Pilot light out on furnace- should we be concerned about CO?

[jamesnsw]

We woke up this morning with no heat in our apartment- the pilot light had gone out on our furnace. SWMBO is pretty concerned about CO, having had a close call with it in the past. Should we be concerned?

The landlord is coming by to try to fix it soon, but we don't have huge faith in his handyman abilities due to past experiences. Can we sleep soundly tonight, or will that end up with us sleeping a bit too soundly?

 

[Yooper]

You should be fine- at least from a CO point. CO is produced by the incomplete combustion of fuel. Since the pilot light is out, there isn't any combustion going on.

However, you could turn off the gas valve going to the furnace, that should make you feel better!

 

[Wayne1]

More than likely the thermocouple has worn out. This is a fairly simple fix, depending on how easy it is to get to your furnace.

Parts readily available at any of the big box hardware stores.

 

[Gander]

Pick up a CO2 detector, any of the larger hardware/building centers should have them, not to expensive, you and SWMBO well sleep much better. They just plug into an outlet and stay there.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

Turn off the gas to the furnace... for everyones safety...

 

[ottobrew]

I agree with turning off the gas. No CO or CO2 from unburned fuel, but a plume of gas building up in your apartment has obvious drawbacks.

 

[david_42]

Having had the wonderful experience of a furnance go WOOMF! in my face, I'll ditto shutting the gas valve.

 

[jamesnsw]

Yeah we have the CO detectors (but for some reason we don't completely trust it...)

Gas is off. Landlord came by, found out it's out of his league (more than a thermocoupler), and his guy isn't available until tomorrow.

So we are sleeping at a friends' house (YEAH!!! Single bed for 2!), and hoping things get fixed tomorrow.

Thanks all!

 

[TXCrash]

So glad I own the structure I'm in. It's a piece of crap, but it's mine. Only time I have to talk to the landlord is when something on the land has issues - which has only happened once in 6 years.

 

[jamesnsw]

So glad I own the structure I'm in. It's a piece of crap, but it's mine. Only time I have to talk to the landlord is when something on the land has issues - which has only happened once in 6 years.

Yeah. After this year of renting, I'm definitely ready to own. But it'll still be a couple years, sadly...

 

[shmoo]

no you should be completely fine, if there isn't a pilot flame sensed the gas valve wont keep letting gas through, unless of course the valve is old and leaks, but you could smell it if you stood near it.