Re: smoke and co detectors

[Frank Olson <Use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:

>
>
> Don't know.

And didn't bother to find out either...


>
> During the years I operated a small alarm company I had several
> real CO events where the homeowners did not believe there was a
> problem.  In at least two of those the reason they survived is we
> called the fire department in spite of their protestations that
> all was well.

How many years was that again??


>
> In an earlier thread I discussed one of these events.

<snip>

> The problem, BTW, was the fireplaces.  The flame in a furnace is
> a very small fire compared to a fireplace.  The two fireplaces
> were drawing so much convective current up the chimney flues that
> it was being replaced *down* the furnace flue.  This allowed CO
> to pour into the basement.  The forced air heating system drew
> some of its air in through a basement return and distributed the
> CO throughout the house.

Hmmmm....  What about the fresh air source for the gas fired furnace/hot
water tank?  It would be far easier for the fireplaces to draw air
through the fresh air source (usually piped directly to the furnace area
and terminated about 2 feet off the floor).  The reason for this being
that the furnace flue is usually 4 inches in diameter and heated from
below (hot air tends to rise, not fall).  The fresh air inlet is usually
8 inches across.  Unless of course some nimrod blocked it (which I've
seen) but you haven't mentioned.  In a house that's as well sealed as
you imply that may be a possibility but I doubt it.