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.

 

[strawberry931]

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.

There was no damage to the car from the burning charcoal. There is a slight odor but it's not very strong and will probably air out over time or could be handled with an upholstery shampooing. It's worth noting that CO is odorless so as long as you let all the smoke die before putting into you car there will be very little odor from the burning charcoal. In fact, from my test and my attempt it was surprisingly clear and mostly odorless. You really could not tell there was 5000+ ppm CO in the air. To avoid heat damage to you car just make sure you place it in a good spot and handle heat using bricks like I have described in my setup.

 

[strawberry931]

After research it seems like charcoal briquets like Kingsford is actually the best to use for the purpose of CO production. I have looked into hardwood lump charcoal, Binchotan, and others and I have come to the conclusion to stick with Kingsford. It may not be the longest burning fuel but in terms of CO production it is pretty good. To increase the burn time I will be using 4 times the amount I used the first time.

I just ordered another bucket (14 quart this time) so now I will have two (a 12 quart and a 14 quart). I still plan on using foil over the buckets and this time I will use four times as much charcoal. 3 kg in each bucket. I'm a little concerned that the 12 quart might get smothered out. I will being doing one more test once my supplies are here. For this test I will allow it to run it's full course with the CO meter inside the car. The meter allows disabling the auto-shut off and I will be able to see it from outside the car. However the meter does max out at 5000 ppm and i don't know if damage will occur to the sensor if it has sustained levels higher than that (which I do expect the levels to go higher) so the results may not be reliable. However, if I see it stay maxed out for several hours I think I will be satisfied with the results. I expect the 3 kg to burn in the buckets for 3 to 4 hours, but what is important is the CO production during the course of those hours. Once I perform my test I will post my results here for you all to see. I'm hoping for good results because I really need this to work or I have to resort to another method which I'm honestly scared of. SN, hanging, jumping all sound terrifying to me. Hanging is a pretty reliable way, but is terrifying to me. SN sounds painful. Jumping is reliable if you have a good height to jump from (which I don't) and also sounds terrifying. With CO and the experience I just had, I can honestly say it would be a good way to go. I need this to work. Please pass me your hopes that this will work for me.

 

[Daphne]

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.

Yeah, I hope he stays with your sister. Also, can you time a welfare check text so the police find you so your son doesn't have to. That could be traumatic. Sorry whatever led to your CTB couldn't be resolved.

 

[strawberry931]

Yeah, I hope he stays with your sister. Also, can you time a welfare check text so the police find you so your son doesn't have to. That could be traumatic. Sorry whatever led to your CTB couldn't be resolved.

Thank you. You are right that he shouldn't have to find me like this. He didn't on this attempt. He simply called for a welfare check knowing I was in the garage all night. He didn't see me unconscious or being pulled from the vehicle. In fact, he didn't even visit me in the hospital the entire 3 weeks i was there. He didn't call my parents. They only got concerned because I was not answering my phone and then came to my house 5 hours after I was already in the hospital and that's when he finally told them. It's a long and sad story. I'm not comfortable going into details about my reasons for making this decision.

 

[tears and vomit]

What did the doctors/cops say? I'm surprised they didn't force you into some mental hospital like they almost did with me after my olanzapine overdose

 

[strawberry931]

What did the doctors/cops say? I'm surprised they didn't force you into some mental hospital like they almost did with me after my olanzapine overdose

They were trying to which is why I spend 3 weeks in the hospital. After the two weeks of recovery they were trying to get me into a state mental facility, but they didn't have any open beds for me. After the third week the hospital psychiatrist reevaluated me. He asked if I was still suicidal and obviously I said no and he allowed me to go home. I knew if I said yes I would just be there longer. Also I was just wasting a hospital bed at that point and I had to have someone watching me the entire time. I think they were happy to get me out of there.