Carbon Monoxide/gas heat

Mmmm... Cocks... · October 2013

So we moved into a new apartment a few months ago(single unit though, basically a house above a large garage). When we first tried the heat it wasn't working. The gas company eventually came out to inspect the unit by activating it or something. Later that day our CO detector in the basement was going off. We didn't need heat so we just turned it off till the gas company could come out again. They put some tag on it basically saying it was condemned (note: I wasn't here for either event, my roommate was). Eventually soon after the landlord sent someone from our apartment.. repair.. group thingy who taped up some parts with some sort of aluminumish tape. We tried the heat and were good to go but mostly left it off.
Soon after we got a cat. He's a very well behaved and happy cat. But when we turned the heat on for the first time the cat BUGGED out. He would constantly meow and stand by windows or attempt to get out the door. We turned the heat back off and he went back to normal. Eventually we turned it back on again and the behavior started again. In fact today he ran out the door (something he never gives any mind to usually). We did the dance a few times with off and on and it's certainly the heat that has him freaked out. We have 4 CO detectors now and none have gone off but it freaks me out. He shakes and hides and just wants out of the house whenever it's on.
Is there something I should do? I'm not sure who to turn to since none of the detectors have gone off again. But the idea of a color and oderless gas has me very paranoid.

Ziac45 · October 2013

If you have that many detectors and none are going off it is probably just the noise that is freaking out the cat. Is your heat particularly load? Is the cat old enough to have lived in a house that the noise would be new to him? I would not put too much stock in the cats reaction to the heat when the detectors aren't saying you are having a problem.

tinwhiskers · October 2013

Yeah CO is odorless etc. There's no way for your cat to detect it. And it would't freak him out if there was CO. It basically makes you tired and sleepy and sick feeling then dead. If it was affecting your cat you would notice it because of the last one, as the other ones are basically just a cat being a cat.

ceres · October 2013

I would guess there is some awful noise the air makes in the vents that you can't hear and is driving him nuts.

If you're concerned you can always have someone come back and do another test to make sure the levels match what your detectors are telling you so you can rest better, and maybe when they do you can have them set one off so you feel safe that it works. It's a lot of effort, but if it will put your mind at ease it might be worth it.

Mmmm... Cocks... · October 2013

The vents are pretty quiet. I rarely notice it (not that a cats ears aren't sensitive) but I was thinking maybe he realized he was feeling sick? Wouldn't a smaller organism succumb to it quicker? It takes quite the concentration to kill you versus just being ill.
It's just little things that bother me. Like last night I had some friends over and partway through the evening I went and got some tylenol. I didn't think much of it since I wasn't feeling well all weekend. But not 5 minutes later my buddy came up and asked me for some as well.

I guess I really should just chalk it up to paranoia over a rough situation.

Jeremy23000 · October 2013

Have you tried to determine if other similar sounds set the cat off? (Vacuums to white noise or something else)

From some quick reading - Cats seem to be more lethargic from Carbon Monoxide. But it has some symptoms on there to look for.

I'd give the auditory things a try though, just to see if something else sets him off.

GrimmyTOA · October 2013

Keep in mind that it might not be a CO leak, but could be a small gas leak or something. Frankly, I'd suggest getting the gas company in to re-inspect the landlord's repair job. If the gas company condemned your unit, I'm not convinced that a little duct tape would fix the job. That said, I'm an absolute layman so what do I know?

I mean, it's a peace of mind issue, right? You're going to be nervous for the duration of your tenancy unless you get it looked at by a pro.

PedroAsani · October 2013

A Condemned unit can be repaired and be legally safe, but you should have been given a certificate saying so. Get the gas company to come out and inspect it. If they say it is still condemned, talk to a lawyer.

Penny Arcade

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