Plymouth Energy Community

Stay Safe from Carbon Monoxide

If your CO alarm sounds, go outside immediately and call: 0800 111 999

A carbon monoxide alarm.

What is carbon monoxide (CO)?

You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. It’s known as the silent killer. CO is a poisonous gas that is released when any fossil fuel that burns, such as coal, oil, wood, petrol, barbeque charcoal and gas, doesn’t burn properly.

Symptoms include:

  • Headache
  • dizziness 
  • nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting
  • tiredness and confusion
  • stomach pain
  • shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.

Signs of CO on appliances:

  • Gas appliances that are burning with a floppy yellow or orange flame that is normally crisp and blue
  • Extra condensation inside windows
  • Pilot lights on boilers frequently blowing out
  • Soot or yellow stains around appliances
Illustration of a yellow flame on a gas cooker.

Suspect CO?

If you smell gas or suspect CO poisoning, go outside immediately and call the national gas emergency number 0800 111 999

Useful to know

You can’t change the batteries in your CO alarm, so you’ll need to get a replacement by the date shown on the side of the monitor. You can purchase a new alarm from your local DIY store.

When your battery reaches end of life it will beep three beeps every minute.

  • Power (green) = CO alarm is operating fully
  • Alarm (red) = CO detected 
  • Fault (yellow) = Fault

Advice in this article kindly provided by permission from Wales and West Utilities.

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