Gs battery setting off carbon monoxide detector??

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  • spyug
    • Feb 2026
    #1

    Gs battery setting off carbon monoxide detector??

    I have the GS in the garage which is attached to the house. I have the trickle charger on the battery and coincidentally my son is charging two deep cycle boat batteries out there as well. Early this morning, two carbon monoxide detectors started beeping. One is on the second floor hallway about 30 feet from the door to the garage and the other is in my basement workshop about 50 feet from the door.

    I unplugged the chargers for his boat batteries but left the GS batt conected. I reset the detectors and everything settled down for about 2 hours then started back up sporadically thereafter.

    I'm kind of confused. Why would detectors go off with batteries charging and from so far away from the charging? Would my GS battery cause this to happen also? I've never experienced this before and have charged bike batteries in my workshop about 3 feet from the detector and never had an issue.

    My furnace and water heater are in the basement and both are relatively new (2 years). I did have a monoxide problem about 10 years back with a crack in the exhaust pipe of the previous furnace but nothing since then. Could it be something like that again or are batteries capable of triggering detectors? Gs batteries???

    Any thoughts folks?
    Cheers,
    Spyug.
    Last edited by Guest; 10-29-2008, 09:47 AM.
    Tags: None
    • nitz
      #2
      A quick search of google showed that batteries do tend to give of carbon monoxide. Even though what you are charging is so far away it has been shown that it can leak into the house and set off detectors. Be careful, and if you aren't sure it's just from you batteries being charged, get someone out there who knows how to test and check for everything.

        Comment

        • trippivot
          Forum Sage
          Past Site Supporter
          • Aug 2006
          • 2815
          • Des Moines , IA
          #3
          batteries free gas hydrogen gas mostly and will create an explosive environment if not properly ventilated while charging.
          SUZUKI , There is no substitute

            Comment

            • bonanzadave
              Forum Guru
              Past Site Supporter
              • Jul 2006
              • 9623
              • Minnesota
              #4
              When I had a little oil leak I would park in the garage, after a ride, under a smoke alarm and altho there was no visible smoke the alarm would go off.

              Keep us informed about the batteries. My boat (and soon my bike) battery is charging (tender) in the basement.
              82 1100 EZ (red)

              "You co-opting words of KV only thickens the scent of your BS. A thief and a putter-on of airs most foul. " JEEPRUSTY

                Comment

                • lucabond
                  #5
                  I used to charge my deep cycle battery in the house and it would set off
                  my carbon monoxide detector too. So I guess I'm not the only 1. I now charge them in the garage which is detached from the house.

                    Comment

                    • Riding Again
                      #6
                      CO detector sensors operate through a chemical reaction causing a small electric current to develop and then measuring the current. Hydrogen will also cause the same chemical reaction to take place. This will cause a false alarm in the CO detector.

                      Your best bet would be to keep the batteries being charged (and subsequent fumes) away from these detectors.

                        Comment

                        • Steve
                          GS Whisperer
                          • Jun 2005
                          • 35925
                          • southwest oHIo
                          #7
                          Originally posted by Riding Again
                          CO detector sensors operate through a chemical reaction causing a small electric current to develop and then measuring the current. Hydrogen will also cause the same chemical reaction to take place. This will cause a false alarm in the CO detector.
                          Thank you for this little tidbit. I have never had the pleasure(?) of using a CO detector, and have no idea just how they work, so I could not imagine why charging a battery would generate CO. Nice to know about the hydrogen angle.

                          .
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                            Comment

                            • spyug
                              #8
                              Thanks for all the information and input. That clears up a lot. I am still a bit mistified how the one detector, almost 50' away from the batteries and in a basement with no access to the garage, could go off. I guess they are pretty sohisticated and sensitive devices.

                              As I mentioned I did have a carbon monoxide problem many years back which was the reason I got them. I work in a home office that is just behind a wall where the furnace is located and the exhaust pipe travels right over my desjk to the outside wall. It had slightly cracked and was leaking. Over a period of time, unbeknownst to me, I had been sucking up CO and getting sick. Lots of headaches, lethargy, no energy etc.. We were lucky enough to find out about the problem when the furnace went outone day. The technician found it and advised me to get medical attention. Blood tests confirmed it.

                              So like smoke detectors these things are a must for any dwelling and encourage everyone to check into them.

                              Thanks again folks.

                              Cheers,
                              spyug

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