![]() 11/01/2013 at 01:59 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
It's almost 2am and my gears are turning from an incident I had earlier. So I just bought a condo that's 3 total stories tall, my garage is on the bottom floor, I go up two flights of stairs and enter my main living space (I have a downstairs neighbor that only has one set of stairs), so I'm a whole unit away vertically from my garage. Tonight I was doing some work around the house and went down to the garage to drop a garbage bag off... good thing I did because as I got to the door I could hear my car running, inside my closed garage! AHHHH! My brain has been so bombarded since I was a child about how bad this was. I opened the door (which is weather sealed to a certain extent) and walked back upstairs and opened some windows. Carbon monoxide scares the bejesus out of me since I have no idea how much if any got in the house, or even how long my car had been running.
So why was my car running I hear you ask. Well, my 09 Charger (I have a 13 Charger as well) has a cheapo Avital one button remote start installed. It takes one push of the giant button and my car starts, unlike the 2 button presses my factory installed remote start has for the 2013 Charger, so I must've "butt-pushed" the button. Some research and calls to installer friends revealed that I can reprogram the unit (or have one of them do it) so that it takes two button presses to start, but I'm still nervous... I'm probably being overly cautious but again, the silent killer and all that. So my question to the oppo folks is first, is there a "plug and play" carbon monoxide detector that will automatically open my garage in the event my car were to phantom start again? How difficult would it be to wire the signal from the "buzzer" on an alarm into my garage door button? Am I just being paranoid and should I go to sleep? Yeah, it's certainly not the most dramatic thing to happen in my life but it still has me worried.
Edit: I changed CO2 to Carbond monoxide... as I was unintentionally mixing up. Thanks to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the heads up
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:02 |
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You need Nest's new detector.
This sort of thing also scares me, but I don't have a car with a remote. You could do the wiring, shouldn't be too bad if you're handy with a soldering gun.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:04 |
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I'll check it out, yeah I have little issue wiring. It does appear there's an off the shelf detector that does what I'm looking for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Second-Cha…
I'm seriously considering it. I did have this happen once at my home, but the difference is my house has less garage to house insulation meaning anywhere in the house I can pretty easily tell a car is running in the garage. Here it was dead silent (pun intended).
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:06 |
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Interesting, didn't know it existed. I am getting another CO2 detector for my house. It won't be from Nest, though. Blast the financial issues.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:07 |
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Actually the Nest system seems to be much more versatile... that may be the way to go. Thanks for the heads up!
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:08 |
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We commented at the same time. I have some extra money in the "improvement" fund, due to the layout of this condo I may put a good chunk of it toward the nest system just for piece of mind. The 100" projector I was eyeing may have to wait!
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:11 |
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Oh you know, just been drooling over it. I would love it if someone got one and told me if it's worth it. Does a lot of cool stuff. I'm the person that goes on a mad detector-smashing rampage when one of them has a low battery beep.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:11 |
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id be more careful with the keys buttons and thats it
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:15 |
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Just so you know, it's actually CO (Carbon Monoxide) that you're worried about with car exhaust. Though a massive abundance of CO2 could suffocate you if it displaced all the oxygen.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:17 |
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Generally I would probably respond to a post like mine in much the same pragmatic fashion but first let me illustrate the size of the button:
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And it protrudes from the housing, so it's easily pressed unintentionally.
Secondly I'll agree that I was dumb for not having the original installer change it to a two-push sequence when I first had it start unintentionally for me.
But, I ask you this question. How am I supposed to be "more careful" with my keys? Not keep them in my pocket? I'm an animal of habit, and I've always kept my keys either in my pocket or on my bedside table, I suppose a dish by the front door is an option but for me I wouldn't be comfortable with that. Yeah, I'm weird.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:18 |
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Ah, please pardon my ignorance. I'll amend the post accordingly.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:25 |
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hmm and why do you need to have those remote keys? is it cold where you live?
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:32 |
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I have two of these
one by the downstairs fireplace and one by the range.
as a bonus, they also detect the ratio of air/gas and set of an alarm if its getting close to explosive.
My friend was saved by one of these in a houseboat years back. turns out the ventilation from the engine room really sucked as the fueling dock found out later when they blew it up on accident.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 02:54 |
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We typically have pretty brutal winters where I am. Currently the weather is 50 degrees fahrenheit with 45mph wind gusts, and it's only November 1st. I've seen -20 degrees here in the dead of winter, and the wind makes it especially brutal. Without a remote start, with the vehicle parked outside expect to wait at least 10-15 minutes for the ice to melt/car to warm up enough to melt the ice. Not to mention the snow storms... 15" of snow is much easier to clean off a warm car (the bottom is melting so it slides right off). But, like I said, my garage environment will probably be liveable without the remote start, and hell that's the cheapest/simplest solution so I'll probably stick with it!
![]() 11/01/2013 at 08:38 |
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Auto starts should have an auto-shutoff. So if after it has been started via remote, if a key isn't put in the ignition after 10 minutes the car should turn off.
Or you need one of these installed on the one button fob. On top of CO safety you might look badass every time you start your car.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 10:09 |
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That would be awesome! And yes it will shut off after 15 minutes but I hate to think how much CO my car produces in that time... but the fighter jet switch cover is an epic idea!
![]() 11/01/2013 at 10:15 |
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The PPM of CO probably wouldn't hit lethal levels from this particular circumstance you had. Had you been sitting in the closed garage right behind the car you may have started to get a headache and shown other signs of early poisoning.
Remember too, cats remove something like 98% of CO produced by a car, making it MUCH harder to kill yourself.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 10:22 |
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Why don't you have carbon monoxide detectors? I'm pretty sure that would have set off multiple in my house if it had been running any length of time. You could make a DIY carbon monoxide detector that was wired to a vent in the garage... you would just need to use the output from the speaker to engage a low voltage switch/relay to engage the vent fan. I would have more confidence in a premade alarm though.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 11:12 |
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Nest has a CO detector? I must google now. I love my thermostat. My kids don't love it so much when I lock them out then turn the heat down from inferno to something in the 60's.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 11:14 |
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https://nest.com/smoke-co-alarm…
I want both the thermostat and the detector. They're both fantastic devices.
Also I want them to make one for my shower next. Because I think it would be great.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 11:27 |
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Ok. So I truly love the thermostat. However...sometimes it has connectivity issues with my wifi. I'm pretty sure mine is second gen. Just something to keep in mind.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 11:29 |
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Good to know.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 17:05 |
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I just bought the condo, this was my second day here, it just wasn't something I'd bought yet (I still have 3 friggen pages of crap I've gotta buy!)... well actually I can say now that I have bought one, I picked up a decent one for my living area today. I'll probably be purchasing the one I linked to on ebay in the next week or so.
![]() 11/01/2013 at 18:00 |
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Good call.