Method Carbon monoxide

[hushpuppi-savastano]

Large pan + charcoal. in your opinion, what is the best way to burn this, considering it's in the bathroom? is it enough to light it and let it burn or does it need to burn continuously?

 

[Praestat_Mori]

There's the Megathread and a guide:

Carbon monoxide megathread

Hi, this will be the megathread for the carbon monoxide method. I have some questions about the charcoal method, is it a simple method to do? Like buying charcoal and setting it or there is some steps and setup to follow The ppeh gives low rating for preparation but good rating for...

sanctioned-suicide.net

Charcoal method advice

Hi, I somehow came across this site after some furious google searching over the weekend. After trying and failing other methods over the past month I came across back to the idea of carbon monoxide and decided to dig further into charcoal burning, of which there are plenty discussions on this...

sanctioned-suicide.net

Bathroom is possible, using a tent may be better bc it has even less volume than a bathroom.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

I think the first thing to do, the prudent thing, would be to learn all about CO using charcoal, so that you, frankly, don't screw it up and yourself along with it. It's not a good idea to just be "guessing" the right way to do it. There's more to it than just burning some charcoal in a pan and placing it in a room. In full disclosure, CO will be my method, also, but not in a room, in a tent instead. I, also, have a CO analyzer to measure the actual amount of CO concentration that I generate, so that, again, I don't screw it up. CO isn't a method you want to screw up. It can leave you with severe neurological damage if you happen to survive. Better to take the time before attempting to learn the right way to do it and avoid mistakes.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

I think the first thing to do, the prudent thing, would be to learn all about CO using charcoal, so that you, frankly, don't screw it up and yourself along with it. It's not a good idea to just be "guessing" the right way to do it. There's more to it than just burning some charcoal in a pan and placing it in a room. In full disclosure, CO will be my method, also, but not in a room, in a tent instead. I, also, have a CO analyzer to measure the actual amount of CO concentration that I generate, so that, again, I don't screw it up. CO isn't a method you want to screw up. It can leave you with severe neurological damage if you happen to survive. Better to take the time before attempting to learn the right way to do it and avoid mistakes.

Thanks, your advice is really helpful and probably saved me from some issues. Do you think a tent in a room would work well? Also, since you seem really knowledgeable on the topic, I'd like to ask, what equipment do you recommend for a good burn?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Thanks, your advice is really helpful and probably saved me from some issues. Do you think a tent in a room would work well? Also, since you seem really knowledgeable on the topic, I'd like to ask, what equipment do you recommend for a good burn?

Yes on the tent. I'm going to be using a tent in my garage myself. Equipment? I have 3 chimney starters and 3 metal buckets to transfer the hot coals into. I also have a CO analyzer, which will tell me in PPM, the amount of CO in the tent. Nothing less than 10000 PPM will do. I'll be using RO 100% carbon lump charcoal. Also, I'll be sealing all the seams and flaps of the tent. I'll be doing several "dry runs" to make sure I can obtain the necessary CO level AND maintain it. I'll start with the 3 chimney starters full of charcoal and if it's not enough, I'll add another one. Also, need some bricks or something to set the hot bucket of coals on inside the tent. Charcoals get started outside the tent and when they're all glowing red, throwing an immense amount of heat, and emitting no smoke, that's when they're producing copious amount of invisible, odorless CO, and when they get moved into the tent. Then a period of time is given, maybe 20 minutes, to allow the CO to build up to a lethal level. AFTER all the preceding happens, THEN it is time to quickly enter the tent, holding your breath, and getting the flap closed quickly behind you. Once you take a few breaths, you should fall unconscious, as long as the level of CO is high, near or above 10000 PPM. Death will occur within minutes. The only problem in not having a CO analyzer is that you can't know for certain what the CO level truly is. CO has been used for decades, though, and with success, even without an analyzer. An analyzer just adds more assurance.

 

[Nikitatos]

Yes on the tent. I'm going to be using a tent in my garage myself. Equipment? I have 3 chimney starters and 3 metal buckets to transfer the hot coals into. I also have a CO analyzer, which will tell me in PPM, the amount of CO in the tent. Nothing less than 10000 PPM will do. I'll be using RO 100% carbon lump charcoal. Also, I'll be sealing all the seams and flaps of the tent. I'll be doing several "dry runs" to make sure I can obtain the necessary CO level AND maintain it. I'll start with the 3 chimney starters full of charcoal and if it's not enough, I'll add another one. Also, need some bricks or something to set the hot bucket of coals on inside the tent. Charcoals get started outside the tent and when they're all glowing red, throwing an immense amount of heat, and emitting no smoke, that's when they're producing copious amount of invisible, odorless CO, and when they get moved into the tent. Then a period of time is given, maybe 20 minutes, to allow the CO to build up to a lethal level. AFTER all the preceding happens, THEN it is time to quickly enter the tent, holding your breath, and getting the flap closed quickly behind you. Once you take a few breaths, you should fall unconscious, as long as the level of CO is high, near or above 10000 PPM. Death will occur within minutes. The only problem in not having a CO analyzer is that you can't know for certain what the CO level truly is. CO has been used for decades, though, and with success, even without an analyzer. An analyzer just adds more assurance.

Do you have a specific tent that you like? How much total weight in charcoal did you antipicate using?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Do you have a specific tent that you like? How much total weight in charcoal did you antipicate using?

I bought a 3 man, popup tent off the S. American "river" site. I don't recall the name right now, but it was one of those "obscure" names found on their website - not a popular name brand. Has an attached groundsheet and only one zippered flap entrance and a mesh window, which I'll seal up. No vents on top.

As far as how much charcoal to use, to get an initial amount to start with, I took the approximate volume of the tent, which is about 6.6 m³, and multiplied that number by the "recommended" amount of charcoal that should be used number of .135 kg/m³, which resulted in an amount of charcoal of .891 kg, or just under 2 lbs. The bags of lump charcoal I bought are 8 lbs, or 3.62 kg. The small metal pails I bought will each hold about 2 lbs of the irregularly shaped charcoal. So, to start with, that's what I'll be using - about 6 lbs of charcoal, which is 3 times the minimum calculated amount. We'll see how that goes and if the analyzer I have will top out at 10000 ppm with that amount. I think it will. I'm not looking to figure out the bare minimum I need. I want assurance that I'm burning enough, and if 6 lbs is overkill, that's ok. If I need to add a fourth bucket and burn the entire bag, that's ok, too. Honestly, I'm very confident without even testing that 6 lbs is WAY more than enough for a tent of that size.

 

[Nikitatos]

I bought a 3 man, popup tent off the S. American "river" site. I don't recall the name right now, but it was one of those "obscure" names found on their website - not a popular name brand. Has an attached groundsheet and only one zippered flap entrance and a mesh window, which I'll seal up. No vents on top.

As far as how much charcoal to use, to get an initial amount to start with, I took the approximate volume of the tent, which is about 6.6 m³, and multiplied that number by the "recommended" amount of charcoal that should be used number of .135 kg/m³, which resulted in an amount of charcoal of .891 kg, or just under 2 lbs. The bags of lump charcoal I bought are 8 lbs, or 3.62 kg. The small metal pails I bought will each hold about 2 lbs of the irregularly shaped charcoal. So, to start with, that's what I'll be using - about 6 lbs of charcoal, which is 3 times the minimum calculated amount. We'll see how that goes and if the analyzer I have will top out at 10000 ppm with that amount. I think it will. I'm not looking to figure out the bare minimum I need. I want assurance that I'm burning enough, and if 6 lbs is overkill, that's ok. If I need to add a fourth bucket and burn the entire bag, that's ok, too. Honestly, I'm very confident without even testing that 6 lbs is WAY more than enough for a tent of that size.

Overkill is the way to go. Better to have too much than too little. Do you think heat will be a problem?

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

I bought a 3 man, popup tent off the S. American "river" site. I don't recall the name right now, but it was one of those "obscure" names found on their website - not a popular name brand. Has an attached groundsheet and only one zippered flap entrance and a mesh window, which I'll seal up. No vents on top.

As far as how much charcoal to use, to get an initial amount to start with, I took the approximate volume of the tent, which is about 6.6 m³, and multiplied that number by the "recommended" amount of charcoal that should be used number of .135 kg/m³, which resulted in an amount of charcoal of .891 kg, or just under 2 lbs. The bags of lump charcoal I bought are 8 lbs, or 3.62 kg. The small metal pails I bought will each hold about 2 lbs of the irregularly shaped charcoal. So, to start with, that's what I'll be using - about 6 lbs of charcoal, which is 3 times the minimum calculated amount. We'll see how that goes and if the analyzer I have will top out at 10000 ppm with that amount. I think it will. I'm not looking to figure out the bare minimum I need. I want assurance that I'm burning enough, and if 6 lbs is overkill, that's ok. If I need to add a fourth bucket and burn the entire bag, that's ok, too. Honestly, I'm very confident without even testing that 6 lbs is WAY more than enough for a tent of that size.

To light the coals in the bucket, should you pour some gasoline on them and ignite them with a lighter, or is there a better way to do it?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

To light the coals in the bucket, should you pour some gasoline on them and ignite them with a lighter, or is there a better way to do it?

You know, others say that's not a good way to do it. It's been said to just use crumpled up newspaper or something similar. I don't see the big deal. I mean you're going to be waiting on the coals to all get burning anyway, so any lighter fluid (not gas) is all going to burn away. I guess even gas would, although, I think, you need to be pretty careful using gas. I used to use it a long time ago when starting grills. I've even read about people starting the coals with a propane torch. Once a few get going, the heat should propagate to the others and ignite those as well.

Overkill is the way to go. Better to have too much than too little. Do you think heat will be a problem?

I think some overkill is prudent. Yeah, there's going to be heat for sure. If everything goes right, I mean absolutely right, you should only experience the heat for some number of seconds before passing out. It might even be easier to do in the colder winter months.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

Vous savez, d'autres disent que ce n'est pas une bonne façon de procéder. Il faut simplement utiliser du papier journal froissé ou quelque chose de similaire. Je ne vois pas où est le problème. Je veux dire que vous allez attendre que les charbons brûlent de toute façon, donc tout liquide à briquet (pas le gaz) va tout brûler. Je suppose que même le gaz le ferait, même si, je pense, il faut être assez prudent en l'utiliser. Je l'utilise il y a longtemps pour allumer les barbecues. J'ai même lu que des gens allumaient les charbons avec un chalumeau au propane. Une fois que quelques-uns sont allumés, la chaleur devrait se propager aux autres et les allumer également.

Je pense qu'il est prudent d'en faire trop. Oui, il y aura certainement de la chaleur. Si tout se passe bien, je veux dire absolument bien, vous ne devriez ressentir la que pendant quelques secondes avant de vous évanouir. Cela pourrait même être plus facile à faire pendant les mois les plus froids de l'hiver.

Set up a tent, fill metal containers with charcoal, light them with paper, and let the embers become very hot. Then, slide the containers into the tent, wait an hour, enter inside, and close it. Do you think this kind of setup would work?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Set up a tent, fill metal containers with charcoal, light them with paper, and let the embers become very hot. Then, slide the containers into the tent, wait an hour, enter inside, and close it. Do you think this kind of setup would work?

I guess it sounds reasonable, assuming enough charcoal is used and it all burns properly. Also, assuming the tent is sealed properly. The "timing" of everything - how long to wait for coals to all start burning adequately - will vary.

 

[esistzeit]

Hello friend
I wrote a post going over my failed CO attempt. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two by reading it

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

Hello friend
I wrote a post going over my failed CO attempt. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two by reading it

Hey, i read it all, and it's kind of scary. Do you still remember how much charcoal you used ?

 

[babouflo201223]

Yes on the tent. I'm going to be using a tent in my garage myself. Equipment? I have 3 chimney starters and 3 metal buckets to transfer the hot coals into. I also have a CO analyzer, which will tell me in PPM, the amount of CO in the tent. Nothing less than 10000 PPM will do. I'll be using RO 100% carbon lump charcoal. Also, I'll be sealing all the seams and flaps of the tent. I'll be doing several "dry runs" to make sure I can obtain the necessary CO level AND maintain it. I'll start with the 3 chimney starters full of charcoal and if it's not enough, I'll add another one. Also, need some bricks or something to set the hot bucket of coals on inside the tent. Charcoals get started outside the tent and when they're all glowing red, throwing an immense amount of heat, and emitting no smoke, that's when they're producing copious amount of invisible, odorless CO, and when they get moved into the tent. Then a period of time is given, maybe 20 minutes, to allow the CO to build up to a lethal level. AFTER all the preceding happens, THEN it is time to quickly enter the tent, holding your breath, and getting the flap closed quickly behind you. Once you take a few breaths, you should fall unconscious, as long as the level of CO is high, near or above 10000 PPM. Death will occur within minutes. The only problem in not having a CO analyzer is that you can't know for certain what the CO level truly is. CO has been used for decades, though, and with success, even without an analyzer. An analyzer just adds more assurance.

Isn't the immense amount of heat a big problem to enter into the tent ? (sorry for my bad english)

 

[esistzeit]

Hey, i read it all, and it's kind of scary. Do you still remember how much charcoal you used ?

2 full pans (maybe 1kg?) and it wasn't enough. But that is because I did it in my room. Since you will be doing in a tent you will need less. Though I do advise to not go easy on the charcoal; that was my biggest mistake.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

The suggested minimum acvording to a guide here is 0.135kg /cbm. I would take 4-5 times that amount of charcoal.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

2 full pans (maybe 1kg?) and it wasn't enough. But that is because I did it in my room. Since you will be doing in a tent you will need less. Though I do advise to not go easy on the charcoal; that was my biggest mistake.

Try again with two iron buckets using that tent trick trust me dude you won't mess up ! plus with the tent trick it goes fast so you won't have to sweat it out

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Isn't the immense amount of heat a big problem to enter into the tent ? (sorry for my bad english)

It's possible. If the level of CO is high enough, though, it should only be seconds that you'd have to deal with the heat. Or, you could do it in colder whether where it would be easier to take the heat.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

It's possible. If the level of CO is high enough, though, it should only be seconds that you'd have to deal with the heat. Or, you could do it in colder whether where it would be easier to take the heat.

According to your expertise what would you estimate the success rate to be % for this attempt considering that the tent needs to be opened to enter : 4 iron buckets filled with burning charcoal (1kg in each bucket) for 1 hour inside the tent and after 1 hour open it to go inside and quickly close it

 

[locked*n*loaded]

According to your expertise what would you estimate the success rate to be % for this attempt considering that the tent needs to be opened to enter : 4 iron buckets filled with burning charcoal (1kg in each bucket) for 1 hour inside the tent and after 1 hour open it to go inside and quickly close it

Ok, first, I'm no expert and I don't even play one on TV.

Well, you ARE going to do SEVERAL "dry runs", are you not, by repeatedly practicing getting into the tent and sealing the flap behind you as quickly as you can until it's like a second nature thing to you, right?

Yeah, I say 4 kg is entirely adequate, assuming all the coals are burning well, with a nice red glow, throwing off a lot of heat, and producing no smoke, or an extremely small amount of smoke.

Not sure it will take an hour either way. Sort of just need to look at the coals and judge if they're ready. I don't think it will take anywhere near an hour for the tent to achieve maximum CO concentration (that the coals will produce. Seems that 2 hours total time, an hour outside and an hour inside, might be too much time and by the time one goes inside the tent, the coals would nearly be burnt out (and not producing nearly as much CO), so they wouldn't be able to keep up with the leakage, and there WILL be leakage. I would *think* that with coals at the peak of their burn cycle, that 20 minutes in a tent would be more than sufficient to reach peak CO level. But, keep in mind, I haven't done any testing (yet), and that really needs the results from a CO analyzer to know for certain.

 

[HadEnough44]

this might be a stupid question, but ive never researched this method, is smoke ever a factor? how do you avoid this? is this a "painless" way to go?

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

Ok, first, I'm no expert and I don't even play one on TV.

Well, you ARE going to do SEVERAL "dry runs", are you not, by repeatedly practicing getting into the tent and sealing the flap behind you as quickly as you can until it's like a second nature thing to you, right?

Yeah, I say 4 kg is entirely adequate, assuming all the coals are burning well, with a nice red glow, throwing off a lot of heat, and producing no smoke, or an extremely small amount of smoke.

Not sure it will take an hour either way. Sort of just need to look at the coals and judge if they're ready. I don't think it will take anywhere near an hour for the tent to achieve maximum CO concentration (that the coals will produce. Seems that 2 hours total time, an hour outside and an hour inside, might be too much time and by the time one goes inside the tent, the coals would nearly be burnt out (and not producing nearly as much CO), so they wouldn't be able to keep up with the leakage, and there WILL be leakage. I would *think* that with coals at the peak of their burn cycle, that 20 minutes in a tent would be more than sufficient to reach peak CO level. But, keep in mind, I haven't done any testing (yet), and that really needs the results from a CO analyzer to know for certain.

Hey, thanks a lot for your input, it's gonna help a bunch of people. Just two last things: what do you think about lighting the buckets inside the tent without taking them out (I'm thinking a lighter and some paper should do the trick) And how do we make sure nothing escapes from the tent? just closing it normally or should we tape the sides too?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Hey, thanks a lot for your input, it's gonna help a bunch of people. Just two last things: what do you think about lighting the buckets inside the tent without taking them out (I'm thinking a lighter and some paper should do the trick) And how do we make sure nothing escapes from the tent? just closing it normally or should we tape the sides too?

I plan on lighting the charcoal outside the tent. I don't see any benefit filling the tent with the smoke that the contaminants and impurities in the charcoal will produce before the charcoal reaches a high enough temperature to burn them off. Yeah, I plan on sealing everything as best I can. I doubt you can stop all leakage. The fabric itself will leak. The idea, really, is to generate CO at a faster rate than what is being lost. This is one of the main arguments for using a CO analyzer - to have assurance that the CO level is getting high enough despite any loss through the tent.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

I plan on lighting the charcoal outside the tent. I don't see any benefit filling the tent with the smoke that the contaminants and impurities in the charcoal will produce before the charcoal reaches a high enough temperature to burn them off. Yeah, I plan on sealing everything as best I can. I doubt you can stop all leakage. The fabric itself will leak. The idea, really, is to generate CO at a faster rate than what is being lost. This is one of the main arguments for using a CO analyzer - to have assurance that the CO level is getting high enough despite any loss through the tent.

The upside of lighting it up indoors and dealing with the smoke is for those who don't have a carbon monoxide detector. Yeah, it's not as nice, but it lowers the chances of messing up since the tent won't even get opened.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

The upside of lighting it up indoors and dealing with the smoke is for those who don't have a carbon monoxide detector. Yeah, it's not as nice, but it lowers the chances of messing up since the tent won't even get opened.

But, you wouldn't be gaining anything by doing that. The smoke is NOT the CO. The CO is an invisible, odorless gas that starts being produced in copious amounts when the coals start to burn at high heat, when they're glowing red, and when they are emitting no smoke. I don't even see the benefit of placing the coals in the tent as soon as you light them even without a CO analyzer. It's definitely a risk not knowing for certain the level of the CO in the tent. On the flip-side, people have been successfully using CO for CTB for a long time without a CO measuring device. Honestly, what should be the main concern is using enough charcoal, using the right type of charcoal, making sure the charcoals are burning as adequately and efficiently as described, and making sure the tent is as leak proof as possible. If you want to circumvent best known practices and light the coals inside the tent, if you see some benefit to it, that's your call.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

But, you wouldn't be gaining anything by doing that. The smoke is NOT the CO. The CO is an invisible, odorless gas that starts being produced in copious amounts when the coals start to burn at high heat, when they're glowing red, and when they are emitting no smoke. I don't even see the benefit of placing the coals in the tent as soon as you light them even without a CO analyzer. It's definitely a risk not knowing for certain the level of the CO in the tent. On the flip-side, people have been successfully using CO for CTB for a long time without a CO measuring device. Honestly, what should be the main concern is using enough charcoal, using the right type of charcoal, making sure the charcoals are burning as adequately and efficiently as described, and making sure the tent is as leak proof as possible. If you want to circumvent best known practices and light the coals inside the tent, if you see some benefit to it, that's your call.

The thing is with what you're suggesting once the smoke's gone, yeah, the charcoal does produce co but it's way less compared to the early stages of burning when there's a lot of smoke. And if someone wants to minimize the chances of messing up, it's better to do it indoors.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

The thing is with what you're suggesting once the smoke's gone, yeah, the charcoal does produce co but it's way less compared to the early stages of burning when there's a lot of smoke. And if someone wants to minimize the chances of messing up, it's better to do it indoors.

That is ENTIRELY incorrect. Where did you get this idea from? The MOST CO will start being produced AFTER the impurities burn off AND AFTER the PEAK TEMPERATURE that the coals can burn at are reached.

 

[tiredandafraid]

Yes on the tent. I'm going to be using a tent in my garage myself. Equipment? I have 3 chimney starters and 3 metal buckets to transfer the hot coals into. I also have a CO analyzer, which will tell me in PPM, the amount of CO in the tent. Nothing less than 10000 PPM will do. I'll be using RO 100% carbon lump charcoal. Also, I'll be sealing all the seams and flaps of the tent. I'll be doing several "dry runs" to make sure I can obtain the necessary CO level AND maintain it. I'll start with the 3 chimney starters full of charcoal and if it's not enough, I'll add another one. Also, need some bricks or something to set the hot bucket of coals on inside the tent. Charcoals get started outside the tent and when they're all glowing red, throwing an immense amount of heat, and emitting no smoke, that's when they're producing copious amount of invisible, odorless CO, and when they get moved into the tent. Then a period of time is given, maybe 20 minutes, to allow the CO to build up to a lethal level. AFTER all the preceding happens, THEN it is time to quickly enter the tent, holding your breath, and getting the flap closed quickly behind you. Once you take a few breaths, you should fall unconscious, as long as the level of CO is high, near or above 10000 PPM. Death will occur within minutes. The only problem in not having a CO analyzer is that you can't know for certain what the CO level truly is. CO has been used for decades, though, and with success, even without an analyzer. An analyzer just adds more assurance.

What CO analyzer do you have? Having trouble finding one that measures 10000 PPM.

 

[hushpuppi-savastano]

That is ENTIRELY incorrect. Where did you get this idea from? The MOST CO will start being produced AFTER the impurities burn off AND AFTER the PEAK TEMPERATURE that the coals can burn at are reached.

Well listen i asked chatgpt (lol) and it confirmed it for me