Carbon Monoxide Detectors

[T6 CFO]

Lots of us new owners so give this subject a bump. Lots of threads if you do a search for detectors.

I've ordered this one:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00441S9GS/?tag=eliteelect-21

Better safe than sorry.

General trend of threads seems to be to give yourself a bit of ventilation and have a detector as warning.



Mike

 

[GrannyJen]

I have one of those, 7 years life, £20 approx, no space taken up, no brainer.

 

[iamchucky]

Don't leave your mobile phone by the detector though. On our first night in our new Cali we had the Carbon Monoxide detector go off... panic! Opened the doors and read the leaflet and it advises not to leave phones by the detector as it can lead to the device going off. Moved the phone away and all was ok.

 

[Stuart]

I've got the same one too

 

[Tink]

I've got the same one too

If getting one just remember to check they are van/caravan/boat specific for motion as a lot of models are for fixing in stable locations with no movement and any vibration renders them useless. The adverts should tell you what they are suitable for.

 

[Velma's Dad]

We have this one - Kidde 7DCO:
http://www.kiddesafetyeurope.co.uk/Documents/DS_7DCO_2015.pdf

You can get them from Amazon for under £20.

Going with a 'known brand' (Kidde) made sense for us, although you can get other cheaper ones and they may not be a bad option at all. However if you're shopping you may want to check that it's both CE marked and to the latest British Standard which appears to be EN52091 Part 1 and Part 2 (the Part 2 bit means it's certified for caravans and boats).

 

[bigmac77]

Why have a carbon monoxide detector? You have a twin burner gas hob if your cooking on that with all the windows and doors shut and the roof down you are going to have a problem but surely you would not do that, I know I wouldn't. So why have the alarm?

 

[T6 CFO]

Why have a carbon monoxide detector? You have a twin burner gas hob if your cooking on that with all the windows and doors shut and the roof down you are going to have a problem but surely you would not do that, I know I wouldn't. So why have the alarm?

In case someone does something stupid, possibly me, or something goes wrong. £20 over 7 years is worth it.


Mike

 

[MattBW]

I will be bringing some CO leaflets and information with me to the Lower Lode meet in a couple of weeks. I work for National Grid Gas and we have a CO initiative ongoing to reduce the impact. It is still a problem in the UK and we want to reduce deaths and side effects to zero.

Sadly people do still die or get hospitalised by CO in the UK, 4000 in total a year who probably either didn't know or said they don't need one.

My response to why bother would be for £20 why would you not want to know if there was CO? True with decent ventilation and just the burner you will be fine but a decent alarm can be moved between van and house too as well as taken on holiday or hotel rooms.

Chances are if you had CO poisoning you may not realise, worth understanding the symptoms at the very least..

The symptoms of CO poisoning include:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Chest and/or stomach pains

http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Safety/Carbon-Monoxide/.

 

[Velma's Dad]

For me the concern is not so much the gas cooker but the diesel heater. I'm sure the modern ones are very safe when maintained correctly, but in general I don't want to sleep in an enclosed space with a combustion source, without some kind of mitigation (which is so cheap and easy to fit).

Also, camp sites with vehicles on them can potentially create all kinds of hazards from a CO point of view. Probably not severe ones these days, but as an old Cold War Warrior I recall every year the army in Germany losing at least a few soldiers poisoned by CO while sleeping in or near vehicles which had their engines running to charge batteries etc. Tragic and pointless deaths.