Carbon monoxide alarm positioning...

[sicarrstick]

Hello all,

New to the site and need some advice so thought I'd ask the experts...

We've got a 4m bell tent and I've just bitten the bullet and got a frontier stove or added warmth now the nights are getting colder and shorter. I've got the lash kit etc but thought I'd get a CO alarm just to be safe...question is where's the best place for it? Above the stove? By our bedding?

All help gratefully received...

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi, welcome and enjoy.

As to your to your question. I am no expert, but I would have thought that there was plenty of ventilation in your bell tent, and the flue would be outside the tent venting the CO safely outside. You could put the alarm near the stove as that is where the CO will come from.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Do not put it next to the stove as it will emitt small amounts of co as it starts up, wall of the tent above head height if sat in a chair in the tent, co emitted from the stove will be war, and rise, the detector needs to be place so as to trigger to give you enough time to wake up and vent out. But not so high as to be triggered by gas jut vent from the top. Imo

 

[Expat]

As CO2 builds from the ground up, the detector should be a fair way from the stove, but lower than the position of your head while sleeping.....
In other words, it should wake you BEFORE you start breathing the fumes, or you might never hear the alarm.....

 

[stuey]

Carbon monoxide is lighter than air. On this basis the detector would be ideally positioned, in my opinion, slightly above head height when sat in your usual seat. That way you get an early warning when sat relaxing in your chair of an evening and an even earlier warning when asleep.
If your tent is anything like ours there are three mesh vents in the cone of the ceiling which would vent any carbon monoxide. I usually leave one of the "windows" on the lee side just cracked open too to aid with upward airflow
I have toyed with the idea of a detector myself to prove out whether the tent is well vented enough but given the positioning of the vents up aloft feel there is no potential problem.
Happy camping

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[dwardo]

I just hang mine from the centre pole.
So long as it isn't directly above the potential source of CM then it should be fine.
They are designed to go off well before the levels get harmful so I don't think you quite need to tape it to your heeed

 

[Expat]

Stuey's quite right - from Wikipedia...

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is toxic to humans and animals when encountered in higher concentrations, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal biological functions. In the atmosphere it is short lived and spatially variable, since it combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and ozone.

For some reason, I always believed that CO, as in motor exhaust gases were heavier than air, and built up in enclosed spaces from the ground up...

 

[stuey]

Hi Expat, your first post said CO2 which is heavier than air so your statement that is builds from the ground up is spot on!

I was going on the OP asking for positioning of a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor so suggested higher up for the lighter than air gas.

I'd not thought to look on wikipedia.. Was harking back to my analytical chemist days... Ah memories

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[cbr6fs]

2 different gases, very very basically in this case.

CO2 is Carbon dioxide will be given off as burn fossil fuels and is generally heavier than air.

CO is Carbon monoxide which is produced when there is not enough oxygen to produce Carbon dioxide and is slightly lighter than air.


In high doses both can kill, but in this case it's Carbon monoxide we are concerned about.

 

[sicarrstick]

Cheers for all the feedback, we're off on Saturday so I'll let ou know how it goes...