I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

In article , wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Keep a window open.

Switch one of the detectors that's reading 10 with the one that's reading 0
and see what happens. If the one that's reading 0 in the basement starts
reading 10 in the kitchen, call the fire department NOW.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

CO has no odor but with no combustion (that may have an odor) it is hard to
say what the problem is. You fire department will have detectors that can
check things out for you. Better to feel a little silly if nothing is wrong
than to be DEAD right. They won't mind coming out on a service call now
rather than a rescue call at 3 AM.

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Call your local fire department. They will be happy to come out and
check. They like people who buy and use safety equipment. They really
don't like finding dead bodies. They can check it out for you and offer
suggestions if needed.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

I would call the fire dept unless the one that reads zero continues to do so
when moved to the spot that the other one reads 10. They do have a limited
lifetime though in any case. So do you.


"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Have you read the directions?

On mine, it says that furnaces, fireplaces, and even street traffic can be
detected by these detectors.

A reading of 10 is very low.

Just for the sake of discussion, what is the threshold level? The level at
which you should be concerned? What did it say in the directions?

Steve

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:48:05 GMT, Phisherman wrote:


I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

keep in mind that CO is odorless.

If you like your braincells alive and healthy, don't spend another night there
until you solve the situation.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Move the basement detector to the kitchen and see if it reads 10 or go buy a
new one, try it and return it if the old ones are not found to be defective.

Once the Nighthawk has a reading, it
holds it as the peak.
It must be manually reset. So, you
really don't know when the
reading of 10 occurred. I might have
been months ago. .
I just went through this. Check your
manual and find out how to
reset .... I don't remember now. The
manual also states what readings
might be ok and the possible causes. If
you don't have the manual,
let me know and I will dig up mine.

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

"Replace CO Alarms Every 5 Years
Carbon monoxide alarms are valuable lifesaving devices that, when used
and maintained properly, are effective at detecting carbon monoxide in
the home before it reaches lethal levels. Kidde recommends that you
replace your carbon monoxide alarm every 5 years from the date of
manufacture in order to upgrade to more advanced carbon monoxide
sensing technologies and new innovative safety features. All UL-listed
carbon monoxide alarms are required to publish the date of manufacture
on the label accompanying the product (usually on the back of the
alarm). Kidde also recommends testing carbon monoxide alarms monthly to
ensure they are in proper working order and that batteries are still
fresh. It is also important to have home appliances checked annually by
a qualified technician.
Carbon monoxide alarms are designed to activate in accordance with UL
Standard 2034. Individuals with medical problems or those believing
they may be susceptible to lower carbon monoxide levels may consider
purchasing a warning device which alarms at lower levels of carbon
monoxide than those specified by UL Standard 2034. "
so it says at:
http://www.kiddeus.com/Replace+CO+Alarms.shtml

Jim Shortz wrote:
"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Move the basement detector to the kitchen and see if it reads 10 or go buy a
new one, try it and return it if the old ones are not found to be defective.

I guess we found the cheap skate that buys things, uses them, then
returns them, so the rest of us can pay higher prices.

buffalobill wrote:
"Replace CO Alarms Every 5 Years
Carbon monoxide alarms are valuable lifesaving devices that, when used
and maintained properly, are effective at detecting carbon monoxide in
the home before it reaches lethal levels. Kidde recommends that you
replace your carbon monoxide alarm every 5 years from the date of
manufacture in order to upgrade to more advanced carbon monoxide
sensing technologies and new innovative safety features.

That's a very interesting way of putting it. I had always heard that
these detectors have a limited life because of the sensors in them, not
because the manufacturer wanted to sell something new. If it's true
that the existing ones have a limited service life for a valid reason,
you think the manufacturer would have sense enough to just say that,
instead of this BS. I could make that same statement about my furnace
or dishwasher, yet we all know they last a long time.







All UL-listed
carbon monoxide alarms are required to publish the date of manufacture
on the label accompanying the product (usually on the back of the
alarm). Kidde also recommends testing carbon monoxide alarms monthly to
ensure they are in proper working order and that batteries are still
fresh. It is also important to have home appliances checked annually by
a qualified technician.
Carbon monoxide alarms are designed to activate in accordance with UL
Standard 2034. Individuals with medical problems or those believing
they may be susceptible to lower carbon monoxide levels may consider
purchasing a warning device which alarms at lower levels of carbon
monoxide than those specified by UL Standard 2034. "
so it says at:
http://www.kiddeus.com/Replace+CO+Alarms.shtml

wrote in message
oups.com...

Jim Shortz wrote:
"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Move the basement detector to the kitchen and see if it reads 10 or go
buy a
new one, try it and return it if the old ones are not found to be
defective.

I guess we found the cheap skate that buys things, uses them, then
returns them, so the rest of us can pay higher prices.

I doubt a half hour of use a on a retuurned CO detector would strap your
finances too badly.

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Read the instruction of the detector to see what "10" means, and what
the instruction recommends you to do. If the instruction says that it
is a dangerous level, trust it and call Fire Department and stay out of
your house.

My family (including me) almost died of carbon monoxide because I
didn't trust the detector and spend too much time playing detective
(trying to find out the source of the CO, and trying to see if the
detector was defective or not). I was much better off trusting the
detector and let the Fire Department to figure out what went wrong.
Turned out a squirrel got stuck in the chimney and blocked the vent of
the water heater. My family and I are all fine; but the squirrel of
course was dead, and my ego was not intact either.

Jay Chan

Phisherman wrote:

I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?


I have a Nighthawk, and it drifts up to about 7 or 8 occasionally
(sometimes 9) for no apparent reason. Even with the windows open.
Resetting it doesn't help. Eventually, it settles back down to zero.
The detector works great when there actually is a CO problem (trying to
light a cold wood stove, or one big smoldering ember in the stove which
then start backdrafting.) I think it just loses it's zero calibration.

10 is a high enough reading to almost start being a little concerned.
Almost. HTH :-)

Best regards,
Bob

wrote

I guess we found the cheap skate that buys things, uses them, then
returns them, so the rest of us can pay higher prices.


Like you never did it.

A person who tells you he's honest will probably lie to you about other
things, too.

Mark Twain or Will Rogers

Steve

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Read your manual. It doesn't mean anything and
the detector can't detect a reading that low, so
10 is the same as 0. Mine read 10 for a while,
went bonkers when the power went off, I replaced
the battery (it ran down rather fast with the
power off). Reads 0 all the time now. When you
unplugged the thing did you take the battery out?
If not, you need to and also replace the battery.

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

zxcvbob wrote:
Phisherman wrote:

I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?



I have a Nighthawk, and it drifts up to about 7 or 8 occasionally
(sometimes 9) for no apparent reason. Even with the windows open.
Resetting it doesn't help. Eventually, it settles back down to zero.
The detector works great when there actually is a CO problem (trying to
light a cold wood stove, or one big smoldering ember in the stove which
then start backdrafting.) I think it just loses it's zero calibration.

10 is a high enough reading to almost start being a little concerned.
Almost. HTH :-)

Best regards,
Bob

Nonsense. A reading of 10 has no meaning and many
CO units can't detect anything under 25. Let the
guy read is manual. No alarm is even sent unless
the reading gets above 50 for a long period. A
peak reading doesn't even begin until above 10. A
reading of 10 has no meaning, except that the unit
may have malfunctioned.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Phisherman" wrote in message

Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?


CO has no odor but with no combustion (that may have an odor) it is hard to
say what the problem is. You fire department will have detectors that can
check things out for you. Better to feel a little silly if nothing is wrong
than to be DEAD right. They won't mind coming out on a service call now
rather than a rescue call at 3 AM.


Better to read the manual, then one wouldn't have
to feel silly.

People in a rational household don't die of CO
poisoning. Those that die are in cars, campers,
motorhomes, and tents doing stupid things without
ventilation, or simply trying to kill themselves,
and people in homes that have done something
extremely stupid like bringing a hibachi into the
living room to stay warm or cook something.

Chronic CO poisoning is a bit different but your
CO detector may be useless for detecting that.

George E. Cawthon wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:

Phisherman wrote:

I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the
past 48 hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached
garage, but neither car has been running for the past 14 hours.
I decided to turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple
hours and open four windows. There was no change in the readings.
I then unplugged them, plugged them back in, and waited an hour.
The readings of "10" returned. Since there is no combustion I"m
wondering where the detectors are picking up the CO? There are
no noticeable odors in the house, even after being outdoors for 2
to 3 hours. Any ideas?




I have a Nighthawk, and it drifts up to about 7 or 8 occasionally
(sometimes 9) for no apparent reason. Even with the windows open.
Resetting it doesn't help. Eventually, it settles back down to
zero. The detector works great when there actually is a CO problem
(trying to light a cold wood stove, or one big smoldering ember in
the stove which then start backdrafting.) I think it just loses
it's zero calibration.

10 is a high enough reading to almost start being a little
concerned. Almost. HTH :-)

Best regards, Bob


Nonsense. A reading of 10 has no meaning and many CO units can't
detect anything under 25.

What's the nonsense part? My CO detector is meaningful at about 11 or
so. It also doesn't give peak readings; if I smoke up the basement, the
CO reading goes up (15, or 20-something if it's really smoky) and then
drops as I air it out. I told him not to worry about it, OTOH long-term
exposure to low levels of CO, while not dangerous, can still cause
malaise and flu-like symptoms.

Let the guy read is manual. No alarm is even sent unless the reading
gets above 50 for a long period. A peak reading doesn't even begin
until above 10. A reading of 10 has no meaning, except that the unit
may have malfunctioned.


BTW, the one time my detector went off and there actually was a
dangerous level of CO, there was no smoky smell at all. CO was over 100
and rising rapidly.

Regards,
Bob

Update...
I read the manual and called the manufacturer. The units that are
showing 10ppm need to be replaced. The tech said to believe the new
unit which reads zero. I've moved the new unit around the house and
next to the others and it always stays at "0" even next to a unit
reading "10."

According to OSHA a CO concentration of up to 50ppm for an 8-hour
period is okay for a healthy individual. A concentration of 200ppm
will cause nausea, headache, fatigue. A concentration of 800ppm will
cause death in 2-3 hours. I know that when CO2 is present there is
also a (much) smaller amount of CO present, both are
colorless/odorless gases.

FYI: Common sources of CO include:
Gas appliances not properly ventilated
Using an oven for heating the house
Using a propane or charcoal grill indoors
Running a gasoline engine in an enclosed or partially-enclosed area
Leaving a house door open to a garage that has a vehicle running

I appreciate all your responses and encourage everyone to have a CO
detector in addition to a smoke detector on all levels of your home.


On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:48:05 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
Update...
I read the manual and called the manufacturer. The units that are
showing 10ppm need to be replaced. The tech said to believe the new
unit which reads zero. I've moved the new unit around the house and
next to the others and it always stays at "0" even next to a unit
reading "10."

According to OSHA a CO concentration of up to 50ppm for an 8-hour
period is okay for a healthy individual. A concentration of 200ppm
will cause nausea, headache, fatigue. A concentration of 800ppm will
cause death in 2-3 hours. I know that when CO2 is present there is
also a (much) smaller amount of CO present, both are
colorless/odorless gases.

FYI: Common sources of CO include:
Gas appliances not properly ventilated
Using an oven for heating the house
Using a propane or charcoal grill indoors
Running a gasoline engine in an enclosed or partially-enclosed area
Leaving a house door open to a garage that has a vehicle running

I appreciate all your responses and encourage everyone to have a CO
detector in addition to a smoke detector on all levels of your home.

Amazing what one can learn by RTFM, isn't it?

And yes, it is a good idea to have CO detectors.

BUT, get the ones that have the digital readouts. The other ones that
scream only when the levels are high aren't as good. You might have levels
low enough to give you headaches, but not low enough to set the alarm off.
Or, it goes off after you have gone unconscious.

I have always pushed people towards the digital units.

It's your life. Spend a few extra bucks. A family of four we knew died
after moving a generator into their garage. No one has a clue as to what
they were thinking, but they're just as dead. (Happened in Las Vegas about
a year ago.)

A CO detector, even the cheapo variety would have saved their lives.

Steve

Steve B wrote:
"Phisherman" wrote in message
...

Update...
I read the manual and called the manufacturer. The units that are
showing 10ppm need to be replaced. The tech said to believe the new
unit which reads zero. I've moved the new unit around the house and
next to the others and it always stays at "0" even next to a unit
reading "10."

According to OSHA a CO concentration of up to 50ppm for an 8-hour
period is okay for a healthy individual. A concentration of 200ppm
will cause nausea, headache, fatigue. A concentration of 800ppm will
cause death in 2-3 hours. I know that when CO2 is present there is
also a (much) smaller amount of CO present, both are
colorless/odorless gases.

FYI: Common sources of CO include:
Gas appliances not properly ventilated
Using an oven for heating the house
Using a propane or charcoal grill indoors
Running a gasoline engine in an enclosed or partially-enclosed area
Leaving a house door open to a garage that has a vehicle running

I appreciate all your responses and encourage everyone to have a CO
detector in addition to a smoke detector on all levels of your home.


Amazing what one can learn by RTFM, isn't it?

And yes, it is a good idea to have CO detectors.

BUT, get the ones that have the digital readouts. The other ones that
scream only when the levels are high aren't as good. You might have levels
low enough to give you headaches, but not low enough to set the alarm off.
Or, it goes off after you have gone unconscious.

I have always pushed people towards the digital units.

It's your life. Spend a few extra bucks. A family of four we knew died
after moving a generator into their garage. No one has a clue as to what
they were thinking, but they're just as dead. (Happened in Las Vegas about
a year ago.)

A CO detector, even the cheapo variety would have saved their lives.

Steve

a bird caused a similar scare at my neighbor's and they caught it
promptly because they are the worrying kind. i guess we just buy these
alarm devices and think we are smarter than they are. thanks for your
chilling and informative post.

cdc says:
"Protect Your Family from a Silent Killer
Take steps now to protect your family from the unseen danger of carbon
monoxide. Install a carbon monoxide detector in your house, and plan to
check its battery every time you check your smoke detector batteries.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless. If it builds up in your home
it can cause illness or even death-more than 500 Americans are killed
by carbon monoxide poisoning every year. Any heater that burns fuel,
such as your furnace, gas water heater, or a portable butane or gas
heater, can leak carbon monoxide and should be inspected every year.
In addition to having a working carbon monoxide detector in your house,
you should never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't
vented properly, never heat your house with a gas oven, and never run a
generator in an enclosed space (like your basement) or outside a window
where the exhaust could blow indoors, even if the power goes out.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
When you're driving, don't warm your car up in a closed garage. If
your garage is attached to your house, close the door to the house even
if you open the garage door while you warm up the car. And when it
snows, be sure to clear any snow out of your car's tailpipe-if the
pipe is blocked exhaust can back up inside your car.
For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning, go to:"
http://www.cdc.gov/co/default.htm

Phisherman wrote:
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?


As has been said;

1. 10 is very low
2. the detector holds its peak reading. You need to reset it to see
what the current reading is.
3. I have attached garage. If I back in, the detector immediately goes
through the roof as its in the basement just beneath where the garage
butts the house. So if this is your case, pay attention to your cars
and dont run them with garage door open.

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

"dnoyeB" wrote

So if this is your case, pay attention to your cars
and dont run them with garage door open.

--
Thank you,

Huh?

buffalobill wrote:
a bird caused a similar scare at my neighbor's and they caught it
promptly because they are the worrying kind. i guess we just buy these
alarm devices and think we are smarter than they are. thanks for your
chilling and informative post.

"Chilly" is the right way to describe it. I have the exact feeling
when I think about this.

My relative was with my two kids in the basement (I was wasting time
playing detective at that time, and I told them it had to be a false
alarm and I changed the detector, not to worry..., and then I went to
work). She felt a slight headache, and had a feeling of wanting to lie
down to sleep. Good thing she didn't! Instead, she and the kids went
upstair and slept in her room upstair. Otherwise, I would have three
dead bodies in the basement, and I would blame myself for the rest of
my life.

I really hope that the person who started this thread will check the
manual and see what "10" means and follow the suggestion in the manual
to the letters.

Jay Chan

Stick one of those that read 10 outside for awhile. If it still reads
10, it's probably defective. If not, you better get some help. If
all the appliances are shut off, I sure dont see where the CO would be
coming from.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:48:05 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 02:06:32 GMT, "Art"
wrote:

I would call the fire dept unless the one that reads zero continues to do so
when moved to the spot that the other one reads 10. They do have a limited
lifetime though in any case. So do you.


You mean YOU dont have a lifetime warranty?


"Phisherman" wrote in message
.. .
I have three Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide detectors. One in the
basement, one in the kitchen and one in an upstairs bedroom. The
kitchen and bedroom detectors have been showing "10" for the past 48
hours (the basement reads "0"). There is an attached garage, but
neither car has been running for the past 14 hours. I decided to
turn off the furnace and water heater for a couple hours and open four
windows. There was no change in the readings. I then unplugged them,
plugged them back in, and waited an hour. The readings of "10"
returned. Since there is no combustion I"m wondering where the
detectors are picking up the CO? There are no noticeable odors in the
house, even after being outdoors for 2 to 3 hours. Any ideas?

Steve B wrote:
"dnoyeB" wrote

So if this is your case, pay attention to your cars

and dont run them with garage door open.

--
Thank you,


Huh?



Your honor, I can not recall saying that.

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 12:12:59 -0600, wrote:

Stick one of those that read 10 outside for awhile. If it still reads
10, it's probably defective. If not, you better get some help. If
all the appliances are shut off, I sure dont see where the CO would be
coming from.


Thanks. That's a good idea. I have the feeling that two detectors
are needing replacements.