Smoke Detector

Pirateghost · Post by **Pirateghost** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:06 am

My wife calls my CPAP a bad breath funnel. Sorry hon. Anyway, I put a fragrance gizmo (Glade plug in type thing) in the room for her benefit and try not to lay facing her. I got to thinking, I can't smell the frangrance. What about smoke smell from fire? Everyone should have working smoke detectors in the house but for those that use CPAP which have good filters, don't think that the odor of smoke will help you wake up. You might not smell anything. Keep the batteries changed and make sure you have one in your bedroom.

6PtStar · Post by **6PtStar** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:23 am

You might try Pur-Sleep. My wife says I smell better than I ever have and besides I kinda like the smell through the mask as well. Makes me sleep better too. Sleep Guy has a free trial offer going right now if he hasn't run out. It really is great.

Jerry

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:57 pm

The smell of smoke WILL NOT wake you during a fire. Your sense of smell wakes up only after you are pretty well aroused. You MUST have a working smoke detector in every bedroom and around on each floor of your home. My small home (three bedroom) has one in each bedroom, one in the laundry room, one outside the utility room (where the furnace and hot water heater are located) and one nearby the location of the circuit breaker board. I also have two carbon monoxide detectors. If I fire occurs I want to have as much time as possible to get my family and pets out of the house. By the time you smell smoke, it can be too late. Houses can be completely inflamed within 2 minutes of a fire starting.

Sorry to sound like a harbinger of doom, but fatalities from fires are usually in homes without smoke detectors, or ones without batteries.

Jen

2girlsmom · Post by **2girlsmom** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:22 pm

It's been a while, but I saw a news segment on how even the noise from a detector wasn't enough to wake small children--you can actually buy one that has a spoken phrase you record... I know this is more about keeping batteries in it, but I thought I'd mention this in case someone else has small children like I do... I need to buy one of the voice ones... better do it now while I'm thinking of it...

As a side note, I am glad I can no longer smell my husbands gas... don't get a whiff at all with the mask on...

stevoreno · Post by **stevoreno** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:18 pm

socknitster wrote:The smell of smoke WILL NOT wake you during a fire. Your sense of smell wakes up only after you are pretty well aroused. You MUST have a working smoke detector in every bedroom and around on each floor of your home. My small home (three bedroom) has one in each bedroom, one in the laundry room, one outside the utility room (where the furnace and hot water heater are located) and one nearby the location of the circuit breaker board. I also have two carbon monoxide detectors. If I fire occurs I want to have as much time as possible to get my family and pets out of the house. By the time you smell smoke, it can be too late. Houses can be completely inflamed within 2 minutes of a fire starting.

Sorry to sound like a harbinger of doom, but fatalities from fires are usually in homes without smoke detectors, or ones without batteries.

Jen

My neighbor who knows I'm on CPAP brought that subject up a few weeks ago. I don't have any smoke detectors in my house nor do I have a carbon monoxide detector but I guess I should get one. The units you have in each bedroom; are they fire/carbon monoxide detectors or just fire detectors? What's a good brand to consider? Good post by the way; it's made me think about it.

Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
10/31/07

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:09 pm

I subscribe to consumer reports, but to my knowledge they have never tested smoke detector by brand, just by type. There are different types for different applications. I cover the spectrum. One of my smoke detectors does double duty as a carbon monoxide detector--that is the one in the laundry room where my gas powered dryer is located. (I don't take chances.) The other one is co only, nearby my furnace and hot water heater.

There are some that detect smoke better and some that detect heat better. Near the kitchen you want to avoid the smoke one, lol. It is best to have a variety, in my opinion. I know a friend of mine asked a fireman about it and he said there should really be one in every single room.

I went thru a period where I thought that I must be suffering from carbon monoxide syndrome--and had as many as three detectors at the time. Of course, what I was suffering from was undiagnosed apnea! But some of the symptoms overlap and it was all I could think of to cause the symptoms. After three detectors didn't ever go off, I figured it wasn't co poisoning, but it took years after that to discover my osa.

You can get smoke detectors at target for as little as $5 and up to $40, I believe. Most of mine are in the 7-15 range. When I sear meat on the stove (our house doesn't have a range hood that vents OUTSIDE, for some reason) I have to really control the sear or open all the windows or I get to test all the smoke detectors. One of my dogs literally gets the shit scared out of her when they go off, so we go to great lengths to avoid it. Doesn't stop me from searing a steak--I just had to get really good at it!

Thanks for bringing this up--I think I'll change my batteries this weekend. And if you find the one that says a phrase for the kids, please tell me where you found it. I want one too but haven't seen them in the marketplace yet.

Jen

Pirateghost · Post by **Pirateghost** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:16 pm

I fully agree that a smoke detector is an absolute must. The point of my bringing this up was to point out that those using CPAP may lose what little slight advance warning they may have had from POSSIBLY smelling smoke before an alarm sounds because the mask/system may filter out that odor. It occurred to me when my wife complained that she could smell my son burning something in his oven in the basement and I couldn't smell a thing until I took off my mask. CPAP users absolutely must have detectors, and IMO, the more the better. I have them in all rooms and hallways. It is a PITA to change all the batteries but I feel safer.

drummergirl410 · Post by **drummergirl410** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:19 pm

I had wondered about that myself. At times things have happened and I couldn't even smell it with the mask on. The other week though I woke up in the middle of the night with the strangest smell and it was stong too! It smelled like it had a hint of smoke kind of. Once I got aroused enough to try to think about it, I nearly panicked! I ripped off the mask thinking my ResMed machine was catching fire. Then my brain caught up with me and I nearly fell out of bed laughing. My mom had put a roast beef in the crock pot to cook overnight. The smell had by then permeated the house and had made its way into my room and my xPAP as well. Thankfuly after I remembered what it was, it turned out to be a good smell. I put the mask back on and fell back to sleep once I got myself over the mistake I had made. There is a smoke alarm right outside my room though. I also have asthma and can't tollerate any kind of smoky smell at all. Being visually impaired also makes me use my sense of smell more. I think it is even hightened when I'm waking up but not fully aroused, hence the roast beef incident. Those facts plus the fact that fire scares the living daylights out of me makes it pretty unlikely that I would sleep through it. I won't take my chances though and keep the smoke alarm working.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:20 pm

Good point! I'm really glad you brought it up. It is always good to remind people to take it seriously!

Jen

stevoreno · Post by **stevoreno** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:27 pm

socknitster wrote:I subscribe to consumer reports, but to my knowledge they have never tested smoke detector by brand, just by type. There are different types for different applications. I cover the spectrum. One of my smoke detectors does double duty as a carbon monoxide detector--that is the one in the laundry room where my gas powered dryer is located. (I don't take chances.) The other one is co only, nearby my furnace and hot water heater.

There are some that detect smoke better and some that detect heat better. Near the kitchen you want to avoid the smoke one, lol. It is best to have a variety, in my opinion. I know a friend of mine asked a fireman about it and he said there should really be one in every single room.

I went thru a period where I thought that I must be suffering from carbon monoxide syndrome--and had as many as three detectors at the time. Of course, what I was suffering from was undiagnosed apnea! But some of the symptoms overlap and it was all I could think of to cause the symptoms. After three detectors didn't ever go off, I figured it wasn't co poisoning, but it took years after that to discover my osa.

You can get smoke detectors at target for as little as $5 and up to $40, I believe. Most of mine are in the 7-15 range. When I sear meat on the stove (our house doesn't have a range hood that vents OUTSIDE, for some reason) I have to really control the sear or open all the windows or I get to test all the smoke detectors. One of my dogs literally gets the shit scared out of her when they go off, so we go to great lengths to avoid it. Doesn't stop me from searing a steak--I just had to get really good at it!

Thanks for bringing this up--I think I'll change my batteries this weekend. And if you find the one that says a phrase for the kids, please tell me where you found it. I want one too but haven't seen them in the marketplace yet.

Jen

That's got to be a bummer not having a vent-a-hood over your stove especially when you're cooking those thick ribeye steaks of yours. Sorry to hear that your dog got the **** scared out of her recently when the alarms went off while you were cooking those steaks; lol. Another good post by the way; thanks.

Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
11/01/07

stevoreno · Post by **stevoreno** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:59 pm

[quote="drummergirl410"]I had wondered about that myself. At times things have happened and I couldn't even smell it with the mask on. The other week though I woke up in the middle of the night with the strangest smell and it was stong too! It smelled like it had a hint of smoke kind of. Once I got aroused enough to try to think about it, I nearly panicked! I ripped off the mask thinking my ResMed machine was catching fire. Then my brain caught up with me and I nearly fell out of bed laughing. My mom had put a roast beef in the crock pot to cook overnight. The smell had by then permeated the house and had made its way into my room and my xPAP as well. Thankfuly after I remembered what it was, it turned out to be a good smell. I put the mask back on and fell back to sleep once I got myself over the mistake I had made. There is a smoke alarm right outside my room though. I also have asthma and can't tollerate any kind of smoky smell at all. Being visually impaired also makes me use my sense of smell more. I think it is even hightened when I'm waking up but not fully aroused, hence the roast beef incident. Those facts plus the fact that fire scares the living daylights out of me makes it pretty unlikely that I would sleep through it. I won't take my chances though and keep the smoke alarm working.

stevoreno · Post by **stevoreno** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:04 am

If you recommend installing a smoke detector in every bedroom where's the best place to install one? Would the best place be directly over the top of your bedroom door inside the bedroom? Is that a good place to install one?

Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
11/01/07

kennethryan · Post by **kennethryan** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:39 am

Stevoreno wrote:...where's the best place to install one? Would the best place be directly over the top of your bedroom door inside the bedroom?

I believe inside right over the door is part of the building code in Virginia.

My house has 10 smoke detectors - 8 wired together (AC+batter) plus another two connected to the house alarm. Two gas detectors wired to the house alarm, plus two independent CO detectors.

It never occurred to me that smell would be degraded by the cpap. I thought it would only be hearing (the pressure attenuates my hearing just like a head cold, and the noise of the machine masks almost everything else). Looking at the Resmed air filter I can't imagine it really having much effect, but I suppose just having the air supply off near the wall makes some difference...

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:06 am

If some enterprising individual wants to invent a fool-proof smoke detector for CPAP users, my suggestion is to tie the smoke detection system into a "fragrance" release unit near the CPAP machine air intake. And, by "fragrance", I mean "essence of SKUNK". I have NEVER failed to awaken when those little buggers pass through our neighborhood in the spring/summer time of year. The smell gets concentrated on entering the intake of the PAP machine.....thus causing the eyes to water and violently fly open, ripping off the mask, etc.

OK, "Sleepguy"......since you never came up with a fragrance I felt I wanted to smell all night, here's your chance to make some MORE money.
(all in the name of "safety" of course)

Den

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:11 pm

Stevoreno wrote:If you recommend installing a smoke detector in every bedroom where's the best place to install one? Would the best place be directly over the top of your bedroom door inside the bedroom? Is that a good place to install one?

Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
11/01/07

You know, Stevoreno, that is a great question that I'm not sure I know the answer to. I think I remember being told that you should put the smoke alarm in the middle of the bedroom or right outside the door, especially if you are using one detector for several bedrooms clustered together. However I can't remember where or who told me that, so it might not be good advice. I'm sure codes vary by municipality. It might be worth a quick google search to see if there is a recommendation by some govt agency who has done research on it.

Mine are in the middle of the rooms, pretty much. And the one near the circuit breaker box is just a few feet from it.

Jen

Machine

Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: CPAP pressure 12.

Machine

Mask	Humidifier