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My sister and her young family have gone camping for the first time this weekend with, a friend of theirs, who has a GAS FRIDGE, When my sister went to wake her friend who was sleeping in her own tent, found her to be none responsive,the emergency servises where called, and her friend was flown to northampton hospital where my sister was told that she had CARBON MONOXIDE poisioning, which was from the GAS CAMPING FRIDGE,her friend has now been taken to the Wirrel in Liverpool to a Decmpresion Chamber where she will have to stay for 5 days. The dr has she should be fine but may have slight memory loss. SO I AM ASKING EVERYONE PLEASE GET YOUR GAS CAMPING EQUIPTMENT CHECKED EVERY YEAR. My sister wasz going to put the fridge in her tent, i carnt bear to think about what coukd have been

They scare me no end. We use gas for cooking, but always turn it off at the cannister after cooking. Having the gas on permanently to run a fridge is a no-no in my mind. We have a good old fashioned cool box and lots of ice blocks (and frozen bottled water at the start) - does us fine!

Hope she recovers quickly!

Quote: Originally posted by didido on 09/7/2011

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Thanks for all the well wishes and yes it was a sown in ground sheet. I myself will just use my good old cool box and blocks.

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Gas fridges are safe if you take the right precautions. You're right in saying gas appliances should be checked regularly but even a correctly functioning one is dangerous if used in the wrong fashion ie in a poorly ventilated area. The other thing folk do is place gas appliances directly on groundsheets or close to tent walls...even a fridge pilot light can get hot at the back and pooff...melted tent, or worse, tent on fire.

I've got a 3-way fridge and use it regularly on both gas and electricity. If on gas it stays in the porch or TT awning, neither of which have got a groundsheet.. If on EHU it lives in the driest place in the tent on top of a heatproof plastic tray. Neither place is convenient for regular use, but safety is paramount. Gas fridge in a sealed up tent, shudder. Your friend was extremely lucky.

 

  Perhaps something should be done to prevent others suffering so badly as this. A couple of days ago I learned on here that charcoal fumes from a BBQ produce carbon monoxide, because someone posted about a tragic accident. The suffering of the person in the OP is making me wonder whether the manufacturers could do a little more to help the situation. I do not wish to remove the responsibility for safety from the individual,but you do have to have the correct information upon which to base your safety decisions. I do know that carbon monoxide is lethal even at fairly low levels. I did not know that BBQs emitted it, until I read it on here, despite being a person who has bought many disposable and 3 or 4 trolly type ones. Would a large, prominent label somewhere on packaging, or on a gas fridge actually on the door, for example, that states that the product emits carbon monoxide in use and should only be used in a well ventilated area be a good idea? Surely so, even if it only saves one life? One person being seriously ill? It seems to me that this is the kind of information we shouldnt chance people being unaware of.

I hope the friend in the OP makes a full and speedy recovery.

Quote: Originally posted by clairehope on 11/7/2011

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. Would a large, prominent label somewhere on packaging, or on a gas fridge actually on the door, for example, that states that the product emits carbon monoxide in use and should only be used in a well ventilated area be a good idea?

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It will be in the instruction booklet for a fridge. Along with the bit about keeping the air vent clear and allowing an air gap round the fridge. It does in my CombiCool instructions. I'm the sort of person who reads the instructions though.

As to BBQs I have Lidl ones that state this on the paper wrapper.

That is so scary, thank you for the warning I hope your sisters friend makes a good recovery.

Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 09/7/2011

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Did the friend have a SIG tent? That's one of the problems with fully sealed in groundsheets...few or no vents at floor level. As carbon monoxide is heavier than air it pools at floor level which is of course where most of us sleep. The recommendation is that you only use a gas fridge in a well ventilated area ie not in the main body of the tent but in a porch or kitchen tent. Same with all gas appliances...well ventilated areas only.

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I was reading the posts and was interested in the right place to fit a Carbon monoxide detector myself. I have one in my camper van at about 5ft height on a wall near where we sleep. I was wondering if i had put it in the right place so after reading these posts i found this.

The need for carbon monoxide detectors grows daily and is now required in several areas. Thousands of people are treated for non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning each year; over 200 of these cases are usually fatal.

The Hazards of Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can be deadly. Symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to flu: headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.

Sources of CO include fireplaces, wood stoves, gas stoves, oil or gas furnaces, portable kerosene heaters (never sleep in a closed room with these!), charcoal grills, and car exhaust fumes. Most cases of non-fire carbon monoxide poisonings are related to car exhaust fumes and heating systems that were improperly installed, ventilated, maintained, or used.

Never run a car in an attached garage for more time than it takes to start up and back out, or to drive in and turn off the ignition. Warm up the car outside the garage, and make sure the wind doesn't blow exhaust back into the garage. A stack effect can occur between garage and house--especially on upper floors. Carbon monoxide can filter through walls and bleed into living areas even after you have left the garage.

Types of Detectors

Carbon monoxide detectors come in several forms: battery-operated, plug-in (Fig. 1), and hard-wired. Some AC-powered units come with battery backup. All types sound an alarm before the level of carbon monoxide becomes dangerous. Choose a detector that is approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL); you should see the UL symbol on the packaging.

To prevent false alarms, buy a CO detector that triggers faster or slower, depending on the amount of CO in the air. Alarms with state-of-the-art sensors are best and can eliminate false alarms.

Some early-warning alarms will trigger down to 65 ppm. This is the unit to choose for early-warning systems for adults and children with health problems. The best system is a digital display with a color-coded bar graph to eliminate guesswork out of sensor readings.

Below are some general guidelines on how to install a carbon monoxide detector to give you an idea of what's involved. When you purchase your detector, however, follow the manufacturer's directions on installation and maintenance.

1. General Guidelines
At least one CO detector should be installed in every home. Even homes with no permanently installed fuel-burning appliances should have CO detectors because CO poisonings can originate from a neighbor’s faulty appliance.

Battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors need alkaline or lithium batteries, which are more reliable. If you have plug-in AC-operated alarm, make sure you don't plug it into a receptacle controlled by an on-off switch; you want the detector to work at all times.

For family protection, install carbon monoxide (CO) alarms outside of bedrooms. Detectors should be at least 10 feet from fuel-burning appliances, away from household chemicals or aerosols. Detectors should not be located in dead-air spaces such as crawl spaces, room corners, peaks of vaulted ceilings, or behind curtains; CO might not reach these areas. Also, detectors should not be near areas of high air turnover, such as ceiling fans or air vents, which could dilute the vapor. Never install a detector in areas subject to wide temperature or humidity swings, such as the attic, garage, or bathroom.

The height you install the detector, whether near the ceiling or floor, will not matter. Carbon monoxide very quickly homogenizes with household air, so the detector will sense it quickly at any level.

I guess you have to be careful in a tent especially. I never had a problem with my waeco 3 way when i had one in the tent. I ran it on gas in the tent but always kept it near the front in the porch. I now use a camper van and the fridge runs on 12volt = waeco cf25 cool/freeze.

It's interesting because when i googled carbon monoxide (CO) alarms it was hard to find something  definitive on the subject, as there was a difference of opinions on different sites, i found nothing to do with tents though, so i guess its a bit hit and miss to the placement but  it says in the last part of that info i found,

 The height you install the detector, whether near the ceiling or floor, will not matter. Carbon monoxide very quickly homogenizes with household air, so the detector will sense it quickly at any level

So it may not matter where you mount your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm (within reason) just as long as you have one..