carbon monoxide detector question

[firefighterjake]

i'm really struggling with this co thing It really is pretty simple . . . every CO detector out there has to pass muster with UL or FM testing. Just make sure you get one that has been tested by one of these labs . . . the seal should be right on the box.
[/b][/i].

UL/FM doesn't mean the units aren't mass produced and that each one has been tested. You can have all the UL listing in the world but there are still a certain amount of just about all electrical components that will arrive DOA or that will die when first powered up. It's a mathmatical certainty with controls components (a very small percentage, but still there). No manfucturing process is perfect.

I think your best bet for "sleeping well at night" is to have two sensors in your house. Buy two of the cheaper units as opposed to one higher end unit and sleep well. If one goes off you'll always have the other to use to validate....

No argument here . . . obviously these things can come from the factory flawed (although I would suspect and hope there is some type of quality control on the manufacturing line) . . . the point I was trying to make is that it really shouldn't be a difficult decision when it comes to buying a CO detector . . . simply get one that has been tested and approved by an independent lab vs. potentially buying a unit that has not been tested (which I honestly suspect would be rare to find these days unless it's some cheap import.)

I also agree with you . . . my own feeling is that one CO detector is better than none . . . and two is better than one . . . so buy what you can afford . . . and if money was an issue and I wanted to be as safe as possible I too would agree with the idea of two cheaper units may be better than one more expensive unit with more fancy doo-dads -- as stated the digital read out is nice, but unnecessary most of the time.

 

[Gooserider]

I find that I do occasionally get less than alarm level readings (would love to figure out why, but suspect it may be smoke spill when loading) and I wish the units would tell you that easily, but... My BRK / First Alert hardwires tell you what the highest reading was as part of their test routine, but that also means a lot of noise and distraction. (Not to mention needing to REACH the test button).. Rather than do that, I also have a free standing NightHawk in the living room near the stove, which will give me a peak reading without all the noise. As a final backup, I have a cheapo AC only unit that doesn't do numeric readouts plugged in to an outlet in our bedroom.

Gooserider

 

[Czech]

As far as testing a CO goes, is there anything wrong with running them on battery and taking them for a walk by the running vehicle exhaust in the driveway? This is what I do if I'm concerned, and then once a year at the begining of the heating season.

 

[Gooserider]

As far as testing a CO goes, is there anything wrong with running them on battery and taking them for a walk by the running vehicle exhaust in the driveway? This is what I do if I'm concerned, and then once a year at the begining of the heating season.

Not sure it would work very well... For better or worse, modern cars have fairly low CO emissions... The other problem is that the detectors do a time / level equation, and have to see a certain level of CO for a given length of time before they will alarm. (it is a ratio thing, the higher the level, the shorter the exposure time needed to alarm) The meters that do a "Highest peak" reading w/o alarming might detect a peak, but I don't know how long that would take, or what the minimum exposure would be...

Gooserider

 

[velvetfoot]

Goose, this is the BRK CO I ordered but didn't receive yet.
Is it a later model than yours?
It looks like the peak is more accessible than yours.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q6L5KC

 

[Czech]

Goose, I have a Kidde as mentioned way above in this thread. The one in my basement will go off if I run the car in the garage with the garage door open, butt end out of course. If the entrance door in the attached garage is opened (i.e. kids coming out to get in the car), the CO across the room in the basement will often alarm. Although it is a pia to back the car way out and then go in and attend to the alarm, it makes me feel good that I know it is working. Very low reading of course, but the thing is sensitive for sure. To the OP, don't feel bad, did the same thing! I was hot because this happened right when the thing was new too! Drove me batty!

 

[Gooserider]

Goose, this is the BRK CO I ordered but didn't receive yet.
Is it a later model than yours?
It looks like the peak is more accessible than yours.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q6L5KC

Judging by the picture, yours is quite different from mine - I don't have a display for starters... Looking at the Amzon link, I see that yours is a straight CO alarm, mine is a combined CO / Smoke. It is sort of like the SC9120B that Amazon offers as an alternative, except that the LED arrangement on the cover is different... Mine doesn't have a model # that I can read from the floor... The other thing is that while mine came in a BRK box, it is marked as a 1st Alert... I actually had a bit of trouble with a couple of the first batch I bought, which were the first ones of that model off the production line, and they sent me the ones I have now as replacements.

(It was a really annoying situation, we had a MA code requirement that went into effect before anyone offered a product that met the regulation, as I was trying to get the VC stove installed and approved. I was told the ones I have were in the UL testing process, and had to wait for them to be sent to the local vendor - I actually had the first ones the local Fire inspector had seen, as he didn't know they were available yet!)

Gooserider

 

[velvetfoot]

As far as smokes, I wound up getting BRK photo/ion combos because Kidde had a recall of ~94,000 units and they estimated 1/2010 before the units hit the stores again!