Carbon Monoxide
There is a strong awareness of Carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas appliances or any fossil fuel burning appliance
Just to clear up a few facts
Carbon monoxide (CO) has no smell which is why it is called the silent killer
In most cases if an appliance is not working correctly then fumes are given off, In the fumes there is Carbon and hydrogen which can come out as Carbon Monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide (CO2) and also water vapor(H2O), If this combustion is starved of oxygen for any reason then the combustion is incomplete so then the CO2 then turns to just CO which carbon monoxide and soot partials which you can smell can be produced, all fossil fuels are carbon based and if they are burning correctly give of Carbon dioxide(CO2),this is what we humans breath out.
so although strictly speaking carbon monoxide is odorless but fumes from appliances can sometimes be smelt, or give you a headache or soar throat and or the windows will cover in condensation, but these fumes will also make you tired and fall asleep
If you have any suspicion of fumes from a gas appliance then call TRANSCO on 0800 111 999 and they will come out free of charge to make the appliance safe
Fitting of an electronic carbon monoxide detector is a good idea but it is no substitute for regular servicing, it is a bit like a smoke detector and is there as a last resort
An electronic Carbon monoxide detector should fitted high up in the same room as the appliance, preferably higher then any door opening and on the opposite wall to the appliance, this is because the carbon monoxide is very light and also warm so will rise to the ceiling, these alarms monitor the CO level and will sound an alarm if the CO levels rise over a set time, this time varies automatically with the amount of CO in the atmosphere
Note I do not recommend the low cost disk type that can discolor as they are ineffective , and if there was any carbon monoxide about then you would be unconscious before this disk had turned black
it is almost impossible for a correctly installed gas appliance that is serviced correctly to give off carbon monoxide especially if you have a room sealed gas appliance, all gas appliances should be serviced once a year
if you have an open flue gas appliance (this is mostly fires or older boilers) then it is these that are at the most risk as flue could get blocked or Damaged between services or an incoming air vent could get accidentally blocked, Never cover up an air vent
flues should not be located near or opposite operable windows or doors
nearly all modern boilers are room sealed so can not give out any Carbon monoxide in the property providing they are correctly fitted, but there has been cases were the fumes can enter adjacent properties which why all new boilers muse be 2M away from a boundary
the Biggest cause of all carbon monoxide poisoning is either an incorrectly fitted appliance or someone has tampered with the appliance or flue
Unfortunately there are more instances of carbon monoxide poisoning whist on holiday abroad, this is largely because to the poor installation of the appliance and the deactivation of the safety devices fitted by the manufacture, this is a result of poor regulation in some other countries
if you are going abroad for your holiday then it is advisable to take an electronic carbon monoxide detector with you
I personally would not trust one provided by the resort as that too could have been interfered with just like they sometimes interfere with the gas appliance safety devices