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Dog farts and CO and explosive gas alarms

By
Industry Observer

It's indisputable that all dwellings should have a method for detecting and warning residents of the presence of CO or other dangerous gases.  There is one thing that some folks may not know about the detection devices.

A few years ago, one of our dogs became afraid to enter her crate.  Blaze had been quite comfortable in it for the first twelve years of her life.  It was where she went to nap, with door open, and likewise overnight.  She always headed to her crate when I was going to leave the house, probably because she was consistently rewarded with a treat.    Now, no matter what we did to encourage her, she would not enter her crate. 

One evening, our other dog decided to use Blaze's crate and settled in while I was watching a baseball game on the TV.  A few minutes later, the CO/explosive gas alarm, which was located fairly close to the crate, went off.   Yes, Sherman became "relaxed" enough that he allowed some explosive (I believe it's called methane) gas to enter the atmosphere.   Mystery solved.  Apparently, when we were not home and Blaze was in her crate, she became "relaxed." 

Although it seemed humorous at the time, I'm sure that Blaze was terrified, having to endure the alarm for whatever extended period it took to run its course.  Most of the CO and gas alarms are designed to be plugged in to whatever convenient electrical outlet you choose.  Now you can make an informed choice.

Posted by

 Mike Carlier  Lakeville, MN

 

612-916-3033

 

Jim Allhiser
Perfection Inspection, Inc. - Salem, OR
Salem, Oregon Home Inspector

Interesting,  I had a CO detector go off when I located a battery charger too close.  That was surprising and confusing too.

Dec 30, 2009 04:12 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Some of these detectors are combustible gas detectors as well---most are not.  Not a bad idea to have one that detects all kinds of gases----just keep them out of the bathroom:)

Dec 30, 2009 04:22 AM
Rosalinda Morgan
Brookville, NY
"The Rose Lady"

Mike - That is very informative and hilarious.  I can't stop laughing.

Dec 30, 2009 08:46 AM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

OMG - are you kidding?  Seriously - what are you feeding those guys!!!!!  This is way too funny - I am going to have to tell my husband about this and make we don't have the same thing going on around here!

Dec 30, 2009 11:25 AM
Dina Caffrey
Coach Realtors - Rockville Centre, NY

Great post - as I am sitting in my home office (which is a very small room) with my Pug who seems to be very "relaxed" at the moment. YIKES!!!!!!

Dec 30, 2009 12:16 PM
Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495
Stage it Right! - Melbourne, FL

Who woulda thunk a dog fart could set off a CO2 alarm.  Your poor dog, now wonder she was terrified to enter her crate.

Jan 01, 2010 12:29 PM
Reuben Saltzman
Structure Tech Home Inspections - Minneapolis, MN
Delivering the Unbiased Truth.

Now that's funny.  I recently did an inspection for a woman that told me a similar story, only she ended up having Xcel Energy out to her house several times before the technician figured out what the problem was, and after the owner literally almost had a nervous breakdown.

Jan 17, 2010 12:51 PM
Mike Carlier
Lakeville, MN
More opinions than you want to hear about.

One thing that this incident reinforced with me is that you should always trust your dog. 

Jan 17, 2010 11:56 PM