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if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 4:34:00 AM

sirsholly

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From: Quietville
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my story....

Quite a few years ago i was married to my first husband. He had surgery to clear a blockage of an artery. It was a fairly serious surgery and i expected him to be laid up for a bit. When we finally got home he was having trouble keeping warm so he asked that the furnace be turned on. It was September...in the mid 70's outside...so a running furnace had me sweating. I opened a window in a spare bedroom on the second floor and would go up there to cool off.
After a few days i noticed he was not recovering as i thought he should. To add to that, i had a tension headache that would not go away. It seems all he did was sleep, and all i did was down Tylenol.
Finally it occured to me...the problem is in the house! I called the gas company and told them of my concern and they were there within an hour. THey had meters to measure the carbon monoxide levels and as they headed to the furnace said that a reading over 9% meant we would have to leave. Our reading was 67%.
The problem, we later found out, was a birds nest that fell into the chimmney. Yes, our chimmney was covered with a screen that we assumed was secure. The screen lifted enough to allow the nest to fall into the chimmney, causing the blockage that sent the carbon monoxide into the house.
My husband was readmitted to the hospital with fluid around his heart. I developed pneumonia but refused admission because i needed to be home to have the heating issues resolved and then have the red tag removed from our gas line.
When i think of what might have happened if i closed that window...if one time the temp dropped...if one time it rained...if i hadn't opened the window to begin with.
We thought we were fairly safe having done all recommended procedures to prevent something like this from happening. Our incorrect assumption nearly cost us our lives.

Considering the time of year it is many are turning on their furnaces. A carbon monoxide detector costs less than 50.00. If you don't have one please consider what happened to us and get one as soon as possible.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 4:54:30 AM

GreedyTop

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thank you, Holly....

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 5:31:19 AM

colouredin

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gosh that must have been so scary for you, the thing is we all think we are safe till something like that reminds us we have to actually take care of our safty

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 5:36:31 AM

sirsholly

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the scary part was something was slowly killing us that we couldn't see, taste, smell, etc. Thats why i always try to pass it on. We were so very lucky and if our experience helps just one person it will be worth it

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 5:39:52 AM

GreedyTop

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*adores Holly*

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 5:57:06 AM

colouredin

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see my one is always unplug your electrics, a lot of people dont know that (after a power cut especially) there are electrical surges so even if an appliance is turned off but still plugged in sparks can happen, our house burnt down in this way a hair dryer near a newspaper and poof it was gone. People think im odd running around pulling plugs out but you know what id rather be thought odd than look rather charcoal

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 6:05:50 AM

MadAxeman

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'Holly's Safety Tips'
There's a thin volume lol
Thanks for the heads up though.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 6:30:01 AM

subtex

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I did a quick search and found a carbon dioxide alarm for less than $30 at Walmart.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 9:05:24 AM

sub4hire

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Was your husband ok in the end? You said he had to be readmitted but left it at that.

I agree, everyone should take proper precautions. Here you don't have to worry about our chimneys.
I already had a fire going in both fireplaces well over a month ago...it got cold for a week.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 9:07:01 AM

JoanieHoney2001

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Holly,
Thank you very much for that. It's especially true if you happen to have a fuel oil furnace. We have a detector in the basement just outside the room the furnace is in and also one at the top of the basement stairs near the bedrooms.

And don't forget to check those batteries!!!!

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 9:10:25 AM

sirsholly

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quote:

ORIGINAL: sub4hire

Was your husband ok in the end? You said he had to be readmitted but left it at that.

He was in the hospital for about a week but made it through. He was one hell of a fighter

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 9:42:24 AM

beargonewild

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My house is heated by natural gas and I have a carbon monoxide detector plugged in the stairwell outside the furnace room. The city I'm in passed a bylaw a couple years ago making smoke detectors mandatory. Even the company for my house insurance gives me a break on the premiums because of having both types of detectors installed.
I found the easiest way to remember to change the batteries is to do so New Years morning: A new year means new batteries.

< Message edited by beargonewild -- 10/4/2008 9:44:24 AM >

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 10:18:20 AM

soul2share

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Holly, the same thing happened to me...I moved into a small house with an old fashined wall furnace....ran on gas. I was unpacking and settling in, and was pooped, but wrote it off the the 350 mile move and subsequent unpacking. Along about the time that I was going to give up and take a nap, the mailman came by, smelled the odor of gas literally surrounding my house and knocked on the door. Once I opened the door, the odor just about knocked me over. I called the gas company, the guy came out with the meter thingy, and immediately shut off my gas supply.....there was about 7 times the normal amount of CO in my house...and it was tiny...maybe 600 square feet! I opened up all the windows, kicked the dog out of the house, and turned on three fans to air it out. I called the maintenace guy, and he sent someone over to clean out the furnace. When he took it off the wall, literally YEARS of this thick, black, oily crap fell out of it onto the floor.....it had never been cleaned out before. I immediately went and got a CO detector, and was so paranoid about it happening again that I replaced the batteries on it EVERY month! Ironically, one of the TC's in another district died of CO poisoning just a week prior to me moving in.

Please, everyone....get your furnaces and chimneys checked at least once a year!!!!! Going to sleep and not waking up will really fuck up one's day!

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 10:49:00 AM

sirsholly

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quote:

ORIGINAL: subtex

I did a quick search and found a carbon dioxide alarm for less than $30 at Walmart.

THANK YOU!!!

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 10:50:37 AM

sirsholly

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Soul...thank God for that mailman. Were you ok after that?

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 11:04:43 AM

servantheart

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Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences. I'm glad all of you are safe and with us today *HUGS*

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 12:08:43 PM

sirsholly

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From: Quietville
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i also found out where you put the alarm doesn't matter. With a smoke alarm they are to be placed high on the wall as the smoke rises. Carbon Monoxide is everywhere...replacing oxygen.
We have the alarms that have both a plug and a battery back-up. The only time the battery is used is in a power failure.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 1:32:06 PM

DesFIP

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And keep your muffler in good working repair.

Years ago the ex and I and the family were driving back from a weekend at the beach. We hit a bad pothole on the Long Island Expressway but as the tire didn't blow, thought nothing of it. The ex smoked and had his window open partway while the rest of us used the a.c., by the time we got home the only one who was awake was the ex. We didn't put it together till the next day as to why we were all asleep for six hours straight and horrible headaches. Cracked where the muffler met the tailpipe and the exhaust was feeding right into the car.

And get your fireplaces and wood stoves cleaned yearly or every two cords, whichever comes first. My furnace is direct vented, no chimney but the wood stove has a carbon monoxide detector not ten feet away.

< Message edited by DesFIP -- 10/4/2008 1:42:54 PM >

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 1:39:20 PM

proudsub

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Thanks for sharing your story. Let me give everyone anaother warning. A friend told us about some friends of theirs who drove with the tailgate of their stationwagon opened and the carbon monoxide from the exhaust got sucked into the car and their two children in the back seat died from it.

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RE: if this helps just one... - 10/4/2008 2:40:12 PM

tweedydaddy

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We have a carbon monxide detector and took care to get a mains powered one with a light to indicate that it is working. Remember that batteries wear out sooner than you think!

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