as a member of the fire service I feel obligated to relay the following incidents I have responded to over the last few weeks involving wood stoves and carbon monoxide in the home.
Case 1:
Newer epa stove in a home located in a rear sun porch. This call had 375 parts per million (ppm) in the home. The stove had an approximately 15 ft double wall flue which exited straight up through a low pitch roof . The call came to us as a carbon monoxide alarm sounding with 3 people in the home with no medical conditions reported. We brought our meters into the house and found the lethal amount of CO, and traced it to the wood stove that was in its coaling stage and apparently lost its draft which in turn made the products of combustion enter the home instead of following the flue up which it normally would. We emptied the stove, vented the house to bring it to acceptable levels and turned it back over to the homeowners and advised them to consult a professional to have them inspect the pipe and take corrective actions.
Case 2:
Reported CO alarm sounding with a "funny smell" in the residence. Upon arrival we metered the house and upon entering the front door our meter went into alarm letting us know there was a high level of CO in the house. We went on air (self contained breathing apparatus) and continued in to find the source was once again a older pre EPA wood stove in the coaling stage had lost its draft sending products of combustion into the home instead of up the flue. This was a raised ranch style home with a free standing stove in the finished basement family room. Single wall pipe coming off the top, 90 degree elbow into a wall thimble which connected into a exterior cinder block masonry chiminey.
We rate anything above 35 ppm excessive and have to go on supplied breathing air to enter the home for our safety. Less then 10 ppm in a home that is closed up in the winter is in the "acceptable" range. Case #2 had 450 ppm. There were 4 residents and a few pets in the home. Both cases were between 6am and 845 am. Most likely a low, slow overnight burn where the draft kicked out when the stack temp dropped.
This is just a reminder to everyone on the board to both install AND MAINTAIN carbon monoxide and smoke detectors! Had it not been for the homeowners having a CO detector the outcome could have been very different! Remember CO is colorless and odorless. While 1 of our calls had a slight odor in the home had it been 2am when everyone was sleeping chances are it would have gone unnoticed.
Burn safe folks!
Case 1:
Newer epa stove in a home located in a rear sun porch. This call had 375 parts per million (ppm) in the home. The stove had an approximately 15 ft double wall flue which exited straight up through a low pitch roof . The call came to us as a carbon monoxide alarm sounding with 3 people in the home with no medical conditions reported. We brought our meters into the house and found the lethal amount of CO, and traced it to the wood stove that was in its coaling stage and apparently lost its draft which in turn made the products of combustion enter the home instead of following the flue up which it normally would. We emptied the stove, vented the house to bring it to acceptable levels and turned it back over to the homeowners and advised them to consult a professional to have them inspect the pipe and take corrective actions.
Case 2:
Reported CO alarm sounding with a "funny smell" in the residence. Upon arrival we metered the house and upon entering the front door our meter went into alarm letting us know there was a high level of CO in the house. We went on air (self contained breathing apparatus) and continued in to find the source was once again a older pre EPA wood stove in the coaling stage had lost its draft sending products of combustion into the home instead of up the flue. This was a raised ranch style home with a free standing stove in the finished basement family room. Single wall pipe coming off the top, 90 degree elbow into a wall thimble which connected into a exterior cinder block masonry chiminey.
We rate anything above 35 ppm excessive and have to go on supplied breathing air to enter the home for our safety. Less then 10 ppm in a home that is closed up in the winter is in the "acceptable" range. Case #2 had 450 ppm. There were 4 residents and a few pets in the home. Both cases were between 6am and 845 am. Most likely a low, slow overnight burn where the draft kicked out when the stack temp dropped.
This is just a reminder to everyone on the board to both install AND MAINTAIN carbon monoxide and smoke detectors! Had it not been for the homeowners having a CO detector the outcome could have been very different! Remember CO is colorless and odorless. While 1 of our calls had a slight odor in the home had it been 2am when everyone was sleeping chances are it would have gone unnoticed.
Burn safe folks!
They are good for 10 years (the battery). The detectors are good for 7 years. 
