CO alarms set off during first burn of season...why?
- Thread starter CenterTree
- Start date
-
- Tags
- carbon monoxide
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
As a volunteer firefighter I have no issue when someone calls us and just asks us to do co readings because they think something is a miss.
I'd fix the hole in the cold air return, buy a new co detector(s) if there older then 7 years (dust builds up in the sensors. Call the fd and see if there willing to take some readings with there meters while you have the stove running.
I'd fix the hole in the cold air return, buy a new co detector(s) if there older then 7 years (dust builds up in the sensors. Call the fd and see if there willing to take some readings with there meters while you have the stove running.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
FYI: As some of you no doubt know experts recommend smoke detectors be replaced every 10 years. CO detectors should be replaced every 3-7 years -- last I knew there was no one consensus on a date other than to go with the manufacturer's recommendation which varies from as little as 3 years to as long as 7 years.
rox3406
Burning Hunk
Both smoke and co detectors are so cheap now. Big box has them as three packs on sale all the time. Personally I never go more than three years on either. Wait for a sale do them all at the same time. Between having pets smoking cigarettes and random home improvement projects they get gunked up fast. I figure I spend less than $50 a year on detectors cheapest peace of mind money can buy.
Just sayin
Just sayin
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
HehHeh . . . Just pictured your cats and dogs lighting up a Marlboro . . . the difference a comma can make.
The "computer" in your air handler reads the amp draw on the blower and can tell if the blower is working too hard (drawing high amps). Blower speeds in cool mode are generally higher than in heat mode. You may well have sufficient CFM for heat but not quite enough for cool mode. You could cover that return duct during heating season. If you add an OAK, it would likely solve the problem without covering the duct. If having a return duct in the same room as a stove was an automatic problem, 95% of houses couldnt use a stove.
EDIT: It just occured to me that the giant return duct they cut in your return boot is probably way more CFM than the supply registers in that same room. That WILL create a vacuum in that room where the stove sits. That duct is most assuredly the culprit. Devise a way to cover that for now and then plan on having a duct run to floor registers in the upstairs. Dont leave it. Someone down the line could die.
EDIT: It just occured to me that the giant return duct they cut in your return boot is probably way more CFM than the supply registers in that same room. That WILL create a vacuum in that room where the stove sits. That duct is most assuredly the culprit. Devise a way to cover that for now and then plan on having a duct run to floor registers in the upstairs. Dont leave it. Someone down the line could die.
Last edited:
DuaeGuttae
Minister of Fire
I just wanted to say kudos to you for having your detectors.
The one time ours went off, the one that shows ppm on the display didn’t sound (it was too low a level), but the talking alarm went off, and I checked the other. In our case I was running the self-clean cycle on the oven after I had made homemade pizza the night before. If we hadn’t had those alarms, my kids and I would have been closed up in that house all day (it was morning) without a clue.
Very shortly thereafter I took one of my littles to the doctor for a well-child check-up, and on the safety paperwork was a question about carbon monoxide detectors but with a note “not applicable in an all-electric house.” I told the doctor our story and suggested that the note at least be changed to “unless you use a self-cleaning oven.” He was pretty surprised but did verify that it is real.
Have you considered calling your HVAC company to make them aware of what happened? Maybe you’re already working with them to remedy the problem, but if not, I think you should bring it to their attention. You wouldn’t want them doing the same thing in someone else’s house who isn’t so vigilant about up-to-date alarms.
The one time ours went off, the one that shows ppm on the display didn’t sound (it was too low a level), but the talking alarm went off, and I checked the other. In our case I was running the self-clean cycle on the oven after I had made homemade pizza the night before. If we hadn’t had those alarms, my kids and I would have been closed up in that house all day (it was morning) without a clue.
Very shortly thereafter I took one of my littles to the doctor for a well-child check-up, and on the safety paperwork was a question about carbon monoxide detectors but with a note “not applicable in an all-electric house.” I told the doctor our story and suggested that the note at least be changed to “unless you use a self-cleaning oven.” He was pretty surprised but did verify that it is real.
Have you considered calling your HVAC company to make them aware of what happened? Maybe you’re already working with them to remedy the problem, but if not, I think you should bring it to their attention. You wouldn’t want them doing the same thing in someone else’s house who isn’t so vigilant about up-to-date alarms.
The HVAC guy is coming today. I am curious to see if they have a plan for the return vent issue.
I did cover it one night and tried another burn cycle just to see. CO detectors went off again. So the vent needs deleted. I am hooking up an OAK for sure. (in the process already).
I was looking into tapping into the return air from outside and/or utilizing a ERV setup of some sort.
If I need more return air to satisfy the AC, then maybe outside air would work for that.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I want to hear the story about how code came to prohibit air intakes inside of walk in refrigerators and cesspools. WHO WAS THAT GUY?
So HVAC guy looked over the system again. (this was the system THEY installed). He said the system computer is indicating that there is NOT near enough return air for the air handler to function properly. 
Of course this was the reason he cut that big return hole in the side of the air handler last summer because the AC wasn't working properly.
He said they will need to send a different guy out to go over the WHOLE setup to see where/how to add more return air.
He admitted that the computer was showing over 500 codes for "not enough air". The system has been in for 4 years. Obviously they took short cuts when they installed it.
When I mentioned that there should have not been an air return that close to the wood stove, he sort of blew me off and said he didn't think it would be a problem.
Regardless of what they come up with, I am going forward with the OAK to see if that helps with back draft.
Of course this was the reason he cut that big return hole in the side of the air handler last summer because the AC wasn't working properly.He said they will need to send a different guy out to go over the WHOLE setup to see where/how to add more return air.
He admitted that the computer was showing over 500 codes for "not enough air". The system has been in for 4 years. Obviously they took short cuts when they installed it.When I mentioned that there should have not been an air return that close to the wood stove, he sort of blew me off and said he didn't think it would be a problem.
Regardless of what they come up with, I am going forward with the OAK to see if that helps with back draft.
Similar threads
