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Co2 ppm query


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I have a feeling that some detectors also detect hydrogen which you'd get from battery charging. Is the 140 number constant? Are you constantly charging via a landline?

 

Have you tried swapping the position of the two detectors to check that one isn't faulty?

 

Please be careful and keep safe

 

Rik

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http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=62528

Hi all

In our lounge next to the stove our CO2 alarm registers 0-25 ppm but in the trad engine room (near our bedroom) I registers 140 ish.

Is this a worry / normal? We only use or engine for propulsion and haven't used it for a week of so.

The UK Health and Safety Executive states that the safe PPM limit has an upper range of 50ppm for CO (not CO2) so anything above that is a an issue and a potential threat to health.

 

The following link may help explain further.

 

http://www.ciphe.org.uk/Professional/Public-Health/Carbon-Monoxide/

 

You need to find the cause of this reading ASAP.

 

140ppm is way to high for a CO ppm reading

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Effects Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

 

35ppm = maximum allowabe concentration in 8 hours

150ppm= slight headache after 1.5 hours

200ppm = slight headache, fatigu, dizziness, nausea after 2-3 hours

400ppm = Frontal headaches within 1-2 hours, death after 3 hours

800ppm = dizziness & convulsions within 45 minutes, death within 2 hours

1500ppm = death within 1 hour

3200ppm = death within 25 minutes

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Thanks for the quick responses.

I left in the bedroom for 2 hours and it registers 13.

I've popped it back in the engine room to see if its still high.

We are on land line and have a couple of very shot batteries (soon to be replaced). Could it be something to do with them?

Yes.

 

Gassing batteries can cause high readings on a CO meter. The other risk you have is that batteries with an internal short can explode whilst on charge.

 

What do you mean by shot?

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Just checked it - 62 in engine room after 10 mins!

 

So still quite high considering we haven't started the engine for a few weeks what could be going on?

I recently brought a hydrometer and all the cells showed red. The batteries hold very little charge. They are older than my time on the boat (3 years).

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I think a reading of upto 50/60ppm will not trigger the audio alarm, however anything above this will the audio alarm. Is this happening in the engine room? If it is not sounding maybe its faulty, do as suggested and swop them round.

Phil

On my 'alarm' the red light comes on at 50ppm - if the level has not dropped after 90 minutes the audible alarm starts.

 

At 300ppm the alarm is continuous and can only be reset for 4 minutes - and then its continuous

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Just checked it - 62 in engine room after 10 mins!

So still quite high considering we haven't started the engine for a few weeks what could be going on?I recently brought a hydrometer and all the cells showed red. The batteries hold very little charge. They are older than my time on the boat (3 years).

Take them off charge if you can and I would wager the reading will fall.

 

I would take em off anyway and replace them asap.

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Yeah it's blatantly the batteries I just noticed a whiff of eggs and when googling 'gassing batteries' this is noted as correlating.

I've turned off everything but the CH pump and water pumps.

Classic..

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If we reduced the load massively to just pumps and leave the charger on is this safe for a day or so?

You may get away with it, I don't think anybody could say for sure, the higher the power of the charger the greater the risk though.

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It's the charging that is causing the gassing you MUST switch the charger off. You can switch it back on when the batteries get flat but must switch it off again before they start gassing again.

 

ETA if you look at the batteries you may see that one is gassing more than the others so disconnecting just that one may let you keep the charger on.

Edited by Keeping Up
  • Greenie 1
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Hiya - what I am looking for when you say you may 'see' one gassing more than the other?

 

I've turned the charger off so we will just have the CH pump on.

 

We will try and buy some batteries tomorrow but the timing is pretty bad with Christmas round the corner!

 

Thanks all for the info and help.

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If the batteries are the type where tops can be unscrewed or unclipped for topping up with water you can look down inside to see if they are bubbling with gas when charging. But if they are the sealed type, not designed to be topped up then you can't see if they are or not. If it's dark use a torch not a match!

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If the batteries are the type where tops can be unscrewed or unclipped for topping up with water you can look down inside to see if they are bubbling with gas when charging. But if they are the sealed type, not designed to be topped up then you can't see if they are or not. If it's dark use a torch not a match!

Some sealed types though can have the plugs prised out. Though agreed often they cannot.

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On my 'alarm' the red light comes on at 50ppm - if the level has not dropped after 90 minutes the audible alarm starts.

 

At 300ppm the alarm is continuous and can only be reset for 4 minutes - and then its continuous

Yes my detector likewise has a timed period for various levels of ppm but I omitted this fact as it is more important to establish if the unit is faulty or not.

Phil

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