It's admittedly been a while but . . . although I am aware that a lead-acid battery can off-gas hydrogen and oxygen under certain conditions, I have never heard of a battery off-gassing CO2. Carbon isn't even part of their construction or chemistry. I don't know if the FDs CO detector can be triggered by another gas. I'm not going up against the FD but I'd need to have it explained to me. Having said all of that, you obviously had some reason to call them and were correct to be concerned for your family's safety.

I'll agree with the general statement that a room with a battery should have ventilation and most "cold rooms" usually do to control humidity, but since yours doesn't that is of little help. You could drill a hole through an adjacent wall, house the battery in another part of the basement and run cables to the pump. You'd have to do some research for proper wire gauge and allowable length.

 

CO2 levels, or CO levels? There is a big difference.

 

If CO2 levels were high it is probably because people in the room were breathing. You breathe out CO2 everytime you exhale.

As the last poster stated if it was high CO (carbon monoxide) that is a problem. CO is a product of combustion, so i would check any appliances in the room that work by combustion. At this time of year that would be gas water heater gas range or gas oven. Check to make sure that your chimney is not blocked.

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The charging of lead-acid batteries can be hazardous. However, many workers may not see it that way since it is such a common activity in many workplaces. The two primary risks are from hydrogen gas formed when the battery is being charged and the sulfuric acid in the battery fluid.

Must have been a volunteer fire department.

I would suggest you take a hard look at any gas fired appliance that may have been in use.

 

Adding to what has already been said.

Get your battery back if they took it as that was probably not the issue.

Clarify what they think they were reading, CO or CO2, big difference.

In either case your battery was probably not producing either. Plus, your battery was probably not on a full charge cycle, just a trickle to keep it topped off.

If they were reading CO, then you have another problem. There are many possibilities and we don't know what you have for combustion appliances. But, those appliances may be working correctly and the problem is due to backdrafting caused by too many exhaust fans.

Give us more information and we can help you pin it down.

Bud

 

Good points all. I made the assumption, perhaps mistakenly, that there were no fossil-fueled devices in or venting into the room. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of combustion and toxic at relatively low levels. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally occurring and is only toxic at fairly high levels because it displaces oxygen. It is normally produces by breathing, biological decomposition, wine-making, etc.

It is possible that the FDs probe was out of calibration (although that would not explain why they were in your house in the first place).