Carbon Monoxide Detector SAFETY WARNING

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 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.

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.

Does anyone have any recommendations for CO detectors?

I want to get some good ones for my house.

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

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 Who knew they were so sensitive? 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.

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.

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.

Great point Freddy!

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

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)

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

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.

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!

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.