Hi All,
Has anyone ever heard of or has seen an oxygen sensor for shop use? That is to moniter the oxygen levels inside a shop? I can’t swear to it, but I think there are times when the O2 levels get low in my shop. I have a fairly large shop that is insulated, but leaks air and I heat it with a wood stove. I also have a DC that I exahaust outside, so I do pump the air through the place and i crack open a widow when I run the DC, but there are times when I feel that I get in the shop and I turn “dumb”. Perhaps that is my permanent condition, and I only notice it in the shop, but I’m not sure. It just seems that at times I feel a little funny, I would just like to make sure that I am not killing myself.
Thanks,
John
Replies
Try a CO2 monitor.
Friend,
Above all, if felt dizzy at times, do install a carbon MONOXIDE detector. Carbon Monoxide has no smell, and it is a real threat. Check your fume exhausts first.
We had a heater exhaust blocked by a bird's nest put there during srping, even though the end of the ehaust had a cone hood. Fortunately the place was not tight-closed at all and the problem was detected by dizziness and fixed right away. By the way, the bird's nest was not superficially built but was about a yard deep into the metal tube, with all kinds of debries such as paper, plastics, rags, twigs, whatever. And it was very well packed.
There could be other conditions leading to CO presence.
Good luck.
Nothing quantitative, but if a candle won't stay alight, there's too much CO2 in the air.
As mbl said, Carbon Monoxide is the killer, or other fumes as John W states - find a way to check for it is my suggestion.
Cheers,
eddie
Low oxygen is a very remote possibility, nearly impossible in fact. However there are two air related contaminents that are possibilities:
1. Carbon monoxide, which could be leaking out of the wood stove piping, or back through the stove vents, especially when the dust collection system is on, causing a backdraft. Another common source is from something like a gas or oil furnace or hot water heater in the shop area. A classic symptom of carbon monoxide exposure is a headache that develops after you've been in the shop for a while, and that doesn't respond to ordinary pain killers.
2. Exposure to formaldehyde from MDF and plywoods, or solvent and glue fumes, especially when exposed to the high temperatures on the outside of the wood stove, which causes these substances to breakdown into some very nasty secondary chemicals.
John W.
If you are exhausting the DC outside, you are almost certainly pulling some gases out of the woodstove into your shop; unless the woodstove is ducted to bring its air supply from outside. Cracking a window helps but does not completely solve this problem. As the others pointed out, this is a potentially dangerous situation, and CO is the biggest concern - it will kill you, at remarkably low concentrations.
OTOH, I get drifty in my shop, too, and it has nothing to do with air quality - I just space out! Especially in the afternoons, although that has gotten better now that I quit eating so much sugar.
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
As others have said low O2 in the air is hard to acchieve. But low O2 in your body is possible. Have your lungs and heart checked. A lung infection or allergy or irregular heart problem can cause dissy feelings.
Do you have a damper in your stove pipe that will shut when the DC is turned on? A damper that prevents back draft. I presume the stove pipe is well sealed?
Also might consider a small forced air electric heater that pulls air in from the outisde, heats it, then blows out into the shop. This will over pressure the shop with fresh air when the DC is not turned on.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Carbon monoxide has about 1,000 (that's right, one thausand) times the attraction for your hemoglobin than oxygen does. It takes very little CO to block your body's ability to take up oxygen.
BJ
I agree with what has been posted here but as an employee who has had to deal with hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, and confined spaces the possibility of low oxygen cannot be ruled out. A real life training film about a worker down in an open top tank about 30' in diameter, deceased, either 1 or 2 rescuers, down and deceased, before anyone realized what the problem was will make you think. Low oxygen killed these men. That wood stove and the DC will drop the levels quick. Better safe than sorry. Check Edsci.com (Edmunds Scientific). They might have the meter. I just did a quick search. Checkout Analox.net for a meter worn on your belt and a chart that might help.
Edited 2/16/2004 9:12:28 PM ET by RussT
Low oxygen doesn't cause symptoms. If it gets low enough your nails turn blue. If it gets lower you pass out or die. Unless you are at altitude or your in a house fire this is less likely. I agree with the others who suggest checking for carbon monoxide. If you are uncertain call your local fire department. They will give you good advice.
Frank
As long as fresh air is being drawn into the shop then neither the stove or the DC can cause a low oxygen problem, in fact the DC would force fresh air to be drawn into the shop. The only way the stove could cause a problem would be if it back drafted and then the primary problem would be carbon monoxide and other combustion products, not low oxygen.
I used to work on OSHA investigations and in every case of low oxygen death, that I know of, the culprit was either a gas that displaced the air or a slow chemical process that removed the oxygen from the air, in all cases the lack of air circulation was a major contributing factor. Gasses from a burning fire can cause death, but the culprit in those cases isn't low oxygen.
John W.
homedepot and lowes all carry carbon monoxide alarms. Probably will cost you around $25.
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