New furnace and CO alarm

[MooseRiver]

Hi all,

I fired up the furnace for the first time on our new 2021 Forester MBS and the smoke/CO alarm went off. The heat being produced was good and the flame was blue. When I put the roof fan on the alarm stopped, but came back on when I closed the fan. I assume I should be concerned but wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience with their new furnace.

Thanks for any insight, Dave

[KyDan]

Very common. Open your doors and windows and turn up the heat so the furnace runs for 30 min or so. This burns off the coating of the heat exchanger that is smelling and triggering the smoke alarm.
It's normal.
Might smell it every first time you use it after sitting idle.
It will get less and less very quickly.
Welcome to the forums!
Happy Camping!!

[MooseRiver]

Thanks KyDan for the quick response! I was hoping it was just because it’s new. I have it running now (I’m back inside the warm house!). The smell was noticeable but not too bad but I do feel a little dizzy from it (could just be lack of coffee this morning!). Thanks again...

[5picker]

Originally Posted by MooseRiver

Thanks KyDan for the quick response! I was hoping it was just because it’s new. I have it running now (I’m back inside the warm house!). The smell was noticeable but not too bad but I do feel a little dizzy from it (could just be lack of coffee this morning!). Thanks again...

Not sure if you are joking about the dizzy part but carbon monoxide poisoning is no joke.

While Dan is absolutely correct about the oils/dirt burning off a new furnace, if you are physically sick, I suggest you have the furnace checked by a qualified professional.

[MooseRiver]

Half joking but agree 100% CO2 is no joke. I believe CO2 has no smell so I’m assuming it was the fumes from the coating burn off. I didn’t linger in there and I will watch it very closely to see if I need to take it in for service. Thanks!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by MooseRiver

Half joking but agree 100% CO2 is no joke. I believe CO2 has no smell so I’m assuming it was the fumes from the coating burn off. I didn’t linger in there and I will watch it very closely to see if I need to take it in for service. Thanks!

OK, thanks for clarifying.

There have been quite a few threads here about odors and the CO alarm falsely alerting when running the furnace the first time or even the first time after not using it for months but no one has ever mentioned getting dizzy. The CO alarm (not CO2) will alert from other things too besides CO such as hair sprays and dog farts!

I'm just wanting to be sure there isn't a defect in the furnace's heat exchanger allowing exhaust gasses into your RV.

Furnace combustion, under normal operating conditions is a closed system, pulling fresh air into the furnace from the outside intake, mixing the air with propane for combustion, and expelling the gasses back out to the outside of the R/V through the exhaust. Thus, no harmful gasses enter the living area interior of your R/V unless there is a problem such as a leak in the combustion chamber.

While you incorrectly identified the "silent deadly killer" CO (carbon monoxide) as CO2 (carbon dioxide) you are absolutely correct in saying it is no joke!

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by MooseRiver

Half joking but agree 100% CO2 is no joke. I believe CO2 has no smell so I’m assuming it was the fumes from the coating burn off. I didn’t linger in there and I will watch it very closely to see if I need to take it in for service. Thanks!

It's CO, not CO2. The danger is that the Carbon MONoxide wants to steal another Oxygen molecule to make CO2 and it steals it from your red blood cells.

The warnings other have given are valid, but the real tipoff is a headache. If you didn't get a headache, no problem.

If you have a little CO in your blood (maybe even standing around a campfire), the effects are completely gone in 24 hours. That's the lifetime of red blood cells. You'll have all new ones after that.

[MooseRiver]

Thanks KyDan, 5picker. And Larry-NC for all the good information. It’s very much appreciated. And yes, I should know it’s CO, not CO2.