Carbon
Monoxide
(36-3)
CO
detectors made for your RV
The dangers
of carbon monoxide poisoning are always present, and
we should be aware of how it can affect us in our everyday
life and in particular as RVers. Recently, a family
was using their RV as additional sleeping room when
they had extra company overnight. During the night,
the father and one child got out of the RV when they
felt dizzy and faint. Unfortunately, two other children
did not wake up and succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is formed when fuel burns without enough
oxygen present. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
are often as silent and invisible as the gas itself
- at first, you may notice a raspy, dry irritation in
the back of your throat from the aldehydes that are
produced. At moderate levels, you or your family can
get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused,
nauseated, or faint. You can even die if these levels
persist for a long time. Low levels can cause shortness
of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches, and may
have longer term effects on your health. Since many
of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food
poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that
CO poisoning could be the cause. Whenever we suspect
that carbon monoxide is present, we need to open the
doors and windows and get out immediately into the fresh
air.
Carbon monoxide is readily absorbed into the blood stream
and reduces the amount of oxygen that flows to the brain.
DO GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM and tell the physician you
suspect CO poisoning. If CO poisoning has occurred,
it can often be diagnosed by a blood test done soon
after exposure.
The longer time you are exposed to even low levels of
carbon monoxide gas, the more of it is absorbed by the
hemoglobin of the blood stream. In the graph, you will
see that high concentrations of the gas can cause severe
trauma in a very short time. If you don’t feel
well or are dizzy, open the windows and doors and go
outside.
Generators can produce exhaust gasses also and it is
important to have the exhaust pipes extend sufficiently
past the side walls or rear of the vehicle so that the
prevailing air currents can disburse this gas away from
the vehicle and not have it drawn into an open window
or a crack in the floor. Furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators
and generators draw their combustion air from the outside
of the RV and any gasses that are produced are expelled
to the outdoors. But often the exhaust gasses of other
RVer’s generators, water heaters, and furnaces
that are nearby can be drawn in through an open window.
Even though the exhaust pipe of your generator may clear
the RV by several inches, often a wind can blow the
gas back towards your RV where it can be drawn in. On
our own RV we use a “Genturi” pipe that
extends the exhaust up over the roof whenever we are
parked near another RV so that the prevailing air currents
can take it away.
The gas stove on the kitchen counter receives its combustion
air from inside the vehicle and can burn up the available
oxygen in the air causing a problem. It is important
not to use a pot that is too large on a burner that
might block the available air from feeding the flame.
The stove should never be used to heat the interior
of the RV on a cold day. Whenever the stove or a catalytic
heater is in use, we need to crack open a rooftop vent
or side window a small amount to allow fresh air to
come in and replace
the oxygen that has been burned off. Some new catalytic
heaters have carbon monoxide detectors installed internally
that will shut off the supply of gas if CO is detected.
It is very important that the air supply to water heaters
is adjusted properly to prevent the creation of carbon
monoxide.
Above all, do not idle your car in the garage even with
the door open, carbon monoxide can quickly fill the
garage and seep into the rest of the house.
Have your fuel burning appliances checked at the beginning
of each camping year to be sure they are properly vented
and working well. Never use a charcoal grill inside
the RV, and don’t sleep with the generator running.
Smoke alarms are mounted on the ceiling since smoke
rises. Propane detectors are mounted at floor level
since propane is heavier than air. Carbon monoxide detectors
should be mounted about five feet off the floor. If
your detector goes off, open a window or door immediately
to get some fresh air into the RV. Do not turn off the
detector to stop the sound. Some low cost detectors
cause false alarms, so be sure to obtain a quality unit
and replace it every five years as the sensor can become
flooded by other smells, and sprays. When a smoke detector
goes off, you can easily see why it is screaming at
you. Unfortunately, you cannot see or smell carbon monoxide
so it is hard to tell whether it is a false alarm or
a real emergency. Do not select a detector just on its
cost. It may not be adequate to do the job that is necessary
when the time comes. Look for a CSA or UL sticker on
the alarm so that you are sure that it has passed minimum
safety requirements.
Common types of CO detectors are the Metal Oxide Semi-conductor
(MOS) that uses heated tin oxide. When CO is present
in the sensing chamber, it reacts with the tin oxide
producing an alarm. Solid State Infrared (SIR) , (formerly
known as Biomimetric), CO detectors use a gel-coated
disc that darkens when CO is present. A photocell senses
this change and turns on the alarm. These units are
not susceptible to false alarms from disinfecting sprays,
air fresheners, and dish detergents. Electrochemical
CO detectors use a chemical reaction with the CO to
create a small electrical current which will sound the
alarm. Units used in RVs are normally powered by batteries.
If you neglect to change the batteries at the start
of the camping season, the alarm will do you no good.
You need to test the unit regularly for proper operation
by pushing the test button. New RVs that are built today
must have carbon monoxide detectors installed at the
factory, but unfortunately, there are many older RVs
on the road that do not have this life-saving device
installed. Go to your favourite dealer to have one installed
in your RV.
Units built specifically for RVs and installed as original
equipment by manufacturers include the COSTAR® by
Quantum Group, and the Safe-T-Alert built by MTI Industries.
COSTAR® makes a unit that operates from the vehicle’s
12-volt system and also makes a model that has an additional
9-volt battery backup. Both COSTAR® and Safe-T-Alert’s
units are permanently wired into the coach’s 12-volt
system.
I have seen many RVers using home style CO detectors
that plug into a wall outlet. This means that they are
powered when your unit is plugged in at a campground,
but not when you are on the road. First Alert and Kidde
manufacture models that are primarily intended for home
use, and are plug-in style. The First Alert plug-in
CO detector with battery backup, has a digital display
showing the concentration in parts per million and has
a memory that stores the highest levels detected.
The Kidde combination smoke and CO detector has a loud
voice alarm that notifies you if it is a smoke or carbon
monoxide incident when in alarm. It has a button to
silence the alarm sound. Kidde also manufactures a line
of excellent fire extinguishers that should be carried
in every RV.
Remember - it is always better to be safe than sorry
- or dead!
For additional information visit the following websites:
Quantum Group
www.QGinc.com
MTI Industries
www.safe-t-alert.com (Page Top) |
