vw club has this one and think it's good value .. He takes it back indoors when not using the campervan ....
This company i use for work and have always had good customer service and products from them




http://www.safelincs.co.uk/nighthawk-sl ... 233-kidde/

 

[SimplyDubs]

I use one supplied by British Gas... Small and standard.

Not camping specific but does the job.

 

[choplee]

I use one supplied by British Gas... Small and standard.

Not camping specific but does the job.

that is true the BG ones are small and i think they all will do the job and to be honest i've had a look about i found a motor home one being sold for twice the price and it was a standard detector ...

 

[timhutch]

I bought a standard domestic one for £20 or so from Screwfix. I have it mounted on the panel above the fridge and it looks fine. Also has a temperature gauge on it (not sure what this has to do with CO detection).

 

[Dorchest]

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detectors - necessary???

Hi all

Are carbon monoxide detectors really necessary in a Cali if you open windows/door for ventilation when cooking?

I always ventilate the Cali when using the hob and the ancillary heating unit is fitted underneath with external exhaust I believe so do I really need a carbon monoxide detector?

Surely, VW would fit one as standard if it was really necessary and DIY fixing in the wrong place could surely make one useless anyway?

Any views on the necessity or not would be interesting?

Mike

 

[timhutch]

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detectors - necessary???

Hi all

Are carbon monoxide detectors really necessary in a Cali if you open windows/door for ventilation when cooking?

I always ventilate the Cali when using the hob and the ancillary heating unit is fitted underneath with external exhaust I believe so do I really need a carbon monoxide detector?

Surely, VW would fit one as standard if it was really necessary and DIY fixing in the wrong place could surely make one useless anyway?

Any views on the necessity or not would be interesting?

Mike

Mike I do agree with you. Ventilation and correctly maintained equipment is the best answer. My purchase of a CO detector was a knee jerk after that family died in a tent last year. I'm sure it will never happen, but for £20 gave me some minor reassurance, especially with my kids.

 

[Dorchest]

Hi Tim

I'm very safety conscious too but fitting one could give a false sense of security. I did a google search before posting and some people were recommending putting the detector as high as possible, thinking the carbon monoxide would rise like heat, whereas someone else said it should be below your head height when sleeping as carbon monoxide is heavier than air so will gradually fill the space from the ground up - so in theory, if you're sleeping in the seat-bed, you could be 'brown bread' before the alarm goes off!!

I like fresh air even in cold weather so I ventilate the van a lot - trying to keep the condensation down too - so I'm hoping carbon monoxide won't be a problem.

A good design feature on the Cali that would have been useful would be closable vents around the vehicle so it can be ventilated securely without leaving windows open. Rear closable vents would be especially useful so that the van could be 'aired' just by driving with the front windows open.

Mike

 

[timhutch]

Hi Tim

I'm very safety conscious too but fitting one could give a false sense of security. I did a google search before posting and some people were recommending putting the detector as high as possible, thinking the carbon monoxide would rise like heat, whereas someone else said it should be below your head height when sleeping as carbon monoxide is heavier than air so will gradually fill the space from the ground up - so in theory, if you're sleeping in the seat-bed, you could be 'brown bread' before the alarm goes off!!

I like fresh air even in cold weather so I ventilate the van a lot - trying to keep the condensation down too - so I'm hoping carbon monoxide won't be a problem.

A good design feature on the Cali that would have been useful would be closable vents around the vehicle so it can be ventilated securely without leaving windows open. Rear closable vents would be especially useful so that the van could be 'aired' just by driving with the front windows open.

Mike

Mike

Fair points, all of them.

Ventilators - I remember seeing some metal louvred window infills from Brandrup for the T4, not sure if they make a T5 version....

T

 

[gatvol]

I use a CO detector. I was once on a cliff near Whitby in a howling gale. Caravanners were abandoning the place but my wife and I felt warm and dry in our Cali with the night heater on

But it just made me think about the risks when you have to batten down the hatches. For the sake of 20 it is a peace of mind issue for me.

I attached using double sided foam pads on the side of the wardrobe above the fridge. But when it gets really hot, it falls off

I need a better solution !

 

[Barryjm]

I agree, it's a backup for a moment of absent mindedness that may well save someone's life. Should be law in my opinion for all accommodation; tents, caravans, houses, etc.

As I get older the more absent minded I become, so I need all the protection I can get

Mine floats about the van, so I need a permanent fixing position that will not get in the way of anything or anyone.

 

[John]

Air consists of N2 (MW=28) and O2 (MW=32) ... the average moleculare weight of air is about 29.

Carbon Monoxide CO has a has a molecular weight of 28 therefore it just spreads through the air.

I think the confusion comes into it because CO2 (carbon dioxide) has a molecular weight of 44, so it is heavier than air. The difference is significant enough for this gas to sink to the bottom.

We are trying to protect ourselves from Carbon monoxide from burning our diesel in the heater or gas in the cooker rings.

So OK now for the answer as to where to locate the detector: it doesn't matter if the gas is heavier or not because in a enclosed space you have to consider the chimney effect.

That is to say warmer air goes up from the ground to the roof and eventually out the vents.
You therefore want to place your detector between the potential source of carbon monoxide (cooker, heater flu etc) and the path upward to where you are sleeping (or breathing when you are doing some cooking).

So I would say low down near the sliding door, when you are sleeping, as I believe that the heater flu is located under the Cali near the sliding door and the heater air outlet is also low down next to the sliding door (in case there is a problem with the heater).

For more info here is another Subject on CO Detectors.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2545

John

 

[Dream Machine]

Do I need a carbon dioxide alarm or a carbon monoxide alarm??? Probably a silly question but I am a little confused??

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Carbon monoxide.

We use an alarm that has a display. You can see when CO starts to build up and add additional ventilation sooner, rather than an alarm being the first signal you get.

My main concern was the heater, rather than cooking.

However, our experience is that in bad weather (and last year we camped in a lot of that!) it is very easy to get a build up of CO.

dan

 

[Dream Machine]

Thanks for the advice....I shal invest in a good carbon monoxide alarm.....any recommendations of best one to buy? Thank you everyione for your help....I'm learning slowly....take delivery of my first cali in 2 weeks....very excited

 

[muttley]

Like most other posters, I put a carbon monoxide detector in the van just as a precaution. Even though we had the heater off, and the roof up for ventilation, the alarm went off at 5am and scared the life out of us!

I guess it may have been sensing an increase in CO2, and somehow that confused it. It wasn't a cheap detector either, so I wasn't impressed. It is now sensing the carbon monoxide levels in the bin.

Simon

 

[Dibz]

One question on this. I thought the heater is mounted outside the vehicle and is a blown air heater, is this not the case? I.e. the heater is under the van which heats an exchanger/chamber and draws fresh air from outside through the exchanger to warm it before it comes into the van. Completely separating and isolating the heater/burner from the warm air that comes into the van preventing fumes/exhaust/CO from being blown in by the heater, so you only get warm/hot fresh air in.

If this is the case it could help in CO detector placement as the only source would be the hob, and if you always ventilate when cooking, the risk should be small.

 

[choplee]

One question on this. I thought the heater is mounted outside the vehicle and is a blown air heater, is this not the case? I.e. the heater is under the van which heats an exchanger/chamber and draws fresh air from outside through the exchanger to warm it before it comes into the van. Completely separating and isolating the heater/burner from the warm air that comes into the van preventing fumes/exhaust/CO from being blown in by the heater, so you only get warm/hot fresh air in.

If this is the case it could help in CO detector placement as the only source would be the hob, and if you always ventilate when cooking, the risk should be small.

True Dibz

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

A properly functioning heater should not cause a problem. A damaged heater, on the other hand, could. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but my heater is 22 years old and the underside of our van is subjected to all sorts of horrors... (and the sliding door doesn't seal properly at the bottom)

We use something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Carb ... 2ec33b4c19

Cheap enough to replace each year. A van is probably not an ideal environment for them.

I do agree that the risk is very small.
dan