That's okay, I've already got a CO checker for my scuba gasses. This one is for the hotel room. Thanks for the explanation of what they meant. Seems odd that the manufacturer's website omits this detail.
Thanks!
Family of four found dead in Tulum?
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Thanks!
For your hotel room the cheaper domestic type would be best as they are designed to be loud enough to wake someone sleeping. They probably don't explain the term as it would be something already known by most of their customer base who use their units in industrial and commercial applications. It not that much different than saying something is waterproof to 30 feet without explaining what waterproof means.
Jack Hammer
Contributor
There are factors that can come together in a home that can cause furnace, stove, dryer exhaust vents, etc to reverse flow allowing Carbon Monoxide into the living space instead of venting out. It's rare and less common in the US these days due to factors like specs and codes for proper size fans, vents, placements, etc.
driftwood
Contributor
NBC reported this evening that the source of the gas was a faulty hot water heater vent.
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Most of the stories have echoed vague reports of "toxic gas" and more recently referenced the apartment "boiler," and I can only guess that they are using google translate instead of a professional.
This is the first one to actually say carbon monoxide, at least in the print below the video. Family of Four Found Dead In Mexico
The preliminary findings suggest propane inhalation from the rusted water heater caused the Sharp family to die of asphyxiation:
Iowa family of four found dead in Mexico were suffocated by gas from water heater: report
Iowa family of four found dead in Mexico were suffocated by gas from water heater: report
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Mexico supposedly requires the mercaptan additive that smells like rotten eggs. Propane gas is the norm for hot water, cooking and heating in your Mexico home : Mexico Living
There have been many stories published in the US, all based on questionable translations from information supplied from Mexico. I doubt that any US journalist went down there to get the info, much less one fluent in Spanish.
Most of the stories just cited "toxic gases" without being specific. This one actually claims asphyxiation from a propane leak, but I have to wonder how accurate their translation was? Asphyxiation from choking, strangulation, or compression deprives the body from acquiring available oxygen, while from toxic gases is a little different - depending on the gas. The more common risk of a propane or similar flammable gas leak is ignition leading to fire and/or explosion, but how much of a leak would be needed to kill all of a family by replacing enough of the oxygen in the room? How low would oxygen have to be? Down from 21% to what - 16%? That's be a 5/100 change or 50,000 ppm which would be a lot of smelly propane!
A few stories have actually claimed carbon monoxide, which could be deadly at much lower rates, no smell, and little fire risk. I don't know how accurate those stories and their translations were either, but I still see this as the more likely cause.
Traveling with at least a household CO alarm greatly reduces risks, as hotel room seldom have them, but so few bother. I carry a Sensorcon for more detailed warnings, and if anyone is interested - I just got an email announcing a 20% discount thru April 25. See Sensorcon 20% discounts thru April 25
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