Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

[catnapper]

I've been experiencing the old health problems that plagued me for years: headache, lethargy, dizziness. Darnnit, I thought I "fixed" myself with the CPAP machine and subsequent weight loss. Since Thanksgiving, the weight has slowly crept back on (to the tune of 20 pounds. Ouch.) and the sleepiness and dizziness has been driving me CRAZY.

I fell asleep while watching TV at 7:30 last night and woke up 8:30 this MORNING. I've been doing that a LOT lately. I used to do that all the time.... and I was starting to worry my old habits would return, complete with my old 3X clothes.

Well this morning, we had someone come out to inspect our water heater because my husband found something slimy coming out of the bottom of the heater tank. The guys fixed the slime issue and found another problem. It turns out the vent on the top of it has been venting carbon monoxide into our livingroom!!!

How long has this been going on? Did the hose come out around Thanksgiving? Or was it long ago and it just snuck up on me around thanksgiving because thats when the house was locked up against the cold weather?

All I can say is this: Thank God we have a creaky, leaky, uninsulated old home! Otherwise we'd be dead.

How has this affected the animals? I read online that the symptoms are much like humans. Thank goodness the remedy is fixing the problem (done) and fresh air. Callie's gotten lots of fresh air, as has Harry and Mikey (they are allowed to go into the yard when Callie and I are there.) The others get fresh air any time they curl up next to a window - all of ours are drafty and you can actually see the curtains move in the breeze, despite being closed Hey, one good thing to be said for the antique windows original to the 1920's house!

As for me, perhaps now that I know my lethargy has an acutal trigger, I can relax about the weight gain and tiredness. Stressing about it certainly didn't help. I probably stress ate half those pounds on.

[Karen]

A friend of mine had a slow slight natural gas leak in her apartment that was causing her all sorts of mystery illnesses, and feels so much better since she moved! Hope you do, too!

[Freedom]

Whew, sounds like a close call!

Please add a CO2 detector in the house!

[krazyaboutkatz]

How scary. I'm glad that no one was seriously hurt.

I thought that a law passed that all homes need to have both a smoke detector as well as a CO2 detector. I know that my parents bought a CO2 detector but I don't think that they ever installed there's yet. I only have a smoke detector and two fire alarm detectors in my condo which would set off the whole building if I touched them. I don't have my own furnance or water heater so this shouldn't ever be an issue for me. All of my windows do face the parking lot so if someone left their car running for a long period of time and I had my windows open, I guess this could affect me.

[Lady's Human]

CO (okay, I'll be the pedant), not CO2 (carbon DI oxide, which is present constantly in the atmosphere and is harmless) detectors are a legal requirement in most states.

The problem with the things is that they, like smoke detectors, tend to be hypersensitive, particularly if you heat totally or in part with wood.

We have 2 combo smoke/CO detectors sitting in a closet, because I got tired of listening to them go off for little to no reason when we were either cooking or had a fire going in the fireplace.

Glad to see the issue was found, and every once in a while lousy insulation helps! (Our hot water heater is in the basement, and with the "insulation" of our basement, it almost might as well be outside!)

[smokey the elder]

When I got my basement refinished I needed to install interconnected smoke/CO detectors. We have an oil burner, gas drier and stove, and a fireplace so there are abundant potential sources of incomplete combustion!

My old boss tells a story where he bought a CO detector and it went off right away! He called the fire dept. and they found a problem with his furnace. Whew! They DO work.

[catnapper]

There is no insulation.... not just lousy insulation- NONE! We are doing work in the spare bedroom and had to remove all the plaster and lathing on the walls. We discovered exterior brick - space- interior wall. Hubby has two rolls of insulation sitting on the floor..... rather like a band aid on the situation. One corner of one room in our home will be insulated.

I can only thank God that we habe such a drafty house. This is serious and I hope everyone checks their homes for carbon monoxide leaks. Its very common and deadly.

[Catty1]

Kim - are you getting a CO detector?

[Glacier]

Get a carbon monoxide detector TODAY!!

Last winter, an entire family here died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Five people, including two young children, gone! The CO also claimed their cat and dog. A simple detector would have saved their lives! Instead their loved ones are left trying to cope with 5 entirely preventable deaths! I can not imagine that level of grief.