Failed CO Using Charcoal and Car

[strawberry931]

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.

 

[Off_Switch]

Sigh...I guess I have to find a new method then. A lot more complicated than it seems. Thanks for sharing and saving others the potential frustration.

 

[strawberry931]

I wouldn't say it's complicated and I kind of rushed it due to the pain I was in. I most likely would have CTB if I was found a little bit later. I think the main thing to take from this is that you should use more charcoal than you think you need and probably a charcoal that burns for longer. I can say that there was no pain at all. I went unconscious very quickly which may have helped me survive. So another thing to learn from this is don't wait for the CO to build up before entering and maybe don't take meds that slow your breathing. Get in as soon as you put the coals in and take deep breaths the entire time while you are conscious. The concentration rises so quickly that you'll likely not have any other symptoms before passing out. I guess you can call it peaceful, but it was really just nothing. Out like being under anesthesia. I only realized it was peaceful after I woke up in the hospital.

 

[homeboundcripple]

I wouldn't say it's complicated and I kind of rushed it due to the pain I was in. I most likely would have CTB if I was found a little bit later. I think the main thing to take from this is that you should use more charcoal than you think you need and probably a charcoal that burns for longer. I can say that there was no pain at all. I went unconscious very quickly which may have helped me survive. So another thing to learn from this is don't wait for the CO to build up before entering and maybe don't take meds that slow your breathing. Get in as soon as you put the coals in and take deep breaths the entire time while you are conscious. The concentration rises so quickly that you'll likely not have any other symptoms before passing out. I guess you can call it peaceful, but it was really just nothing. Out like being under anesthesia. I only realized it was peaceful after I woke up in the hospital.

Thanks for the feedback! Did you experience any unpleasant side effects, with headaches, dizziness, nausea, before you passed out?"

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

Where did you park?
Who called in the rescue?
Did you seal doors and vents?

 

[strawberry931]

I did not experience any unpleasant side effects prior to passing out. I had planned to mess with the radio while waiting, but I did not have time to do anything besides get in the car. I was out very quickly. Within minutes or less based on what I can remember.

Where did you park? In my garage
Who called in the rescue? My son called when he woke up which was around 10:45 AM
Did you seal doors and vents? I did seal the vents with duct tape but not the doors. I plan to seal better next time, but mainly will use more and longer burning charcoal.

 

[Dejected 55]

Just a guess, but it sounds like you needed more charcoal... and also, I'd recommend not using a sedative to go to sleep. You do breathe less when asleep. I think the smarter play is being awake and aware when you enter the environment, so that you are taking normal deep breaths and filling your lungs with CO... it is the bonding of the CO to your blood that ultimately does the trick... so shallow, infrequent breathing while asleep is going to make the process take longer.

That said... if you are doing this in a house where other people are present... you not only risk being interrupted, especially now that your activity is on their radar... you run the risk of exposing them to danger as well when they find you. Just a thought or two.

 

[homeboundcripple]

Just a guess, but it sounds like you needed more charcoal... and also, I'd recommend not using a sedative to go to sleep. You do breathe less when asleep. I think the smarter play is being awake and aware when you enter the environment, so that you are taking normal deep breaths and filling your lungs with CO... it is the bonding of the CO to your blood that ultimately does the trick... so shallow, infrequent breathing while asleep is going to make the process take longer.

That said... if you are doing this in a house where other people are present... you not only risk being interrupted, especially now that your activity is on their radar... you run the risk of exposing them to danger as well when they find you. Just a thought or two.

what's your thoughts on being drunk doing this method?

 

[Dejected 55]

what's your thoughts on being drunk doing this method?

I don't drink, so I can't say. Just from a general scientific theory point of view... it feels like to me anything you put into you has the potential to interfere with the process. I am considering CO myself, and originally thought about staying up all night for a day or so before, to make myself fall asleep quicker... but the more I thought about it, the more I reasoned it might be counterproductive to not be fully conscious and taking in CO. If done correctly, my understanding is that you should pass out fairly quickly, but that will be different than going to sleep because you will be passing out due to the body starving for oxygen.

I don't know how or if alcohol might interfere. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

 

[homeboundcripple]

I did not experience any unpleasant side effects prior to passing out. I had planned to mess with the radio while waiting, but I did not have time to do anything besides get in the car. I was out very quickly. Within minutes or less based on what I can remember.

Where did you park? In my garage
Who called in the rescue? My son called when he woke up which was around 10:45 AM
Did you seal doors and vents? I did seal the vents with duct tape but not the doors. I plan to seal better next time, but mainly will use more and longer burning charcoal.

This is very reassuring. You've got this next time. I take it they measured your carboxyhemoglobin levels?

 

[Daphne]

I knew a few people who went out that way. One ran his car in a closed garage and the other lit a barbecue in his rig. Then there's Sylvia Plath. Surprised more people don't die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

[strawberry931]

what's your thoughts on being drunk doing this method?

My opinion is to not take any central nervous system suppressants. This includes alcohol and benzos. The reason is that it slows your central nervous system which means your body requires less oxygen and you will breath more slowly. However, if you think you might fail then these might be a good thing as putting your body in a state that requires less oxygen will mean less damage.

This is very reassuring. You've got this next time. I take it they measured your carboxyhemoglobin levels?

Yes, by the time I got to the hospital (over 7 hours after I got into the car) I was at 30%. This could mean that before the charcoal burned out I was somewhere between 60% and 70% which from my understanding is very dangerous. Since I was still unconscious after the 7 hours it's likely that I would have CTB if i was found only an hour or two later. I plan to do a more thorough test so I can measure the CO concentration over time including after the coals are extinguished. I hope you are right about next time. I plan to use more charcoal. I wish I could figure out a way to start a second batch after 1 or 2 hours, but that will be impossible because I will be unconscious.

Just a guess, but it sounds like you needed more charcoal... and also, I'd recommend not using a sedative to go to sleep. You do breathe less when asleep. I think the smarter play is being awake and aware when you enter the environment, so that you are taking normal deep breaths and filling your lungs with CO... it is the bonding of the CO to your blood that ultimately does the trick... so shallow, infrequent breathing while asleep is going to make the process take longer.

That said... if you are doing this in a house where other people are present... you not only risk being interrupted, especially now that your activity is on their radar... you run the risk of exposing them to danger as well when they find you. Just a thought or two.

You are right. I needed more charcoal and it would be better to have longer burning charcoal. One should get into the vehicle as soon as the coals are put in and breathe as heavily as possible until they pass out. You also breathe less while unconscious so you want to get as much in your system as you can before you pass out. Unless you are sure you have 10,000 ppm that can last for at least 45 minutes then you should get in the car and breathe as much as possible even while the concentration is low. This might induce the other symptoms like headache and nausea, but that won't be a big deal because after 15 minutes the concentration will be so high that you will pass out quickly. Also you are right that you should not take any other substances that could make you drowsy or pass out more quickly as the goal is to breathe as much as possible and when you take alcohol or benzos your breathing is reduced significantly.
I am not doing this inside a house. It's in a car that is inside a detached garage.

 

[Daphne]

I did not experience any unpleasant side effects prior to passing out. I had planned to mess with the radio while waiting, but I did not have time to do anything besides get in the car. I was out very quickly. Within minutes or less based on what I can remember.

Where did you park? In my garage
Who called in the rescue? My son called when he woke up which was around 10:45 AM
Did you seal doors and vents? I did seal the vents with duct tape but not the doors. I plan to seal better next time, but mainly will use more and longer burning charcoal.

How will you NOT be found next time

 

[strawberry931]

How will you NOT be found next time

My son is an adult and he just got a job, finally. I will try to do around his work schedule which is 5 AM to 3 PM. That's 10 hours minus prep time plus his commute time so with the additional charcoal and time I am confident it will work this time. I'm also trying to get him to stay somewhere else for a few weeks. My sister would allow that. I would need him gone for weeks so he wouldn't know when it's being done. That's the option I'm trying to get setup.

 

[auto138491]

This is helpful Thank you. This is my preferred method also and all information helps.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

can you say what kind of charcoal , brand if possible , type brand of other equipment like buckets etc. ?

i think tests need to be done to see how long the 5000 ppm lasts in the car . the co level will drop because of air leaks . sealing with tape would help but it will still leak some .

and look at the co table for estimated times .

 

[strawberry931]

can you say what kind of charcoal , brand if possible , type brand of other equipment like buckets etc. ?

i think tests need to be done to see how long the 5000 ppm lasts in the car . the co level will drop because of air leaks . sealing with tape would help but it will still leak some .

and look at the co table for estimated times .

I used Kingsford briquets, a Kingsford chimney starter (holds about 1.5 kg), and a 12 quart galvanized steel bucket.
I plan on doing a more thorough test soon and will post my results here. However, I may not have the proper supplies as I am having trouble obtaining them since I lost access to my Amz account. The meter was taken by the police for some reason. Maybe because I had it in the car with me at the time. I'm trying really hard to get another one and other supplies. I need another phone so I can setup a new Amz account.

 

[BradGuy123]

Thank you for sharing this story. Was there any damage to the car? By that I mean colored stains or lingering smells. I am asking because if I have to CTB some day and survive such an attempt I wonder if there will be lasting effects to my car.