"But something else I was pondering. Why are there so many rods for arc welding but not different wire (except for size) for mig on ferrous material."
Good question, there probably is more different kinds of stick rods, but at the shipyard theres, 70s, 100s solid wire, 71t, 101tm flux core, SS and SS to steel flux core, SS and SS to steel solid wire, then aluminum wire, copper nickel wire, so that's about ten different kinds of pulse/mig wire. With stick there are all position rods and then theres flat only rods and on and on, so there might be more kind of stick rods.
When testing a CO detector, couldn't that be done with a running car in a garage, preferably when your on the outside.