Alarming

Another night of bad sleep. At 11:30 last night the CO2 alarm went off in the cottage. I had difficulty waking my husband which is not unusual. I thought his computer was going haywire and that it was the source of the noise.

G Man sleeps with his head set plugged into the computer so he can listen to Howard Stern while he sleeps. Strange but true. After he woke and checked his computer and determined that the noise was not coming from it, we got out of bed and found the CO2 alarm was the source.

I removed the batteries while G Man opened windows and doors. After struggling to find the gas company's telephone number in the telephone book, spoke to a gas company employee whom could not find our address in the computer system for 7 minutes, I was told someone from the gas company would be out within the hour. 35 minutes later the gas man was there, chastised us for having the dector so low on the wall, and checked the furnace and hot water heater. He found no leaks or any source spewing CO2. He checked the CO2 detector and determined it was faulty.

The detector is less the a month old the batteries are fresh. Oh well, we will buy another one, read the instructions, hang the detector according to those instructions and hope that it is not faulty.

Because of the noise the dogs were crazy again. Sammy the Redhead slept in the bathtub, Belvedere the Cavalier slept on my pillow, Jack the chocolate lab slept snuggled up against G Man, Terri the westie slept in her bed, she wasn't disturbed to much, I guess being hard of hearing has it's benefits, and Lucy our yellow lab couldn't get comfortable. She kept moving from the couch to her bed and back again.

I kept dreaming, but can't remember what the dreams were about, I wasn't in a really deep sleep in part because the dogs were in our bed, and because I kept thinking the fire alarm would go off next.

Maybe tonight I will sleep deep.

This is the information I found on several websites pertaining to CO2.

Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors can be used as a backup but not as a replacement for proper use and maintenance of your fuel-burning appliances. CO detector technology is still being developed and the detectors are not generally considered to be as reliable as the smoke detectors found in homes today. You should not choose a CO detector solely on the basis of cost; do some research on the different features available.
Carbon monoxide detectors should meet Underwriters Laboratories Inc. standards, have a long-term warranty, and be easily self-tested and reset to ensure proper functioning. For maximum effectiveness during sleeping hours, carbon monoxide detectors should be placed close to sleeping areas.
If your CO detector goes off, you should:
Make sure it is the CO detector and not the smoke alarm.
Check to see if any member of your household is experiencing symptoms.
If they are, get them out of the house immediately and seek medical attention.
If no one is feeling symptoms, ventilate the home with fresh air and turn off all potential sources of CO.
Have a qualified technician inspect your fuel-burning appliances and chimneys to make sure they are operating correctly.