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Carbon Monoxide


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If you want to avoid a long read, my main question is in the topic description.

Several months back me and my friends were smoking in my apartment for several hours and set off the CO alarm. I had the fire dept. out because CO can be deadly, and they detected trace amounts of it collecting around the ceiling in my bathroom (no vents in there, and no traces around the drains or pipes.) My gas was shut off at the time due to my being late on the bill, so it wasn't my furnace. I never really found out what caused that, but haven't had any problems since.

So, today my alarm went off again after we'd been smoking for a while. My friend and I set up the new Syrian that was just delivered and smoked some Layalina Mangosteen mixed with Apple Bahraini. I think we burned through maybe 4-5 good-sized chunks of natural coal. My roommate also burned something he was cooking.

I have gas again, but my pilot light is shut off on the furance until the apt. complex sends someone to fix it, so I don't believe that would be producing CO at the moment (although it could still leak other natural gas, I think...) My hot water heater might need to be checked, but someone was just out here for that two days ago after my neighbor's busted upstairs. Something could also have come up through the drains in my kitchen or bathroom, but pure CO would be kind of unusual.

All in all, the only things that were burning in here today were natural charcoals, homemade fried rice, and the pilot light in my hot water heater. Could any of that, along with poor ventilation (doors and windows were shut, but I've smoked like that for hours without problems before), really set the alarm off? The alarm is off now, and I'll have someone come out again tomorrow to check my place. Until then my doors and windows will remain open with fans running. It's ****ing cold in here... Edited by Ralleac
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QUOTE (Canon @ Jan 9 2008, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
bump, maybe someone could answer this?


I'd like to know, but either way I'm going to have my place checked out tomorrow. There've been too many problems around here lately for me to take any chances. I'm kind of glad I'm moving out in a few weeks.
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QUOTE (Ralleac @ Jan 10 2008, 12:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
they detected trace amounts of it collecting around the ceiling in my bathroom


carbon monoxide is heavier than air. chances are the CO is coming from somewhere upstairs.
if the source of the CO is on the same floor/room as you and they can detect it at the ceiling then you probably would be dead already because the CO would have displaced all the air.
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Well if each time you smoke, it could be the CO from the coals. Only the coals don;t emit too much CO when burning (atleat Exoticas and 3K or golden QL), only when lighting. Do you light all the coals inside? What coals do you use anyway?
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QUOTE (chinamon @ Jan 9 2008, 07:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ralleac @ Jan 10 2008, 12:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
they detected trace amounts of it collecting around the ceiling in my bathroom


carbon monoxide is heavier than air. chances are the CO is coming from somewhere upstairs.
if the source of the CO is on the same floor/room as you and they can detect it at the ceiling then you probably would be dead already because the CO would have displaced all the air.


Well, the amounts they detected were well below lethal or toxic, and it quickly dissipated after the door was opened.

I called the gas company and they said they don't want to send anyone out again until I shut all my doors and windows to see if the alarm goes off again.

I've had a headache all day since I smoked, but to be honest that could be from the **** QLs I used earlier. I wonder if ace hardware has one of those handheld CO and natural gas detectors I saw the fire dept. and the maintenance guy using.

Right now I have Rolland finger charcoal, a couple of rolls of QLs that came with my new Syrian, and Muzzle Natural coals. I wish I had some Romman lemonwood, but I ran out and haven't been able to find any locally. Edited by Ralleac
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Yeah... all of those coals you mentioned give off more CO than other coals, better coals, Un-named QL's are the worst br far. I hope you are lighting those outside..

Anyway, Rollands give off a noticeable amount of CO over Exoticas when igniting.

Muzzle natural coals i have never heard of, and because of that, i would say they are problematic.

I htink your problem is directly related to your coals! smile.gif
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QUOTE (ZenSilk @ Jan 9 2008, 08:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yeah... all of those coals you mentioned give off more CO than other coals, better coals, Un-named QL's are the worst br far. I hope you are lighting those outside..

Anyway, Rollands give off a noticeable amount of CO over Exoticas when igniting.

Muzzle natural coals i have never heard of, and because of that, i would say they are problematic.

I htink your problem is directly related to your coals! smile.gif


Yeah, I'm probably going to put in an order for exoticas and some more lemonwood this week, but I think Beaverton Tobacco has the lemonwood that I usually use. I just haven't had a chance to head out that way. Edited by Ralleac
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QUOTE (mushrat @ Jan 9 2008, 08:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My problem was WITH exoticas...if you are using finger coals indoors, any finger coal, make sure you have good ventellation.


Is there something specific about finger coals that makes them more prone to producing CO while burning?

I'll start lighting my coals outside and making sure my windows and back door are open.
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QUOTE (mushrat @ Jan 9 2008, 09:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, they are just chopped and formed natural charcoal. When you burn charcoal it produces CO. Pretty simple.


Yeah, a lot of things can produce CO when you burn them, but I meant in comparison to QLs or the bags of chopped up random pieces of natural coals. I'm just curious because I've smoked with the apartment locked down numerous times, but have only had the alarm go off twice.
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The boxes I got today of Exoticas smell a lot different then the first box I got. These really smell like a BBQ. I am glad I am lighting them out side. They are taking longer to light as well. I know if I started these inside I would be choking to death. I hope my neighbors don't mind. unsure.gif Hopefully they have their windows closed because it winter.
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I had my alarm in the kitchen go off once on these crappy freebie coals I got with a hookah, I started lighting them over the sink with the water running since CO sinks and the water will help grab onto it. After that it never went off, but I only used a few more of those coals before switching to 3K (which I still light over the sink with the water running)
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Water running under coals? I think I have heard it all. You might as well wear a helmet when you drive your car also.

On a lighter note: We had issues lighting coals near a fire alarm in the Sahara store ( well Holly did) every now and then it would go off and scare me to death.

It was just the smoke off the caols and her standing just below it. It would be weird I think to set off the CO alarm. But then again we don`t usualy have those in Vegas so who knows.
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I dont know if it's the picture or not, but do they have brown patches in there? If they do, that's bad! They gotta be black all over. I got a great batch, I cant really complain about them any. But I might have to reconsider buying them again until this whole bad batch thing is over.
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QUOTE (Bulldog_916 @ Jan 10 2008, 05:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I dont know if it's the picture or not, but do they have brown patches in there? If they do, that's bad! They gotta be black all over. I got a great batch, I cant really complain about them any. But I might have to reconsider buying them again until this whole bad batch thing is over.



Yes that is how they look. I took the pics with no flash so you could see them. Yes there are absolutely horrid BALH!
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  • 1 month later...
Little late on the post but...


When a pilot light goes out, gas is still emitted to the pilot. Meaning, gas was very slowly leaking into your place. This could very well be the source of the CO. I am a chef and at my old job the pilots on our 8 burnder stove were broken. Every monring I had to air out the place before going to work in fear of blowing the place up! lol They got it fixed atfer I quit...they were out to get me!

Sometimes I feel really wierd after smoking a lot, and I get nervous then my heart palpitates (beats really fast and I can feel it)...though it stopped. I seriously think if you worry too much about it you'll just get an anxiety attack over it! lol, i made myself stop worrying abut it and it doesn't happen anymore. Edited by gr!m
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