Earlier, after I posted the other thread I wrote (about tv shows that dont do research) I was sitting here, playing a computer game when all of our smoke detectors went off (and blew out my eardrums)

Apparently the CO2 detectors work.

I'd been dizzy for about an hour. So, when the alarms went off, I immediately went and checked things and went to get my parents out of the house, since I wasnt sure what was happening. I noticed that the ventless fireplace that's just outside my bedroom was on. (for the first time this year...it's got a thermostat and just has a pilot running when there arent actual flames in the fireplace)

I got my parents to get dressed and argued with my dad for a few minutes about calling the fire department. I won the argument (I actually just went ahead and called them)

I called my aunt who lives across the street from me too, and ironically, she was having a similar problem. She didnt have any alarms going off (which was disturbing) but she was feeling a lot sicker than I was, and she had a hazy smoke or something going thru her house. We had the hazy smoke too. You could see it around the lights in the house. It was really smoky in my basement, but my aunt's house was a lot worse with the smoke.

So, the FD got here, I showed them into my house, and then I grabbed a few of them and got them to check my aunt's house out.

We're all ok. I had vented my house (not a good thing. They said next time, just grab a coat and shoes and leave. Dont stay to vent)

The utilities guy that the FD had come to our house to check it out said that our problem was that when our gas heat came on (we have a heat pump) it sucked more oxygen out of the air and that the ventless fireplace was putting more gas into the air than could be burned off by the fireplace.

I'm not exactly sure what happened with my aunt's house. She just got a new furnace and heat pump a couple of weeks ago, so it could be that it was the first time it was on in this cold weather (18 deg outside right now, gas furnace takes over at 20degrees) She had actual hazy smoke-like stuff in the air in her house.

She wouldnt let the ambulance guys check her out. I felt better after walking around outside, so I declined too. Wasnt dizzy any more (except the flashing lights on all those trucks were disorienting)

So, now it's almost 3am (the FD left about 20 minutes ago) and I am WIDE AWAKE! I guess I wont be getting much sleep tonight. Partly because I'm freaked and worried it'll happen again (gas fireplace is completely turned off!) and partly because of all the excitement.

It's really interesting to me that our smoke detectors went off and my aunt's didnt. My aunt and I both had the same thought. Wednesday was the 13th anniversary of my uncle (dad's brother) dying. My aunt and I both think that my uncle made our smoke detectors go off so that I would call 911 and call my aunt to warn her that the FD was coming so that she wouldnt worry. It might be kind of stupid (and weird coming from me, an atheist) but I do still kind of believe that my uncle has stuck around to watch my aunt. The detectors going off here, was just his way of telling me to call her and make sure she was ok.

Good thing I'm still a bit of an insomniac, because it was nearly 2am when all this started. I'd have been asleep.

That's scary stuff in any event! I'd have freaked and honestly not slept a wink either. Glad you got it sorted out in the end.

I just emailed our association about the cars that are parked on the street (when everyone has an empty driveway)

The fire department had problems getting to our houses because the guy next door to my aunt has a car parked on the street (on a t-intersection, on a curve!) and they couldnt quite make the turn onto the street.

That house where the car was parked, was the ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT'S house!!! (I made sure to CC the email to everyone on the association board, public humiliation can be a good motivator for that arrogant jerk)

he's done a bunch of stuff since becoming the Prez that is against the HOA covenants, so getting him to get his guest/girlfriend?/family member's car off the street when he has a completely empty driveway can be a good thing. (I think that his formerly ex-wife, they remarried, is responsible for my dog's death two years ago. So getting her friend?/sister's? car off the curving t-intersection will be a good plus for having my smoke-CO2 detectors going off at 2am)

It's almost 5am. I cant sleep now (not that that is strange, I have insomnia a lot) I'm going to try to get some sleep in a little bit, since I'm getting sleepy. I'm still a bit worried that something could happen, but at least I know our detectors work. (yay!)

I cant wait to see what kind of emails that I'll get back from the association board in the morning.

Oh yeah! When my parents and I went out earlier tonight (last night?) we noticed there was a fire engine at a house up the street from us. Wonder if they had a similar problem? I mentioned that in my email to the association. I wonder if they'll know what happened at that house...there was some work on the sewers behind my house a few weeks ago. Makes me wonder if there was something coming up thru the sewer pipes, seeing as how both my house and my aunt had similar problems tonight, and the FD never could explain it to us exactly what would be causing problems at both houses tonight. They just had theories.

I cant wait to see what El Presidente has to say about the car that's been parked in front of his house for the past few weeks. He's always been the one to mention in the association newsletters that people should watch where they park, because emergency vehicles could have problems getting thru the neighborhood (he's an EMT)

What I thought was weird tonight, was that with all the fire engines (at least four) and the two or three ambulances that they sent just in case, and the other emergency vehicles and sheriff's department, none of my neighbors came out of their houses to see what was wrong. (hope they werent having similar problems and just didnt know it...could be a scary situation tomorrow if that's the case)

I'm glad everyone's OK.....sounds like it was scary there for a while.

Even scarier now that we've had time to examine the gas fireplace, which I think must have tried to kill us last night. I think we've narrowed the problem down to that piece of junk. (it will be leaving us soon)

I looked at the sides of the gas fireplace. It's a ventless one, so it eats room air to work, instead of sucking in it's own air from outside.

For some reason when it came on, either it was malfunctioning, or it's thermostat was set to almost flamethrower setting. I found scorch marks on the front of the fireplace tonight. There's also a sooty residue on the ceiling of the inside of the fireplace that was not there before.

I had noticed that it had huge flames in it last night, and my dad saw it too, and had come downstairs to turn off the gas feed to it before we all went outside last night. Which, I think saved the house. The flames never got all the way out of it.

I noticed last night, before the fireplace had gotten turned off, it was so hot in the upstairs. I think the heat from the fireplace had made it's way upstairs (since heat rises) and had the upstairs to a seriously warm level. I think if the fireplace hadnt gotten turned off before the FD got here, it could have gotten hot enough upstairs for things to get very bad.

I just thought of this, but when we had the heating guy here a couple of weeks ago to check our furnace, I asked him to turn the fireplace on and set the thermostat at a low setting. I remember him seeming to be a bit confused when he was turning on the pilot, so I'm going to check to see what he set the thermostat to on that thing.

~checking...~

HOLY CARPPY FISHSTICKS!!!

What part of "set it to Low" did this kid not understand????
When I had asked the kid who checked our furnace to turn on the pilot on the fireplace, I told him to set it as low as he could get it. The thermostat says "Low" on one end of the dial, the other end of the dial says "High".

Guess where the dial was set to?? Can ya guess??!?!??!

It was set nearly to "As High as you can get without starting to split atoms"!

Little putz nearly burned down the house. I trusted that he set it right, because, gosh...he's supposed to know how these things work, since he installs stuff like that all the time.

My dad is not the vindictive sort, so he's probably not going to say anything to the heating company. I just told him what the thermostat was set to, and I think he's now starting to freak. At least the smoke detectors caught it!

WOW Erin! You jogged my memory, I need to get our CO2 detectors replaced. They are 10 years old.

Just a thought, did this same heating contractor do the work on your Aunts home? Maybe worth looking into.

Glad ya'll are ok!

No, her new furnace and heat pump were bought from a different company. We still have our original furnace (house is only 6yrs old, same as hers) She had her furnace replaced after the big windstorm that blasted thru our neighborhood in June trashed her air conditioning. She got the heat pump/furnace combo. A lot more efficient that her old a/c and furnace.

We're replacing the old fireplace, we dont like the crummy thermostat, and how dangerous it was. I'm trying to Google the fireplace to see if I can find any bad reviews or recall information on it.

I'm just sitting here freaked out at how bad it COULD have been. I'm realizing that I would have been trapped in my bedroom (but I have a huge egress window...I would crawled thru that)

Now I'm going to have nightmares about fire probably. Scary!!!

Glad you are all ok, those alarms can be a real good thing, blow out your ear drums but worth it, glad you all are ok

I am glad everyone is ok. And you are right it may have been your uncle. I don't believe in any one higher being but I do believe in spirits. And good job getting everyone out. I imagine you are not sleeping tonight.

You're right, I'm still kind of wide awake tonight, even tho I didnt fall asleep this morning (friday morning) till almost 6am, and then only slept till about 930 or maybe a little after 10am before I woke up.

I'm thinking that that burning sensation that I'm feeling right now is happening because I havent gone to bed yet...but its kind of been lurking since yesterday morning....just seems to build up in intensity every few hours.

I have to stop thinking about it, because that makes it worse!