Carbon Monoxide Monitor
As a chimney sweep, I take some responsibility for the future safety of my clients as I complete my task. One of those responsibilities is to assure that in any room with a stove installed in it that there exists an active Carbon Monoxide Monitor. (CO)
Nine out of ten times they are there, but an equal proportion are down the back of the sofa, on the mantel shelf, or in another room entirely! I'm baffled! Its a bit like trying to pin the tail on the donkey!
Building regulations north and south of the border are VERY clear on this, giving specific instructions to installers on the placement of CO monitors
- one to three metres from the appliance
- On, or within 150mm of the ceiling
- 300mm from any room corner
Its not complicated. Your stove installer will have been following far more complex building regs to carry out a good stove installation (SIC) why then when it comes to the CO monitor does he turn into a delivery man? (He/Person) Your installer throughout your installation is assuming responsibility for your safety, why then, after a complex process is it difficult for him / her to get out a ladder and screwdriver and complete the most basic of safety tasks? Your installer, you assume, is the person most conversant with building regulations, not you. That is surely a reasonable assumption?
Do a quick Google search on the number of deaths per year caused by CO poisoning, from 1995 to 2021 the nuber oft quoted is 724. This, according to the Carbon Monoxide and Gas Safety Society, is "The tip of the iceberg",
- "because there is no automatic testing for CO of people on death, even for those who die from unexplained causes. Survivors who have symptoms of CO have great difficulty obtaining a blood or breath test in time to test positive for CO, as it dissipates from the body once fresh air is breathed"
Dont become a statistic. If your installer has quoted to "Supply and fit" a CO monitor, ensure that he does! Correctly!
Bear in mind that hot carbon monoxide is lighter than air. This is the justification for the building regulation. If the CO monitor is lower than your nose, you wont hear it go off!
A last word from Scottish Building Regulations April 2024
"Carbon monoxide (CO) gas has no smell, taste or colour and it kills dozens of people in their homes every year. Many more suffer debilitating illnesses often without anybody realising that they are being poisoned. CO gas is produced by combustion appliances such as fires, boilers and water heaters. Any appliance that burns solid fuel, gas or oil and that does not have a room-sealed balanced flue so that it is sealed off from the room, is capable of poisoning you if it is not properly installed, maintained and serviced. The highest incidence of CO poisoning occurs in domestic buildings"