Drolet ECO 65 causing high CO2 inside

[Tom P]

I have a Drolet Eco 65 at my cabin in Northern Saskatchewan ....... i have had it since December of 2014 .... so this is my third season ...... first season I burnt 96 bags of pellets 2 nd season 126 bags of pellets and about 25 bags so far this season. I have my stove installed in my utility room in the basement and have two ducts to the main floor from the installed duct kit, I also move some of the hot air out of the utility room to the main floor via fans and a vent in the ceiling. I have a fresh air pipe hooked to the fresh air intake on the stove drawing from outside and it is about 7 feet from the pellet 4" chimney. I recently dissasembled and cleaned the chimney and do a decent shut down and clean/vacuum every week before I leave. Including running the wire brush through the heat exchanger....... all gaskets look like the day I got this unit

I have always been very happy with the stove and other than the odd ignition error it works amazingly ..... i have it hooked to a wireless thermostat and come to a warm cabin Every Thursday evening and stay till Sunday ...... I use electric heat to maintain 8C when I am not there.

Here is my problem ....... i recently purchased a Netatmo Weather station that not only monitors temperature but humidity, pressure, sound and CO2 ...... when running on electric heat my CO2 level is around 375 PPM but when I start the stove it climbs fast and will hover between 1000 and 1900 PPM while there ..... according to the Netatmo site CO2 levels are normally 350-450 with acceptable being <600 ...... stiifness and odor (which I do not smell) occur from 600-1000 and general drowsiness is between 1000 - 2500. I also maintain a CO alarm and have never had it alarm. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Lake Girl]

CO2 and CO are two very different measurements. CO2 (carbon dioxide) is a normal constituent of air; carbon monoxide is a noxious by-product of combustion and can kill you as it displaces oxygen in your body by bonding to hemoglobin in your blood. Your CO alarm is the more important device so pay attention if it alarms and get out of there...

CO2 will elevate if you are there as you are reducing the oxygen in the indoor air by breathing. Stop breathing? Not an option. CO2 levels will increase with the more people there. As to why it changes when you start the stove and are not there, not too sure as your combustion air is being provided from outside by your OAK. Could it be a false read due to increased turbulence of indoor air from the Drolet ie more air moving past the sensor during a monitoring period so the CO2 reads artificially high?

per wikipedia, "To eliminate most complaints, the total indoor CO2 level should be reduced to a difference of less than 600 ppm above outdoor levels. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) considers that indoor air concentrations of carbon dioxide that exceed 1,000 ppm are a marker suggesting inadequate ventilation.[21]"

https://www.kane.co.uk/knowledge-centre/what-are-safe-levels-of-co-and-co2-in-rooms

 

[Mt Bob]

First,would not trust a cheap co2 meter.When stove puts more heat in house,and the convection blowers are running,you may be mixing up/moving what is already there.Even the smallest air leak on the side of the house the exhaust is on can draw in outside air,even with an oak.There has been lots of missinformation about co2,I suggest you get on net and research "co2 in submarines" before getting too worried.

 

[Lake Girl]

It is an infrared sensor used to detect CO2. Where is the sensor in relation to your air ducting? Could test by taking readings and then retake readings with a fan close to the sensor to see what effect that has on readings... What is the relationship between humidity and CO2? Does CO2 go up when humidity goes down?