How can you fix this problem?

Question

I am trying to solve co problem in the house. our gas range in the kitchen produces a 15 ppm amount of co after a couple of hours of cooking. Sometimes, co hits the 2nd floor. First, I thought the co detector was wrong. See my quetions.

1. Is it normal? Is there a dedicated vent for the gas range, other than fan hood?

2. Can this be fixed? Or, is it a known problem to everyone?

3. Is there such thing like flue attached to this gas range?

Previous home owner did not maintain the home very well.

Answer 1

Every year many people die using gas appliances for heat that aren't properly vented. Your exhaust hood should be vented to the outside, usually through a duct that is fed from the exhaust hood over your stove by an electric exhaust fan out through your roof, in most cases.
Carbon monoxide is a deadly killer, because it becomes trapped in your body, not easily purged. It builds up in your bloodstream and the effects are cumulative, building to higher levels with repeated exposure on a regular basis.
Ways to clear your kitchen from this threat need not be expensive or complicated, but an experienced contractor should be consulted for your saftey and peace of mind, withouit knowing the layout and constuction in your home, ways to deal with the problem would only be guesses. Contact me here if I can help you in a more in depth answer...A very good question!

P.S.- You didn't say if your home heating was from N.G. also...if it is, I would DEFINATELY call in a heating contractor asap! You could be dealing with a leak from your heating system from the furnace, a real cause of fatalities.

Answer 2

They're definitely bending you over. That's way too much for a simple thermostat swap. It seems as if your mechanic didn't take the time to properly diagnose the actual problem with the vehicle. Although thermostats do go bad, the real problem is usually something else. Further more, if they failed to bleed the air out of the cooling system after replacing the thermostat, this could cause a no heat situation. You definitelyy need to take your car to another mechanic instead of these clowns. Any good mechanic would check the temp of both heater hoses to the heater core before replacing the t-stat. If they saw that one hose was cooler than the other, then that would indicate a clogged heater core. In most cases a heater core can be back flushed to remedy the problem without the costly replacement of it. Another possible cause for no heat is a bad waterpump. I've seen this many times. Sometimes a bad waterpump will flow enough to keep the engine from overheating, but not enough to circulate through the heater core, thus causing no heat. Good luck!

Answer 3

The CO reading you're getting is at the low end, but, even so, it may not be accurate.

Many of the CO detectors for homes are undependable and inaccurate. Paint fumes, cleaning solvent fumes, and other vapors can destroy the detector's sensor.

Professional meters (used by HVAC pros) will give a better result. Call a heating company and arrange for a CO test, if you can't live w/15ppm......

Gnomon - CO is a by-product of incomplete combustion. No matter what type fuel, if 100% combustion occurs there will be no CO production. Ventilation has nothing to do with it.

Answer 4

Concentration of CO in the air:

9 ppm The maximum allowable concentration for short term exposure in living area according to ASHRAE.
35 ppm Maximum allowable concentration for continuous exposure in any 8 hour period according to MIOSHA.

Make sure the battery is new in the detector, sometimes this will alert the alarm. Other areas to look would be the gas furnace, clothes dryer, water heater, etc. Incomplete burning will cause excess CO. Feel free to email me with any other questions you may have. Good luck.

Answer 5

No, that doesn't sound good at all. I think I'd call the professionals in on that. CO is life-threatening and if your detectors are going off then it's obviously building to dangerous levels. There must be a leak somewhere in that range at the gas pipe.

Answer 6

Vlad M is wrong. Burning natural gas will produce CO if there is not enough ventilation. You may need to add an intake vent in your room which allows air in from outside. This is normal for natural gas "coal effect" fires. A professional installer will be able to advise you.

Answer 7

1. It is not normal. Burning natural gas does not create emissions. It burns clean. Something else is the problem here.

2. It should be able to be fixed if you call the company that made the gas range and tell them about your problem. It is very serious and it could potentially be fatal.

3. A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. In U.S.A. and for water heaters and modern furnaces, they are also called 'vents'; for boilers they are 'breeching'. They usually operate by buoyancy, also known as the stack effect, or the combustion products may be 'induced' via a blower. As combustion products contain carbon monoxide and other dangerous compounds, proper 'draft', and admission of replacement air is imperative. Building codes, and other standards, regulate their materials, design, and installation.

It shouldn't exists on a gas range because as I said, there shouldn't be harmful emissions.

Answer 8

15 ppm is insignificant on a range, top or oven. Feel free to verify with your local gas company if you like. When you get to 50ppm, then you might have a problem if it's for an extended period of time. At 400ppm, you will definitely have a problem.

Answer 9

HEY "Vlad M" !!!!!!
DUH...People die every year from Carbonmonoxide poisioning every year. Natural gas burnes "cleaner" not CLEAN!!

Try this.
Boil some water and see where the steam goes.
A) Up the vent.
B) Around the hood.

If the steam goes around the hood, you may want to remove and clean the aluminum screen in hot soapy water.

Answer 10

CHECK & ADJUST THE FLAME ON THE COOKTOP! ( GAS COMPANY ), HOOD IS ADAQUITE! A PROPERLY WORKING RANGE NEEDS NO VENT!