How does this happen?

Thanks for caring Dianethane. I'll sure have my husband check it out for me because I know carbon monoxide can be dangerous. A family of five in an adjoining district did die from it. We however, don't use it while we are asleep so I do think it makes a difference.

 

Yes James, we have a cellar and we keep the generator there. However , I am thinking that because carbon monoxide is odorless, we might have been smelling the exhaust from the generator and not carbon monoxide but I'll check it out just to be on the safe side.

 

I'll get that fr my parents once I move... my dad tends to forget things nowadays, so I don't really trust him! He could leave the heater on, it'd be nice to find an audible one, that's something he could never ignore.

 

My, so sad for that family of five, as you can see carbon monoxide is a silent killer, so whether you are asleep or not, and the generator is on, you are treading on dangerous grounds, you read the symptoms off Flexin's thread, feeling tired, drowsy, before you know it, you are in another dimension, please be careful and check it{generator} out soonest possible.

 

Yes, we do smell the exhaust for the two hours or so that electricity is shut off. The cellar has decorative blocks all around and so the exhaust escapes through them to the outside.
Thanks James, for keeping me alert. I'll do the best I can not to get harmed from this.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 19, 2014 ---

Thanks dianethare, I will.

 

I totally agree with everyone talking about getting a carbon monoxide tester. I briefly heard a story on the news (about a month or so ago) where 2 adults and 3 children were all found dead in a house, due to what officials thought was carbon monoxide poisoning.

I have a carbon monoxide alarm a few feet from my garage, and when I pull my car in, and leave the door open that connects my place to my garage, that alarm has gone off a couple of times. This thread reminds me to check the batteries in that alarm to make sure that it is working properly.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 23, 2014 ---

I just wrote a comment about seeing something about a family of 5. Maybe this is the story that I heard about on the news.

 

This incident which I mentioned about took place here in my country several years ago although it seems like yesterday. One adult and four children perished in that exposure when they went to bed and their generator was left powering the home. I am seriously looking into getting a carbon monoxide alarm soon so that my mind can be at ease.

 

The story that I heard about was very recent, so since you told me that the story you are talking about happened several years ago, I know that these are two different incidences.
I do hope that you seriously consider getting a carbon monoxide alarm because as I wrote earlier, my alarm has gone off a couple of times. It is located right next to my garage, so the exhaust from my car is what is causing my alarm to go off, I know, but it is still good to have it. A few days ago, after I read this thread, I did a "test" on that alarm to make sure that it was working properly.

 

Thanks again Velvetsongs. I'll get that carbon monoxide alarm at the quickest possible time so that my family will be prevented from being at risk.

 

carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because you can't smell or see it. In my country many people die during the cold season when they try to warm themselves with a charcoal stove at night. Unfortinately the carbon monoxide builds up and kills them.