Carbon Monoxide: The Dangers Of Ash.

On the night of December 8th, 2017, two fire crews from Newton Abott responded to a suspected carbon monoxide alert. At the address, their meter quickly detected gas. They checked around the log burner and the gas reading continued. When they noticed a bucket filled with ash next to the burner, they kindly offered to empty it. However, when they discovered the ash was still warm, they had a hunch. They held their detector over the embers and it suddenly went into full alarm.

When they removed the crust on the ash, exposing the warmer embers below, the carbon monoxide reading went from 129 PPM to 378 PPM. This is enough to cause headache and nausea after an hour’s exposure and a threat to life after two hours. The warm ash was producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, and the tenant was only saved from serious harm because she had a CO alarm fitted.

Our advice, of course, is to not leave ash inside your property once it has been swept from your wood burner. It should be removed at once and disposed of in a safe place in the open air. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas produced by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels. Have your chimney swept and your stove serviced regularly. Only use wood that is certified to have 25% or less moisture content. Have a carbon monoxide alarm fitted. Stay safe.