• vexikron
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    6 months ago

    House or apartment, make sure carbon monoxide detectors are installed NEAR GROUND LEVEL.

    So many slumlords do not even give a fuck, and many homeowners think they are just some other kind of smoke detector.

    EDIT: bus_factor has pointed out to me that this is actually a common misperception. CO actually more or less evenly dissipates in a room and does not settle near the floor.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21536403/

    Im now going to think about my life choices that lead me to this moment, and more importantly:

    Go out for a breath of fresh air =P

      • vexikron
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        6 months ago

        Were you expecting consumer protections in the only country on earth that allows advertisements for brand new poorly tested drugs of all kinds on all forms of media?

    • Neil@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      My stepdaughter at 12 years old accidentally bumped into our gas stove and turned on one of the gas burners and then went to bed. Our cat came into the bedroom and started howling at 2AM and woke us up, alerting us to the smell.

      Little dude saved our lives. The whole house was filled with gas.

    • Anemia@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Never even heard of carbon monoxide detectors irl. Is it used with integrated garages or something like that?

      • douglasg14b@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Where I live they are required by code in any dwelling that has gas appliances or furnaces. On each level of the dwelling.

        Not only that but they are required to be present in the house when selling the house as well.

        This essentially guarantees that all houses will eventually be up to code as the remediation is required before sales can occur.


        Personally I put one in each room. Unfortunately this also comes as an unfortunate expense. Since combination smoke + CO detectors run ~$30 a piece.

        • Anemia@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Right, you (i assume) americans use gas stoves and heating etc. Honestly i’ve never even seen a gas stove or gas furnace in person.

          The more you know.

      • vexikron
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        6 months ago

        At least where I am from they are common in more urban areas (mandated technically, but as mentioned SLUMLORDS so its not sctually done in practice) as they have more cars and are nearer to restaurants and other stuff that can have a CO leak.

      • vexikron
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        6 months ago

        Google also links to a dead url, and when you search the NFPA for their most recent Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips it says that you should follow the manufacturers guidelines for the height you should install a CO monitor at.

        That being said: Damn, you are actually correct.

        https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21536403/

        My whole life, including when the Fire Department came to school and did a presentation and had us run through the simulated burning trailer, every instruction manual I have ever read for a CO alarm and everyone I have ever talked to about this all insisted CO alarms be installed near ground level.

        How is that possible? Did CO Alarm manufacturers just get it wrong when CO Alarms were becoming more widespread a decade and a half ago and everyone just parrotted what they were saying without checking? I can even remember news segments on CO danger and needing to install the alarms near the ground.

      • Fermion@feddit.nl
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        6 months ago

        Yeah the density of carbon monoxide is very close to the density of N2 so it stays fairly well mixed unless you have extremely still air. What matters most is having the detector near where you sleep.