PH diagnosed me (and possibly saved my life) Carbon Monoxide
Discussion
Long story short I've been having headaches, dizziness and flu symptoms for the past year - been to the doc 4 or 5 times and had all tests done (and I mean ALL tests) - all were clear. This started getting me down alot and began affecting my mood and work - I work from home at present. By chance I was scanning the PH Health Matters threads and discovered this one:
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...
Having read it I looked up carbon monoxide poisoning on the NHS website and decided to go and have a look at my oil central heating boiler. I discovered a hole in the flue pipe from the boiler to outside - fumes had definitely been entering the garage, which is attached to the house and then from there into the house. Everything was beginning to click.
I went to the doc again last Wednesday and told him my suspicions, he said my symptoms were consistent with long term, low level carbon monoxide poisoning and that I should switch the heating off immediately, ventilate the house and get a boiler engineer in to look at it (I now see that this was exacerbated by the fact I work from home). Engineer came today, started the boiler, plugged a gas analyser in and immediately the carbon monoxide alarm went off which he said 'was a very bad sign' - the reading was 50 times over the normal safe level. He concluded that apart from the obvious hole in the flue pipe the boiler hadn't been properly commissioned when it was installed and the jet was too large for the type of boiler - after doing the necessary adjustments, installing the correct jet and patching the hole in the flue pipe all is well and he gave me a printout to show all levels are now safe. Only cost me 40 quid.
My symptoms have eased off since last Wednesday - I'm on the road back to health and I just want to thank PH and in particular Lemmonie for posting that carbon monoxide thread - without it I may never have put 2 and 2 together on this. I've now bought a carbon monoxide detector for the house and would urge everyone out there to do likewise and be mindful of this dangerous and invisible threat - get your boilers serviced regularly.
Pistonheads - its not just likeminded people sounding off at each other - sometimes its so much more!
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...
Having read it I looked up carbon monoxide poisoning on the NHS website and decided to go and have a look at my oil central heating boiler. I discovered a hole in the flue pipe from the boiler to outside - fumes had definitely been entering the garage, which is attached to the house and then from there into the house. Everything was beginning to click.
I went to the doc again last Wednesday and told him my suspicions, he said my symptoms were consistent with long term, low level carbon monoxide poisoning and that I should switch the heating off immediately, ventilate the house and get a boiler engineer in to look at it (I now see that this was exacerbated by the fact I work from home). Engineer came today, started the boiler, plugged a gas analyser in and immediately the carbon monoxide alarm went off which he said 'was a very bad sign' - the reading was 50 times over the normal safe level. He concluded that apart from the obvious hole in the flue pipe the boiler hadn't been properly commissioned when it was installed and the jet was too large for the type of boiler - after doing the necessary adjustments, installing the correct jet and patching the hole in the flue pipe all is well and he gave me a printout to show all levels are now safe. Only cost me 40 quid.
My symptoms have eased off since last Wednesday - I'm on the road back to health and I just want to thank PH and in particular Lemmonie for posting that carbon monoxide thread - without it I may never have put 2 and 2 together on this. I've now bought a carbon monoxide detector for the house and would urge everyone out there to do likewise and be mindful of this dangerous and invisible threat - get your boilers serviced regularly.
Pistonheads - its not just likeminded people sounding off at each other - sometimes its so much more!
IMO a CO alarm is just as important as a smoke alarm in the house (assuming you are burning fossil fuels!)
OP, good to hear you've solved the riddle. I don't mean to bring you down but at the back of my mind I have it that there is a long-term/ongoing/permanent risk, or issue, with long-term exposure to CO, even if the immediate symptoms subside? I could be completely off beam with that, but maybe worth just checking?
OP, good to hear you've solved the riddle. I don't mean to bring you down but at the back of my mind I have it that there is a long-term/ongoing/permanent risk, or issue, with long-term exposure to CO, even if the immediate symptoms subside? I could be completely off beam with that, but maybe worth just checking?
CAPP0 said:
IMO a CO alarm is just as important as a smoke alarm in the house (assuming you are burning fossil fuels!)
OP, good to hear you've solved the riddle. I don't mean to bring you down but at the back of my mind I have it that there is a long-term/ongoing/permanent risk, or issue, with long-term exposure to CO, even if the immediate symptoms subside? I could be completely off beam with that, but maybe worth just checking?
I did ask the doc about treatment, he said the only real treatment for CO poisoining is for severe cases which consists of administering pure oxygen or treatment in a hyperbaric chamber - for relatively mild poisoning such as I had, even if it was over a prolonged period, he said in the next few weeks the symptoms should fade and I should be fine, I can feel them easing already. That said if anything starts to feel wrong I'll be straight back in to see him, I'm just so glad I traced the source of the problem and its not some other serious medical condition OP, good to hear you've solved the riddle. I don't mean to bring you down but at the back of my mind I have it that there is a long-term/ongoing/permanent risk, or issue, with long-term exposure to CO, even if the immediate symptoms subside? I could be completely off beam with that, but maybe worth just checking?
For the sake of fifteen quid, I think I may get CO detectors.
That is good too hear. We have a Carbon Monoxide detector, have done ever since we moved to our current house. The boiler is technically too big for the house and whilst we have it serviced every year, the detector gives us extra security (along with the kitchen fire blanket, 3 smoke alarms, powder extinguisher near the computers and in the kitchen!!)
LordGrover said:
For the sake of fifteen quid, I think I may get CO detectors.
Dunno. I tried one of those. As soon as I put the battery in and switched it on, the alarm went off. Turned it off, switched it on again. Alarm blares in my face. What a crock of s
te. Sent it back by return post.Hoofy said:
LordGrover said:
For the sake of fifteen quid, I think I may get CO detectors.
Dunno. I tried one of those. As soon as I put the battery in and switched it on, the alarm went off. Turned it off, switched it on again. Alarm blares in my face. What a crock of ste. Sent it back by return post.
gowmonster said:
Hoofy said:
LordGrover said:
For the sake of fifteen quid, I think I may get CO detectors.
Dunno. I tried one of those. As soon as I put the battery in and switched it on, the alarm went off. Turned it off, switched it on again. Alarm blares in my face. What a crock of ste. Sent it back by return post.Hoofy said:
gowmonster said:
Hoofy said:
LordGrover said:
For the sake of fifteen quid, I think I may get CO detectors.
Dunno. I tried one of those. As soon as I put the battery in and switched it on, the alarm went off. Turned it off, switched it on again. Alarm blares in my face. What a crock of ste. Sent it back by return post.CAPP0 said:
IMO a CO alarm is just as important as a smoke alarm in the house (assuming you are burning fossil fuels!)
Absolutely. You can get smaoke alarms fitted by the fire brigade for free. CO alarms are compulsory in rented accommodation afaik, makes sense to have one in any home.Glad you sorted it OP, lucky.
Almost lost my grandma to CO poisoning on holiday a few years back.
Rang my dad to say she was feeling awfully sick etc and finding it hard to stay awake, was persuaded to open the window for some fresh air, felt better again so closed the window and went to lie down... phone call a few hours later she could barely rouse herself to answer, window open again and then it clicks.
Boiler off, her and her mate off to hospital (in France!) for a checkover and I assume from this thread, some oxygen...
Scary stuff.
Rang my dad to say she was feeling awfully sick etc and finding it hard to stay awake, was persuaded to open the window for some fresh air, felt better again so closed the window and went to lie down... phone call a few hours later she could barely rouse herself to answer, window open again and then it clicks.
Boiler off, her and her mate off to hospital (in France!) for a checkover and I assume from this thread, some oxygen...
Scary stuff.
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