Beef Bourguignon Alarm

[barge1914]

One for the chemists amongst us…

We have a Fireangel CO Alarm. From time to time for reasons best known to itself it emits a piercing screech and yellow ‘ventilate’ LED flashes around every 30 seconds. Problem is it does so according to a pattern bearing no relationship to the makers specified warning patterns. The regular green ‘all working’ light keeps happily flashing.

And …the mystery…it only does this when we are cooking Beef Bouguognon or vegetable soup using the pressure cooker…it’s has no other gastronomic allergies!

In the past I have been able to silence it only after wandering around outside for up to half an hour furiously wafting the offending object… and attracting strange looks from the neighbours. The ultimate solution was to use up another ‘life’ and press the silencing button.

A call to the very helpful chap at Fireangel didn’t really produce any clear diagnosis.

It’s behaved for a while, but tonight at bedtime, a couple of hours AFTER cooking the same dish, with no combustion appliances operating, and whilst the rain bucketed down outside it did it again, but this time no way would the little b…..r shut up. Finally in exasperation I had had to use the final
sanction and dismantle it and disconnect the piezo before the neighbours start banging on the doors.
Which of course now means having to get a new one.

But the question remains…what mystery chemical can there be in Beef Bourguignon in particular that deranges the chemical good health of a CO detector. Is it something volatile in the steam emanating from garlic or onions, or the splash of red wine?? I know they are only supposed to detect CO, but I know from experience they can be upset by other nasties such as sulphur dioxide, but garlic breath!?

 

[Robmac]

Tried looking into this but got nowhere.

However I did come across something about metal carbonyls and Carbon Monoxide and wondered if it could be a reaction between the pressure cooker and the contents.

I can't pretend that I even began to understand it but you might want to Google it and see if it's a possibility that this was involved.

 

[colinm]

Damp can set off CO alarms, so maybe the steam or high humidity.

 

[izwozral]

May be worthwhile looking on the Mossad website!

 

[alcam]

Maybe it has a spell check function
Should be boeuf

 

[jagmanx]

Maybe the meal has exceeded 90 day :visa"

 

[Lee]

Some years ago we had a similar problem when away. It turned out to be the lead acid battery being overcharged and emitting gas which set off the Co alarm.

 

[trevexess]

One for the chemists amongst us…

We have a Fireangel CO Alarm. From time to time for reasons best known to itself it emits a piercing screech and yellow ‘ventilate’ LED flashes around every 30 seconds. Problem is it does so according to a pattern bearing no relationship to the makers specified warning patterns. The regular green ‘all working’ light keeps happily flashing.

And …the mystery…it only does this when we are cooking Beef Bouguognon or vegetable soup using the pressure cooker…it’s has no other gastronomic allergies!

In the past I have been able to silence it only after wandering around outside for up to half an hour furiously wafting the offending object… and attracting strange looks from the neighbours. The ultimate solution was to use up another ‘life’ and press the silencing button.

A call to the very helpful chap at Fireangel didn’t really produce any clear diagnosis.

It’s behaved for a while, but tonight at bedtime, a couple of hours AFTER cooking the same dish, with no combustion appliances operating, and whilst the rain bucketed down outside it did it again, but this time no way would the little b…..r shut up. Finally in exasperation I had had to use the final
sanction and dismantle it and disconnect the piezo before the neighbours start banging on the doors.
Which of course now means having to get a new one.

But the question remains…what mystery chemical can there be in Beef Bourguignon in particular that deranges the chemical good health of a CO detector. Is it something volatile in the steam emanating from garlic or onions, or the splash of red wine?? I know they are only supposed to detect CO, but I know from experience they can be upset by other nasties such as sulphur dioxide, but garlic breath!?

Time to call in the men in white coats...

 

[Okta]

Some years ago we had a similar problem when away. It turned out to be the lead acid battery being overcharged and emitting gas which set off the Co alarm.

Battery gassing is known to trigger some CO alarms.

 

[Martin P]

Have you tried putting the alarm in the freezer compartment of the fridge?

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Battery gassing is known to trigger some CO alarms.

It triggered our CO alarm earlier this year. The leisure battery had been left on EHU charge (not by me!) for maybe a couple of days and was just starting to go into meltdown.

Van was parked on the drive at the time and I heard the alarm late at night. It was very faint and I wondered what the heck it was. I searched the house everywhere and on going outside realised the sound was coming from the van. Phew!!!

Neil is deaf and didn't stand a cat in hell's chance of hearing the alarm if he'd been here on his own. Close shave!

That's how I ended up with wildebus fitting a new battery for us (that man's an absolute star! ).

 

[barge1914]

Have you tried putting the alarm in the freezer compartment of the fridge?

No but in anticipation of the problem recurring we put it in a rucksack, in a cupboard in the bathroom…and the b…..r still went off!

 

[barge1914]

It triggered our CO alarm earlier this year. The leisure battery had been left on EHU charge (not by me!) for maybe a couple of days and was just starting to go into meltdown.

Van was parked on the drive at the time and I heard the alarm late at night. It was very faint and I wondered what the heck it was. I searched the house everywhere and on going outside realised the sound was coming from the van. Phew!!!

Neil is deaf and didn't stand a cat in hell's chance of hearing the alarm if he'd been here on his own. Close shave!

That's how I ended up with wildebus fitting a new battery for us (that man's an absolute star! ).

We had that problem in the hotel car park in Ullapool with an old battery on charge one freezing night in February, so well familiar with that. Not on charge this time and batteries good. Just the pressure cooker.

 

[Geek]

My experience of CO alarms misbehaving has always been linked to lead acid battery faults. Though if yours is linked to cooking, perhaps you should look at air flow patterns.
Either way, don't blame or ditch the alarm. Find the problem it is warning you about.

 

[Okta]

My experience of CO alarms misbehaving has always been linked to lead acid battery faults. Though if yours is linked to cooking, perhaps you should look at air flow patterns.
Either way, don't blame or ditch the alarm. Find the problem it is warning you about.

I agree, find the problem is essential.

 

[mistericeman]

No but in anticipation of the problem recurring we put it in a rucksack, in a cupboard in the bathroom…and the b…..r still went off!

Sounds like the alarm potentially potentially has a internal fault ....

I'd replace it with a new and see IF the problem reoccurs .

 

[barge1914]

My experience of CO alarms misbehaving has always been linked to lead acid battery faults. Though if yours is linked to cooking, perhaps you should look at air flow patterns.
Either way, don't blame or ditch the alarm. Find the problem it is warning you about.

Normally would, and indeed have done. But since warning sound and led pattern do not correspond to manufacturers specs I would rather get a new one for the modest amount they cost. If that too goes off then I must have a problem.
Batteries are performing perfectly and no hint of a smell, and besides were not on charge. Only thing left is the fridge, but that is well vented outside and is burning cleanly, and wouldn’t explain the coincidence with the pressure cooker. Perhaps the steam is conveying some form of contamination to the sensor?

 

[JQB]

One for the chemists amongst us…

We have a Fireangel CO Alarm. From time to time for reasons best known to itself it emits a piercing screech and yellow ‘ventilate’ LED flashes around every 30 seconds. Problem is it does so according to a pattern bearing no relationship to the makers specified warning patterns. The regular green ‘all working’ light keeps happily flashing.

And …the mystery…it only does this when we are cooking Beef Bouguognon or vegetable soup using the pressure cooker…it’s has no other gastronomic allergies!

In the past I have been able to silence it only after wandering around outside for up to half an hour furiously wafting the offending object… and attracting strange looks from the neighbours. The ultimate solution was to use up another ‘life’ and press the silencing button.

A call to the very helpful chap at Fireangel didn’t really produce any clear diagnosis.

It’s behaved for a while, but tonight at bedtime, a couple of hours AFTER cooking the same dish, with no combustion appliances operating, and whilst the rain bucketed down outside it did it again, but this time no way would the little b…..r shut up. Finally in exasperation I had had to use the final
sanction and dismantle it and disconnect the piezo before the neighbours start banging on the doors.
Which of course now means having to get a new one.

But the question remains…what mystery chemical can there be in Beef Bourguignon in particular that deranges the chemical good health of a CO detector. Is it something volatile in the steam emanating from garlic or onions, or the splash of red wine?? I know they are only supposed to detect CO, but I know from experience they can be upset by other nasties such as sulphur dioxide, but garlic breath!?

If it were a hot curry?