I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

--
vi ....the heart of evil!

notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

On 2011-10-30, mike wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb

In article , mike
wrote:

notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

Me, too. Now if it had been the estate of notbob said it had appeared
not work properly.... (g).

--
People thought cybersex was a safe alternative,
until patients started presenting with sexually
acquired carpal tunnel syndrome.-Howard Berkowitz

On 2011-10-30, Kurt Ullman wrote:

Me, too. Now if it had been the estate of notbob said it had appeared
not work properly.... (g).

Cute!..... (if it wasn't so lame)

nb

notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb
Hi,
If I am not mistaken, it does not show real time CO count. There is a
threshold to change the display. Checked the manual? Or the one bought
is too old maybe. They suppose to last only like x years max.

On 10/30/2011 5:51 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:


notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb
Hi,
If I am not mistaken, it does not show real time CO count. There is a
threshold to change the display. Checked the manual? Or the one bought
is too old maybe. They suppose to last only like x years max.

As you noted I think most (all) home CO detectors are not instantaneous
read.

On 30 Oct 2011 20:22:53 GMT, notbob wrote:

I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

Here's where i say-- 'I know you can't recommend any brand, but what
did you put in your house, or your mom's?' A lot of times they'll
mumble something.

I'm not sure the one you have is broken-- but when you replace it,
one thing that is handy is a digital readout that can tell you what
the peak reading was. That way you know if it sounded off while
you were out, or if it is getting right below the 'alarm' level
frequently.

Jim
[I've only bought 3 or 4 & I've relied on a lot of reading of reviews
on Amazon & some consumer mags for recommendations.]

notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, mike wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not "properly
work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb
Well....
If you put it in a KNOWN CO-free environment for a day and it still
reads 30 after reset, take it back, it's busted. Even a crappy
CO detector should read zero when in a Zero CO environment.
A couple of dead lcd segments can turn that zero into a 3.

Everything I've seen on testing detectors says, "Don't test 'em on car
exhaust."
The OTHER stuff in car exhaust contaminates the element.

If your oven put out enough CO to register, you'd be dead.
40 years ago, we used open flame gas space heaters with zero
ventilation.

For most detectors, the sensor or the electronics attempts
to emulate the human response. It takes a while to register.
Shorter for higher concentration.

Detectors vary considerably in the coarseness of their readout.
3-digits does not necessarily get you 1ppm resolution.
I'd expect the readout to be conservative.
False alarms cost the vendor money/reputation. Dead users, not so much.

To answer your question,
I have a low-level sensing unit by COexperts www.coexperts.com

There's lots of info there.

According to them, they do not comply with UL requirements
because the requirements are unsafe. They use an electrochemical
sensor with real-time display plus a logging function. They claim
1ppm resolution and alarm at 7ppm.
Mine's never detected anything.

List price is $250. Have no idea the street price. Mine came for free
with an energy audit.

In article ,
notbob wrote:

I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

Consumer Reports has them rated this way:

First Alert OneLInk SCO501CN, interconnected, $70

First Alert OneLInk CO511B, interconnected, $85

First Alert CO615, stand alone, $40

Kidde Nighthawk KN-COPP-3, stand alone, $45

The top one is rated as a best buy. It detects CO2 and has
photoelectric smoke detection.
The third one is rated as a best buy for the stand alones.

On 10/30/2011 7:35 PM, mike wrote:
notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, mike wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not
"properly work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb
Well....
If you put it in a KNOWN CO-free environment for a day and it still
reads 30 after reset, take it back, it's busted. Even a crappy
CO detector should read zero when in a Zero CO environment.
A couple of dead lcd segments can turn that zero into a 3.

Everything I've seen on testing detectors says, "Don't test 'em on car
exhaust."
The OTHER stuff in car exhaust contaminates the element.

If your oven put out enough CO to register, you'd be dead.
40 years ago, we used open flame gas space heaters with zero
ventilation.

For most detectors, the sensor or the electronics attempts
to emulate the human response. It takes a while to register.
Shorter for higher concentration.

Detectors vary considerably in the coarseness of their readout.
3-digits does not necessarily get you 1ppm resolution.
I'd expect the readout to be conservative.
False alarms cost the vendor money/reputation. Dead users, not so much.

To answer your question,
I have a low-level sensing unit by COexperts www.coexperts.com

There's lots of info there.

According to them, they do not comply with UL requirements
because the requirements are unsafe. They use an electrochemical
sensor with real-time display plus a logging function. They claim
1ppm resolution and alarm at 7ppm.
Mine's never detected anything.

List price is $250. Have no idea the street price. Mine came for free
with an energy audit.

Good information. I had forgotten some of it.

The American Lung Association (or one of its local units) used to
recommend COexperts. Don't know if they still do.

Under the UL standard, if I remember right, displays don't show levels
lower than 30 ppm. and the alarm level is higher than what COexperts
use. The argument is that lower levels are safe (might not be if you
have some lung conditions) and that low alarm levels can cause false
calls to the fire department. If I remember right, some weather
conditions can keep air from rising and could cause low CO levels which
could result in massive calls to fire departments if detectors alarmed
at low levels.

If codes require CO detectors they may require detectors that meet UL or
equivalent standards.

When I was looking for a CO detector I read that Nighthawk sensor
elements were the best. I believe they are only available in Kiddie
detectors.

I bought a Kiddie Model KN-COPP-3. It will display CO levels starting at
30 ppm, but when the "recall" button is pressed it will display past
exposure down to 11 ppm. It was the only one I found (except for
COexperts) that displayed below 30 ppm.

I agree with Tony that the sensors have a limited life. Mine is rated 9
years. It will give a trouble signal at about that time.

--
bud--

On Oct 31, 7:52*am, bud-- wrote:
On 10/30/2011 7:35 PM, mike wrote:





notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, mike wrote:

I'd be interested to learn how you determined that it did not
"properly work"?

the readout never changed. put in oven, hold in car exhaust, reset,
whatever.... always read "30".

nb
Well....
If you put it in a KNOWN CO-free environment for a day and it still
reads 30 after reset, take it back, it's busted. Even a crappy
CO detector should read zero when in a Zero CO environment.
A couple of dead lcd segments can turn that zero into a 3.

Everything I've seen on testing detectors says, "Don't test 'em on car
exhaust."
The OTHER stuff in car exhaust contaminates the element.

If your oven put out enough CO to register, you'd be dead.
40 years ago, we used open flame gas space heaters with zero
ventilation.

For most detectors, the sensor or the electronics attempts
to emulate the human response. It takes a while to register.
Shorter for higher concentration.

Detectors vary considerably in the coarseness of their readout.
3-digits does not necessarily get you 1ppm resolution.
I'd expect the readout to be conservative.
False alarms cost the vendor money/reputation. Dead users, not so much.

To answer your question,
I have a low-level sensing unit by COexpertswww.coexperts.com

There's lots of info there.

According to them, they do not comply with UL requirements
because the requirements are unsafe. They use an electrochemical
sensor with real-time display plus a logging function. They claim
1ppm resolution and alarm at 7ppm.
Mine's never detected anything.

List price is $250. Have no idea the street price. Mine came for free
with an energy audit.

Good information. I had forgotten some of it.

The American Lung Association (or one of its local units) used to
recommend COexperts. Don't know if they still do.

Under the UL standard, if I remember right, displays don't show levels
lower than 30 ppm. and the alarm level is higher than what COexperts
use. The argument is that lower levels are safe (might not be if you
have some lung conditions) and that low alarm levels can cause false
calls to the fire department. If I remember right, some weather
conditions can keep air from rising and could cause low CO levels which
could result in massive calls to fire departments if detectors alarmed
at low levels.

If codes require CO detectors they may require detectors that meet UL or
equivalent standards.

When I was looking for a CO detector I read that Nighthawk sensor
elements were the best. I believe they are only available in Kiddie
detectors.

I bought a Kiddie Model KN-COPP-3. It will display CO levels starting at
30 ppm, but when the "recall" button is pressed it will display past
exposure down to 11 ppm. It was the only one I found (except for
COexperts) that displayed below 30 ppm.

I agree with Tony that the sensors have a limited life. Mine is rated 9
years. It will give a trouble signal at about that time.

--
bud--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hmm...time to change mine then. I wasn't aware that they had limited
service life.

Harry K

On 10/31/2011 8:55 AM, Harry K wrote:
On Oct 31, 7:52 am, wrote:

I agree with Tony that the sensors have a limited life. Mine is rated 9
years. It will give a trouble signal at about that time.


Hmm...time to change mine then. I wasn't aware that they had limited
service life.

Harry K

Should be in the instructions which I am sure you kept.

Or look online at the manufacturer site.

--
bud--

notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb


I bought a cheap one and got no immediate results, but it might just have a
time constant. Had no readout.

Greg

On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:00:17 +0000 (UTC), gregz
wrote:

notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.

I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb


I bought a cheap one and got no immediate results, but it might just have a
time constant. Had no readout.

Greg

I have 3 - all of them Kidde Nighthawks - and all working. The oldest
one uses a 9 volt battery for backup - the 2 newer ones have
rechargeable 8 volt Li-ion batteries

On Oct 31, 6:05*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:00:17 +0000 (UTC), gregz
wrote:





notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. *In short, it was
crap. *

I want one that will work. *I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. *But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

I bought a cheap one and got no immediate results, but it might just have a
time constant. Had no readout.

Greg

I have 3 - all of them Kidde Nighthawks - and all working. The oldest
one uses a 9 volt battery for backup - the 2 newer ones have
rechargeable 8 volt Li-ion batteries- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does an all-electric residential house that has no gas coming into the
house actually need a CO2 detector? If I read the paper correctly,
Colorado is requiring all new homes to have them, but not all new
homes have gas coming in.

Robin

I suspect that all electric house doesn't need CO detector.
But, then, I'm not smart enough to be a legislator. I've
only got AAS degree, and a bunch of fire protection courses.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"rlz" wrote in message
...

Does an all-electric residential house that has no gas
coming into the
house actually need a CO2 detector? If I read the paper
correctly,
Colorado is requiring all new homes to have them, but not
all new
homes have gas coming in.

Robin

On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:43:46 -0700 (PDT), rlz
wrote:

On Oct 31, 6:05Â*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:00:17 +0000 (UTC), gregz
wrote:





notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. Â*In short, it was
crap. Â*

I want one that will work. Â*I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. Â*But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.

I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.

nb

I bought a cheap one and got no immediate results, but it might just have a
time constant. Had no readout.

Greg

I have 3 - all of them Kidde Nighthawks - and all working. The oldest
one uses a 9 volt battery for backup - the 2 newer ones have
rechargeable 8 volt Li-ion batteries- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does an all-electric residential house that has no gas coming into the
house actually need a CO2 detector? If I read the paper correctly,
Colorado is requiring all new homes to have them, but not all new
homes have gas coming in.

Robin
Any home with either a fuel based appliance or attached garage SHOULD
have a CO detector. I have one on each floor - only gas furnace and
water heater, and no car in the garage for over 25 years.

Dean Hoffman wrote:

It detects CO2 and has
photoelectric smoke detection.

Why would he want to detect CO2?

The third one is rated as a best buy for the stand alones.



I would not use a combo unit as a replacement for smoke detectors, only
as a backup. Smoke detector mounting location is different than CO
detectors because of its weight. Always follow the manufacturers
instructions for mounting locations, its important.

If you have a monitored alarm system I highly suggest you have them
(your Alarm co.) install one that is monitored via the security system.
They will have better quality equipment. Make sure you have the
installer leave the cut-sheet behind (to double check he followed
instructions).

I can not recommend a brand/model of stand-alone detectors, but Kidde
has a great reputation.



--

"I don't like to discriminate against terrorists based on nationality.
If you declare war on the United States and you want to kill us,
We're going to kill you first, period."

October 19, 2011 - Ali Soufan (Colbert Report)

rlz wrote:
On Oct 31, 6:05 pm, wrote:
On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:00:17 +0000 (UTC), gregz
wrote:





notbob wrote:
I bought one and it appeared to not properly work. In short, it was
crap.
I want one that will work. I have contacted our local fire dept that
has agreed to test it, whichever brand it may be. But, it is forbidden
they recommend any specific brand.
I would like to hear any feedback, either pro or con, on this subject.
nb
I bought a cheap one and got no immediate results, but it might just have a
time constant. Had no readout.
Greg
I have 3 - all of them Kidde Nighthawks - and all working. The oldest
one uses a 9 volt battery for backup - the 2 newer ones have
rechargeable 8 volt Li-ion batteries- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does an all-electric residential house that has no gas coming into the
house actually need a CO2 detector? If I read the paper correctly,
Colorado is requiring all new homes to have them, but not all new
homes have gas coming in.

Robin
You'd have to call the local inspector to be sure.
People do stupid things, like run their propane heater or barbecue or
fireplace indoors or set things on fire in the oven.
Gas connection is not required for any of that.

On 2011-11-01, G Morgan wrote:

I can not recommend a brand/model of stand-alone detectors, but Kidde
has a great reputation.

The CO detector I bought, which never read anything other than 30, was
a Kidde. Even when placed in propane oven. Amazon feedback shows an
astonishing number of reviews claiming dead outta the box. BTW, I
read the instructions, and having worked as a technical writer, I know
exactly what they meant. They meant the unit didn't work!

nb

On 2011-10-30, notbob wrote:

I want one that will work.


Having read numerous reviews and info, I'm not encouraged. Most First
Alert and Kidde units appear to be junk. Some having as high as 43
one star ratings out of 142 reviews. I've read some hopefull feedback
about ProTech, despite very few reviews, but another issue has reared
its ugly head.

One poster here did touch on it, and that's the issue of sensor life.
One Amazon reviewer said Protech did not guarantee its units beyond
one year, despite it having a five year li-ion battery. Just how long
is the sensor life on a good product? If I'm gonna hafta spend $70
every year, I might as well pay for a $300 Fluke up front (meter, not
alarm), or do those die, too.

I think I'll be calling some mfrs, today.

nb

notbob wrote:

On 2011-11-01, G Morgan wrote:

I can not recommend a brand/model of stand-alone detectors, but Kidde
has a great reputation.

The CO detector I bought, which never read anything other than 30, was
a Kidde. Even when placed in propane oven. Amazon feedback shows an
astonishing number of reviews claiming dead outta the box. BTW, I
read the instructions, and having worked as a technical writer, I know
exactly what they meant. They meant the unit didn't work!


Heh, I should have added "YMMV" :-)

--

"I don't like to discriminate against terrorists based on nationality.
If you declare war on the United States and you want to kill us,
We're going to kill you first, period."

October 19, 2011 - Ali Soufan (Colbert Report)

notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, notbob wrote:

I want one that will work.


Having read numerous reviews and info, I'm not encouraged. Most First
Alert and Kidde units appear to be junk. Some having as high as 43
one star ratings out of 142 reviews. I've read some hopefull feedback
about ProTech, despite very few reviews, but another issue has reared
its ugly head.

One poster here did touch on it, and that's the issue of sensor life.
One Amazon reviewer said Protech did not guarantee its units beyond
one year, despite it having a five year li-ion battery. Just how long
is the sensor life on a good product? If I'm gonna hafta spend $70
every year, I might as well pay for a $300 Fluke up front (meter, not
alarm), or do those die, too.

I think I'll be calling some mfrs, today.

nb
http://www.coexperts.com/sensors.htm

mike wrote:
notbob wrote:
On 2011-10-30, notbob wrote:

I want one that will work.


Having read numerous reviews and info, I'm not encouraged. Most First
Alert and Kidde units appear to be junk. Some having as high as 43
one star ratings out of 142 reviews. I've read some hopefull feedback
about ProTech, despite very few reviews, but another issue has reared
its ugly head.
One poster here did touch on it, and that's the issue of sensor life.
One Amazon reviewer said Protech did not guarantee its units beyond
one year, despite it having a five year li-ion battery. Just how long
is the sensor life on a good product? If I'm gonna hafta spend $70
every year, I might as well pay for a $300 Fluke up front (meter, not
alarm), or do those die, too.
I think I'll be calling some mfrs, today.

nb
http://www.coexperts.com/sensors.htm
here's a better link
http://www.coexperts.com/warning.htm