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CO Detectors

Posted: Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 9:23 pm
by Pocono Pete
I heard on the news today about a customer at a New York restaurant who was killed and several others taken to the hospital due to carbon monoxide poisoning. I was wondering what people did years ago before CO detectors were available, I remember apartment buildings in New York City where the super (maintenance man) would shovel coal into the boiler for heat for the tenants and I never remember hearing of people losing their lives due to CO poisoning. Maybe I was just too young and don't remember it happening.

Re: CO Detectors

Posted: Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 9:36 pm
by Horace
Parakeets.

It could be that the buildings weren't as tight. Also, no Twitter, Facebook, 24-hour news channels. It may have happened, but wasn't considered as newsworthy.

Re: CO Detectors

Posted: Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 9:37 pm
by 2001Sierra
News travels much faster, and farther today.

Re: CO Detectors

Posted: Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 9:45 pm
by SMITTY
Another point is, I think the general public had MUCH more common sense in the old days than today's dumbed-down society. We got along just fine without seatbelts, helmets, & government sticking their nose in every aspect of our lives. Had we not, we wouldn't be alive to be on this here forum!

Lots of people are lazy, and lots of people these days have no qualms whatsoever putting the almighty dollar above human life. They'd rather save a few bucks than do NEEDED maintenance to heating devices. The other part of THAT is, the costs of maintaining a building have gone through the roof, and property taxes/ government regs. just continue to rise - that doesn't help things either.

I didn't have a CO detector for years, but, I'm aware of my equipment - it always gets checked. This house has enough air leaks that CO poisoning would be very difficult here anyway. I'd be awake to the problem before it got to the point of no return. I know this because it's happened before - with and without the detector.

Re: CO Detectors

Posted: Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 10:14 pm
by franco b
They died then as they do now. very common every winter. Not apartment houses but single family. Boilers were never airtight so check dampers were used a lot only they stayed open unlike a modern baro.