I just created this account to share my story of failing with CO using charcoal in my car. It was very close and I have ideas for how I survived.
Health: 43, male, no major health issues, smoker
Vehicle: 2019 Chevy Cruze
Charcoal Qty: 1.5 kg (before igniting)
CO Meter: TopTes CT-300 (capable of reading up to 5,000 ppm)
I did a test beforehand and was able to get 4,000 ppm in 25 minutes. I stopped the test early due to setup not quite right and the possible fire risk. I was going to perform additional tests, but was ultimately pushed to do it from a very bad tooth infection I had just acquired. The pain was unbearable one night so I just did it. Here's how it went down.
It was about 3:30 AM and I couldn't sleep due to the tooth pain. That's when I decided to give it a go. I went to the garage and started the process.
First, I put about 1.5 kg of Kingsford charcoal into a Kingsford chimney starter. I am estimating 1.5 kg because after I got out of the hospital I weighed what fits in the chimney starter. While that burned I took about 5+ mg of Klonnopin. After about 20 minutes of burning in the chimney starter I dumped the hot coals into a 12 quart steel bucket and placed in my car on the backseat. I did not wait for the coals to cool. I went from the chimney starter to the bucket and then in the car. I had placed paving bricks around the area (bottom, back, top, and sides) and above the bottom layer bricks was a pan full of water with more bricks on top of that. The bucket sat on top of that. I did it like this because I noticed in my test that the downward heat was pretty hot and saturated the brick and made the seat warm. I think adding a pan of water and another layer of brick solved that issue. On top of the bucket I had placed foil that had holes poked into it. My reasoning for this was to reduce the heat coming out the top of the bucket. I had the meter in the car and got in when it reached 3000+ ppm (about 20 minutes after putting into the car) and it barely went down after I got in and quickly went back up. I don't remember anything after that point until I woke up in the hospital later. I went unconscious within minutes and sat in the car for over 7 hours before being rescued. I was completely unconscious the entire time and was not aware of being rescued or arriving to the hospital. I was informed that my CO blood level was 30% by the time I got to the hospital. This likely meant that I was somewhere around 50% to 70% while inside the car and when the charcoal finally burned out the percentage dropped over the course of the remaining hours. I don't know how long the charcoal burned for, but it was all burned to ash. It's possible that if I was left in the car for another hour or so that I would have CTB.
I think the klononopin helped me survive by making me pass out more quickly and reducing my need for oxygen. Also, I think 1.5 kg was just not quite enough to do me in probably due to not burning long enough. What limited my charcoal use was how much fit in my single chimney starter and the pain I was in from the tooth infection.
I will be doing this again soon using two 12 quart buckets and four chimney starters. 1.5 kg in each chimney starter so 3 kg per bucket. This is four times the amount I used the first time. I'm also considering on using different fuel such as hardwood lump charcoal and bintochan (for its longer burn time). My tooth issue is gone now because the hospital had me on antibiotics for it while I was there. I will perform at least one more test using my new setup after I get the additional supplies.
It's been about 3 weeks since. Mostly I am fine, but I do have some sleep issues now, but that could just be due to the stress in my life.
I don't know if anyone will read this or reply, but I wanted to share it with the community. I have been reading a lot of the threads regarding this method and decided to create an account to share my experience. If you want to know more or have any questions then feel free to reply here. I will be around for another few weeks.
Health: 43, male, no major health issues, smoker
Vehicle: 2019 Chevy Cruze
Charcoal Qty: 1.5 kg (before igniting)
CO Meter: TopTes CT-300 (capable of reading up to 5,000 ppm)
I did a test beforehand and was able to get 4,000 ppm in 25 minutes. I stopped the test early due to setup not quite right and the possible fire risk. I was going to perform additional tests, but was ultimately pushed to do it from a very bad tooth infection I had just acquired. The pain was unbearable one night so I just did it. Here's how it went down.
It was about 3:30 AM and I couldn't sleep due to the tooth pain. That's when I decided to give it a go. I went to the garage and started the process.
First, I put about 1.5 kg of Kingsford charcoal into a Kingsford chimney starter. I am estimating 1.5 kg because after I got out of the hospital I weighed what fits in the chimney starter. While that burned I took about 5+ mg of Klonnopin. After about 20 minutes of burning in the chimney starter I dumped the hot coals into a 12 quart steel bucket and placed in my car on the backseat. I did not wait for the coals to cool. I went from the chimney starter to the bucket and then in the car. I had placed paving bricks around the area (bottom, back, top, and sides) and above the bottom layer bricks was a pan full of water with more bricks on top of that. The bucket sat on top of that. I did it like this because I noticed in my test that the downward heat was pretty hot and saturated the brick and made the seat warm. I think adding a pan of water and another layer of brick solved that issue. On top of the bucket I had placed foil that had holes poked into it. My reasoning for this was to reduce the heat coming out the top of the bucket. I had the meter in the car and got in when it reached 3000+ ppm (about 20 minutes after putting into the car) and it barely went down after I got in and quickly went back up. I don't remember anything after that point until I woke up in the hospital later. I went unconscious within minutes and sat in the car for over 7 hours before being rescued. I was completely unconscious the entire time and was not aware of being rescued or arriving to the hospital. I was informed that my CO blood level was 30% by the time I got to the hospital. This likely meant that I was somewhere around 50% to 70% while inside the car and when the charcoal finally burned out the percentage dropped over the course of the remaining hours. I don't know how long the charcoal burned for, but it was all burned to ash. It's possible that if I was left in the car for another hour or so that I would have CTB.
I think the klononopin helped me survive by making me pass out more quickly and reducing my need for oxygen. Also, I think 1.5 kg was just not quite enough to do me in probably due to not burning long enough. What limited my charcoal use was how much fit in my single chimney starter and the pain I was in from the tooth infection.
I will be doing this again soon using two 12 quart buckets and four chimney starters. 1.5 kg in each chimney starter so 3 kg per bucket. This is four times the amount I used the first time. I'm also considering on using different fuel such as hardwood lump charcoal and bintochan (for its longer burn time). My tooth issue is gone now because the hospital had me on antibiotics for it while I was there. I will perform at least one more test using my new setup after I get the additional supplies.
It's been about 3 weeks since. Mostly I am fine, but I do have some sleep issues now, but that could just be due to the stress in my life.
I don't know if anyone will read this or reply, but I wanted to share it with the community. I have been reading a lot of the threads regarding this method and decided to create an account to share my experience. If you want to know more or have any questions then feel free to reply here. I will be around for another few weeks.
Did you experience any unpleasant side effects, with headaches, dizziness, nausea, before you passed out?"
