Our local fire department responded to call of possible CO in a house recently. The Fire Marshal who was on the scene shared this information with me.
There is a large coal stove in the basement properly vented to a masonry chimney with 6 inch chimney connector pipe. The owner had fabricated a plenum above the stove with duct work branching out to a few rooms. There was a fan installed in the system to help circulated the heat. There was working smoke detectors through out the house and a CO detector in the basement area near the coal stove. The CO detector had activated but it was to late, the occupants were already sick. They were rushed to the hospital and are doing fine now. Here is what happened. Somehow the 6 inch connector pipe was half full of soot. The fan system pulled the CO through out the house keeping the CO detector in the basement from sensing it. With a fan induced system like this more than one CO detector should be installed.
Not having much knowledge about coal stoves, how does the connector pipe get clogged up? I would have to assume that coal stoves need the same maintainence as wood stoves and if not burnt hot enough they will clog up.
Just a "heads up" if some one has a similar system out there.
RPK1
There is a large coal stove in the basement properly vented to a masonry chimney with 6 inch chimney connector pipe. The owner had fabricated a plenum above the stove with duct work branching out to a few rooms. There was a fan installed in the system to help circulated the heat. There was working smoke detectors through out the house and a CO detector in the basement area near the coal stove. The CO detector had activated but it was to late, the occupants were already sick. They were rushed to the hospital and are doing fine now. Here is what happened. Somehow the 6 inch connector pipe was half full of soot. The fan system pulled the CO through out the house keeping the CO detector in the basement from sensing it. With a fan induced system like this more than one CO detector should be installed.
Not having much knowledge about coal stoves, how does the connector pipe get clogged up? I would have to assume that coal stoves need the same maintainence as wood stoves and if not burnt hot enough they will clog up.
Just a "heads up" if some one has a similar system out there.
RPK1