Carbon Monoxide detectors in the workshop

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

This pretty much only applies if you use solid fuel heaters or gas burners, either as heaters, torches or to power your model boiler, but how many of us have a CO detector? I use a propane space heater every day this time of year, I also use Oxy Propane daily to silver solder and test butane burners frequently. I was horrified to see that the concentration of CO in the workshop litteraly went off the scale when all three gas systems are utilised in quick succession and that it took over an hour to get the reading to the 'safe' level. Just a heads up but if you dont have one I would get one – might help explain why you have a headache.

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

I do have a CO detector and smoke alarm in my indoor workshop but I rarely do any flame based soldering in it apart from the odd soft soldering job of a couple minutes max, and no welding.

My outdoor workshop (a garage with car-size door at front and man-size door at rear) is used for welding and soldering out of the rain or snow. I open both doors either fully or partly when welding or soldering to ensure lots of flow through fresh air (yes even when it is -30 deg C). I don't have a CO detector in the outdoor shop, but there is a smoke alarm in it, interconnected to the other smoke alarms in the house, which is only powered on when I shut off the lights and leave the shop. This stops false alarms while I'm making welding smoke, but would detect any smoldering fires that might happen after I leave.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Can I assume you have no ventilated fresh air passing into your workshop to clear the air of all nasty's. its assumed that the average house should have 0.35 ACH.

Martin P

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I think most house are much higher than that although new regulations require that new houses are virtually airtight!

Interestingly there's an exemption from the current regulations for shelters from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Martin,

What does ACH mean?

John

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Air Changes per Hour?

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

I don't know how I'm still alive , we used to have a kero heater when i was a kid and you couldn't drag me away from that thing with a bulldozer ! It ran all day and I'm sure we stank of burnt kero !

Not to mention how many two stroke engines i have run under the house untill my eyes burned and my mum would complain about the smell coming up through the floor boards ! It got pretty foggy down there i can tell you !

We have had a few fatalities here in Australia from people using gas cookers to heat thier rooms as they can't afford the electricity , maybe the smoke detector manufacturers should add this feature to their units . The CO levels would build up very quickly in the average size workshop with a heater that burns anything .

 

 

Edited By XD 351 on 08/12/2017 04:19:47

[J HancockParticipant @jhancock95746]

The post from Fizzy is absolutely right.

Many years ago, at work, I was carrying a Gas Monitor through the kitchen area of the canteen. Just by luck it was still switched on and started to 'alarm'.

Investigations revealed the 'chip fryer' as the culprit but all the canteen personnel had to go to hospital for CO detox.

And this was in a very well ventilated area.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Using any combustion heater in a workshop has to be bad for everything in there.

!) The danger, initiating this thread, of poisoning by CO, and/or asphyxiation by CO2 .

and 2) corrosion from the moisture and any corrosive fumes. Usually appearing as rust on ferrous materials, and greeny stuff that messes up the electrics!

My choice is electric heating, in an insulated shop, with fixed ventilation, and so far rust is not a problem, in a temperate, ,but not frost free, northern hemisphere location.

Howard

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The other year a couple of hitch hikers died in their tent not far from here, near Arthurs Pass, heading to the South Island's West Coast. It was winter time, and they were using their camp stove for warmth in a tent with the door zipped up tight.

Ian S C

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