Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA A bizarre new law. Single family homes are now required to have carbon monoxide detectors outside each sleeping area. Now, how this will be enforced is beyond me. Perhaps a new CA-CO Patrol will do random walk-throughs of homes. "Here to check for CO2 detectors, sir" What-ever. <a href="http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20110708/LIFESTYLE/107080324/Lewis-Carbon-monoxide-What-you-need-know" target="_blank">http://www.thecalifornian.com/...eed-know</a>
Originally Posted By hopemax I suspect it will be like some driving laws, seatbelts and such. If you are pulled over and don't comply you are ticketed, but they don't make special stops just for that. So if a house is bought or sold, they will look for them. If you have work done, that requires a city inspection, they will look for them, etc.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Well, for new construction it will be part of the permitting process I'm sure. How they would enforce it on existing homes though I have no idea.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Perhaps it's being led by the CAFCOD... The California Association for CO2 Detectors
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Maybe the MTIS will pull double duty and check on the detectors as well. The Mattress Tag Inspection Society.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Well, for new construction it will be part of the permitting process I'm sure. How they would enforce it on existing homes though I have no idea. --- here it is required to be accounted for on appraisals of existing homes also- another way to control. I think it's a good idea which is why I have one..don't need to have everything legislated at us though.
Originally Posted By hopemax > I think it's a good idea which is why I have one..don't need to have everything legislated at us though. > I thought of that too, but then a lot of CO fatalities include children. A child has a right to sleep in a safe home, and has no means to insure having it for himself. If some adults want to kill themselves by not having proper safety equipment, I'm not going to stand in their way.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <If some adults want to kill themselves by not having proper safety equipment, I'm not going to stand in their way.> Oh please. I'm a big boy. I can make decisions on what I want safety-wise in my home. And where does it end? I would imagine it's more dangerous to have a set of knives sitting on my kitchen counter than to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning. *cough-cough* wait a minute....*cough*...I....feel.....I feel light-hearded * cough*ffef diaf e rd..feafeaf
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I just woke up. Apparently I've been getting slowly poisoned from Carbon Monoxide. It has altered my personality -- over the past 10 years, I've made myself believe that I've been part of an online Disney community. I had wild, far out dreams of moving to the Central Valley in California....of buying a new house in 2005 (that Gosh that's was a dream -- who would be dumb enough to do that)... Also in my dream -- we had a black president. *cough* *cough* I'm not able to type...let me...*cough* -- if I type one more thing I'd...liek to saynvaem..camfkmf
Originally Posted By hopemax Jim, really. My point was I don't care what adults do as long as it affects only them. However, CO poisoning doesn't affect only adults, but children who don't have the ability to take their personal safety into their own hands. So I don't know if it is as completely inappropriate to have legislation concerning CO poisoning as some would make it. CO poisoning may be rare, but it is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths.
Originally Posted By mele My great aunt and uncle died from CO poisoning. Didn't Walt Disney's parents die from the same thing? Or maybe it was gas fumes?
Originally Posted By hopemax Yes, Walt's mother died from CO poisoning as a result of a malfunctioning furnace.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Sorry -- wasn't trying to be glib. I mean, I was, but it was not my intention to upset anyone. I'm actually excited to be able to drop a few more dollars at Lowe's the weekend. CO2 alarms - here we come!
Originally Posted By hopemax There was something bothering me last night, and I didn't quite process it last night, but I figured it out. It was the coughing. That isn't a symptom of CO poisoning. Most people get a light headache, and feel sleepy. They think that they've picked up a mild flu bug because they might feel a little dizzy or a little nausea, and ignore what is happening. A lot of poisoning instances happen during the winter because that's when people are using their heating units. But since it's winter it just makes people more likely to pass it off as a flu bug. The process of carbon bonding with your hemoglobin, instead of the oxygen causes a sense of euphoria (which explains why it's "popular" for suicides), so you feel pretty good. You feel like you are breathing fine. But what you are breathing doesn't work with the human body. The fact that you go to an incorrect symptom in your attempt at humor, underscores the need for these type of devices because people don't recognize CO poisoning as what it is. So that's the end of the public service announcement.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Whatever hopemax. If my attempt at being silly helps your cause that I need a CO2 detector on my home because I'm too stupid to realize what the symptoms are -- right on. Jim in Merced CA is stupid and insensitive.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>The fact that you go to an incorrect symptom in your attempt at humor, underscores the need for these type of devices because people don't recognize CO poisoning as what it is.<< That's kind of a big old ginormous stretch. If carbon monoxide is such a big concern, why aren't there stronger industry regulations to prevent leaks in homes? I haven't looked closely at this issue, but I'd bet it's because manufacturers and large industries have lobbyists who prevent more stringent standards because it raises costs, so instead someone like Jim gets to pay out of pocket because he doesn't have a lobbyist to protect his interests. How about huge fines and expensive lawsuits for the companies that manufacture devices that kill people?
Originally Posted By vbdad55 CO poisoning may be rare, but it is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths. ---- I can tell you now it is not all that rare in areas of the country that have cold weather and have to use furnaces 1/2 the year. Major cause- clogged chimneys. one other reason is new construction type homes don't 'breathe'. They are air tight for energy reasons but makes them worse for things like CO2 poisoning etc. because they trap everything in.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Just to further annoy everyone, I'll point out that CO2 is carbon DIoxide, not carbon monoxide (CO). Feel free to be annoyed.
Originally Posted By hopemax > How about huge fines and expensive lawsuits for the companies that manufacture devices that kill people? < Because its not always a manufacturing defect. Snow builds up blocking the exhaust, home owners that don't properly clean or operate their chimney. My house has a 40 year furnace that had a 15-20 year life expectancy (it's being replaced in a little over a week, but when we had a furnace guy in over the winter he freaked out that it was going to kill us, although his CO detector couldn't pick up a reading). So is it the manufacturer's responsibility then?
