Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: wfd.lt On: Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:57 am

Forgot to mention something...per Mass. law any electric CO detector must have battery backup; obviously for when the power goes out. So even if not mandated in your state, this is a good idea. As we know, coal burners have heat when the power lines go down, YESSSS! If anybody wants to look up the law, it's 527 CMR 31.00 if you can interpret legalese.
wfd.lt
New Member
 
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:46 am
Location: Mass.
Stove/Furnace Make: Hitzer
Stove/Furnace Model: 503

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Richard S. On: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:27 am

wfd.lt wrote:As we know, coal burners have heat when the power lines go down, YESSSS!


Only if you're using a hand-fired stove. The stokers which seem to be more popular require electricity to run.
"Hey, Homer, I'm worried about the beer supply. After
this case, and the other case, there's only one case left."
Barney from the Simpsons
User avatar
Richard S.
Member
 
Posts: 4365
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 8:35 pm
Location: NEPA
Stove/Furnace Make: Van Wert
Stove/Furnace Model: VA-1200

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: coalkirk On: Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:42 am

wfd.lt wrote:Forgot to mention something...per Mass. law any electric CO detector must have battery backup; obviously for when the power goes out. So even if not mandated in your state, this is a good idea. As we know, coal burners have heat when the power lines go down, YESSSS! If anybody wants to look up the law, it's 527 CMR 31.00 if you can interpret legalese.


Hard wired electric with battery backup smoke detectors have been required in new construction in Maryland for many years. As of Jan. 1 2008, CO detectors are also required. Should have been done years ago.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. Winston Churchill

Burning rice coal in a Harman VF3000 stoker boiler, nut coal in two hand fired Jotul 507s.
User avatar
coalkirk
Member
 
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 8:12 pm
Location: Forest Hill MD
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman
Stove/Furnace Model: VF-3000 stoker boiler

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: beatle78 On: Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:33 am

Does anyone have any recommendations for CO detectors?

I want to get some good ones for my house.
beatle78
Member
 
Posts: 656
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 1:46 pm
Location: Rhode Island
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman Magnum (SOLD!)
Stove/Furnace Model: Keystoker KA-4 (ARRIVED!)

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Rick 386 On: Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:35 pm

Beatle,

I like the Kidde Nighthawk due to the digital readout it gives. It lets you know when a problem is developing before it gets to critical stage and the alarm goes off.

There was a lot of good info in this entire thread.



Rick
Master of "Trial and Error."
Rick 386
Member
 
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:26 pm
Location: Pottstown, Pa
Stove/Furnace Make: Home-AA 260
Stove/Furnace Model: Work - LL HyfireII

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Adamiscold On: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:22 am

Rick that's type that we use. Had one digital one installed when we bought the house but someone during construction knocked it off the wall and broke it :oops2: Who knew they were so sensitive? :doh: After the fall when ever I put the battery in it would just go off, so a new one was needed. I wanted the digital read out becuase I really wanted to see how bad things were when the alarm went off. The nighthawk was and is the only model I have found in the store with a digital readout, it plugs in and uses a battery as a backup.
Adam

http://www.homepower.com <-- Great magazine.
Adamiscold
Member
 
Posts: 809
Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:09 am
Location: Winchendon,Ma
Stove/Furnace Make: Leisure Line
Stove/Furnace Model: Pioneer

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Yanche On: Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:50 pm

In a private e-mail to another forum member I wrote the following,

"I like the American Sensors product line. I like them because they use what's known as a three terminal sensor. Any CO detector is only as good as the sensor element that measures the gas concentration. The detector element has an electrolyte, a chemical that changes when gas molecules are present. This chemical evaporates with time and the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. The American Sensor brand sensor has a way with the third terminal to sense the deterioration and compensate for it. Others brands may have this also but I haven't been able to get any technical details to verify it. Over years (5-7) of use all brands American Sensors included need to be replaced. Expensive units used by fire departments have replaceable sensors. The home market units do not. The entire unit must be replaced."

Please note this is a technical opinion of the basic CO detector sensor element, not the overall unit. All CO detectors for sale will have some kind of CO detector sensor plus additional electronics, microprocessor, display, alarm, etc. integrated with the sensor. It's not easy to find out for a specific product what the basic sensor is. The American Sensors web site is not very good and it's unclear if the same product is sold under another name in the USA. I don't have time to research a source. I encourage some forum member to do so and post the results.

If someone is interested in the sensor technical details, data sheets, electronic schematics, etc. send me a private e-mail.
Yanche
Alternate Heating Systems S-130
Stoker Boiler burning Anthracite Pea Coal
User avatar
Yanche
Site Moderator
 
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: Sykesville, Maryland
Stove/Furnace Make: Alternate Heating Systems, Inc
Stove/Furnace Model: S-130 Boiler burning pea coal

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Freddy On: Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:01 pm

I found Nighthwak 120V, battery backup for about $35. I got two of those and also a couple battery powered cheapies as back ups.

I'm about to put my coal boiler in my garage and pipe the heat in. I plan on making a permanant sign for the hall closet stating that the house is connected to the garage by said pipe. I heard a story of two old houses that were unknowingly piped together. One was covered with a tent to gas termites. The people in the other house were sickened.
Orrington, Maine
Fred
User avatar
Freddy
Member
 
Posts: 1567
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 2:54 pm
Location: Orrington, Maine
Stove/Furnace Make: Axeman Anderson up and running
Stove/Furnace Model: 130

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Adamiscold On: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:30 am

Great point Freddy!
Adam

http://www.homepower.com <-- Great magazine.
Adamiscold
Member
 
Posts: 809
Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:09 am
Location: Winchendon,Ma
Stove/Furnace Make: Leisure Line
Stove/Furnace Model: Pioneer

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Yanche On: Sun Sep 14, 2008 2:11 am

There is a highly technical article titled "Carbon Monoxide Dispersion in Residential Buildings: Literature Review and Technical Analysis." published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology at:

http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build ... b96087.pdf
Yanche
Alternate Heating Systems S-130
Stoker Boiler burning Anthracite Pea Coal
User avatar
Yanche
Site Moderator
 
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: Sykesville, Maryland
Stove/Furnace Make: Alternate Heating Systems, Inc
Stove/Furnace Model: S-130 Boiler burning pea coal

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Devil505 On: Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:56 am

beatle78 wrote:Does anyone have any recommendations for CO detectors?

I want to get some good ones for my house.


Consumer Report always rates the Nighthawks (by Kidde) well. Get one with a numeric digital readout though!
(& have at least 2 in your home)
War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
Devil505
Member
 
Posts: 4657
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman
Stove/Furnace Model: TLC-2000

Do You Have One?

PostBy: Wood'nCoal On: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:46 pm

Now is the time to get one, windows are closing and fires are being lit...just a gentle reminder...
NighthawkCOAlarm.jpg
(30.92 KiB) Viewed 46 times
View: New PagePopup
Heating our 175 year old farmhouse with a Harman Magnafire Mark I & a Alaska Kast Console heating DHW.
Gentleman Janitor #672 Boiler under restoration. Andes kitchen stove waiting also.
"Post pictures...we love pictures"
User avatar
Wood'nCoal
Member
 
Posts: 2862
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:48 pm
Location: Stillwater, NJ
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman/Alaska/GJ Boiler
Stove/Furnace Model: Magnafire Mark I/Kast Console

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Devil505 On: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:00 pm

Wood'nCoal wrote:Now is the time to get one, windows are closing and fires are being lit...just a gentle reminder...


That's one of the 2 I have also John. Plugs in with a 9volt battery backup. Nighthawk (Kidde) is well rated by consumer reports too.
War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
Devil505
Member
 
Posts: 4657
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman
Stove/Furnace Model: TLC-2000

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Wood'nCoal On: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:05 pm

I moved my old one to the cellar, this one resides in an outlet just above a heating duct grille. The old one is over 7 years old, Nighthawk, I'll replace that one next. I wanted to get a new one with a readout now that the windows are closed and I'll be lighting the Harman before you know it!
Heating our 175 year old farmhouse with a Harman Magnafire Mark I & a Alaska Kast Console heating DHW.
Gentleman Janitor #672 Boiler under restoration. Andes kitchen stove waiting also.
"Post pictures...we love pictures"
User avatar
Wood'nCoal
Member
 
Posts: 2862
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:48 pm
Location: Stillwater, NJ
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman/Alaska/GJ Boiler
Stove/Furnace Model: Magnafire Mark I/Kast Console

Re: Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

PostBy: Devil505 On: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:09 pm

When I had my old Dutchwest Federal stove I would get low readings all the time, & have to open the ash door to clear the CO from leaking out. In the few years I've had the TLC, even with a weak draft & low fires, the CO detectors have never left their pegs at ZERO.
War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
Devil505
Member
 
Posts: 4657
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts
Stove/Furnace Make: Harman
Stove/Furnace Model: TLC-2000

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests