RE: (ET) Carbon Monoxide While Charging?

["Steven Naugler" <snaugler earthlink net>]

To Paul and other GE folks,

 

The batteries cannot produce CO.  The electrolyte is H2SO4 and H2O.  No carbon, so no potential to make CO.

 

There are, at least industrially, many methods to sense CO.  I am sure that a home CO detector will use a cheap CO sensor and it is highly likely the cheap sensors cannot tell the difference between CO and H2.  It is also possible, even likely, that the sensor might be more sensitive to H2 than CO.  In the home there is no normal way to produce H2, so no reason to make a CO sensor insensitive to H2.

 

Is it possible that your CO sensor is measuring dangerous levels of H2?  Yes, it is possible, but empirical evidence says no.  If there had been dangerous (explosive, H2 is non toxic) levels of H2 there would have been by now a lot of tractors exploding as their non explosion rated charger timers turned the chargers off, which produces a small arc internal to the timer at the switch contacts. 

 

If you could find out the exact type of sensor, information unlikely to be divulged by the makers of residential CO sensors, we could answer whether the sensor is sensitive to H2.  You might call them and ask if H2 from charging batteries will affect the sensor.  In the interim, I'd make sure that there is some ventilation to your garage to allow the H2 to disperse.

 

Hope this helps,

 

--- Steve Naugler

--- snaugler earthlink net

----- Original Message -----

From: Paul Heinzerling

To: Elec-trak

Sent: 7/22/01 2:46:20 PM

Subject: (ET) Carbon Monoxide While Charging?

Does anyone know whether batteries charging in the final gassing phase

produce Carbon Monoxide?  Last night while at the end of a charge with a

Lester automatic charger (finishing rate of about 45 volts and 7 amps) in a

large but closed garage, my CO detector went off and showed about 60 ppm.  I

aired the place out and it went to zero.  Tried it again today and got a

repeat.  Is this truly CO, or are CO detectors sensitive to hydrogen?

Either way, a scary new aspect to charging in a closed environment.

 

Paul Heinzerling

Hudson, OH