8 replies to this topic

[greensky7]

Hey all,

 

I sleep in my car while it's running for my 30 minute break at lunch.  I always thought that sleeping in your car while it runs was okay so long as your car was outside.  But apparently not according to people I work with and a little bit of googling.  Is it okay to sleep in your car while its running if a window is cracked?  Is it worth it to invest in one of those CO2 meters for my car?  Or, should I just stop sleeping in my car while it runs altogether?

 

Does CO2 poisoning cause lasting damage or does it just temporarily give you dizziness, shortness of breath etc. (if it doesn't kill you).?

 

Regards,

 

Green

[Dolph]

Why do you leave the motor on while you sleep in your car in the first place???

[greensky7]

It's really cold this time of year and I like to have the heat on when taking my nap.

[Dolph]

Ah, OK. I forgot to check where you are from and suddenly can understand it.

As long as you don't put  a tube from your exhaust through that cracked window nothing will (and can) happen.

[niner]

The problem isn't CO2, it's CO.  (carbon monoxide).  But neither will be a problem if your exhaust system is in good shape and your car doesn't have holes in it.  Modern cars are so clean that even if you ran a hose from the exhaust pipe through a cracked window, it probably wouldn't kill you.  (Cars in poor working order or with defective catalytic converters are potentially harmful.)  Another consideration is that if the engine is cold, the first minute or two is significantly less clean until the catalyst heats up to its working temperature.

 

I don't have a problem sitting in my car with the windows up and engine on in the dead of winter.  I do it a lot.  Probably not for a half hour at a stretch, but I don't seem to have any negative effects from it.  It's not much different than being stuck in a traffic jam. 

[Raptor87]

AHAHHAAHAHHA! This thread is hilarious. Take a nap.... AHAHAHAHHA

[InquilineKea]

I'm not even most concerned about CO2 or CO... the effects of CO are mostly acute rather than chronic.. (unless you're repeatedly exposed to it)

 

it's the PAH's that i'd be concerned about..

Edited by InquilineKea, 22 December 2014 - 01:34 AM.

[niner]

PAH's are not a problem with modern cars, but that does bring up a point-- If your car happens to be diesel powered, then you really shouldn't idle it, unless it's a late model clean diesel.  Diesel exhaust is a genuine health hazard, less for the driver than the other people in the vicinity.  It contains submicron particulates that get deep into your lungs, beyond where cilia can get them out, and they leach PAH's and other carcinogenic and toxic compounds into the surrounding tissue. 

[Werper]

You also have to watch where you're parked-    You don't want your exhaust backed into a snowbank.