Who has a Carbon Monoxide detector in their house?

[305 380]

i have three of them and one of them just went off. i don't do this often since my daily driver pickup  has to sit in the driveway , but  i was warming up a car in the garage (with the garage door open) and the one in the entryway from the garage triggered . in 35 years of living here it's never happened before. glad i have them , now i need to get one in the garage

Edited December 4, 2020 by 305

[SylvanLakeWH 25,493]

Got three of them...

 

Haven’t tripped any yet.

[Achto 27,509]

I have 2 of them that I installed at the same time. One day both of them started going off with in about 10 min of each other. Freaked out !! Opened all the windows, took the detectors out side, couldn't get them to stop. When I finally removed the batteries I noticed the installation date that I had written on the inside of them, it was 5yrs & 1 day previous to this incident. Under the date that I had written in them was a notice that the unit expired after 5yrs. Apparently on the units I have an alarm goes off not stop on their expiration date. I even tried leaving the batteries out for a while and then reinstalling them, alarm still went off. Shut the widows, warmed the house back up & purchased 2 new detectors. Life back to normal.

 

Very good items to have in the house, but remember that most have an expiration date.

[WHX?? 48,791]

Dan is absolutely correct.. sensors normally go bad after two or three years for the cheap ones. 

In my business go on ALOT of calls fore CO alarms going off. Most times it's a faulty unit but can't be too careful as I have found some issues at times. 

Had a call the other day and a gal was charging her golf cart in an attached garage and that set them off. 

CO poisoning is nothing to mess around with so watch out for running tractors in enclosed spaces. I've caught more than one buzz running tractors in the shop! 

Edited December 4, 2020 by WHX24

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Had one in each room except kitchen, Firealarm with CO alarm combined in one system.

They be offered via our local firefighter Station and i liked the idea.

 

About 2 or 3 years ago one of my Modelaircraft Lipo‘s in the night begins a thermal runaway,

before nothing special was happen, not a crash, not an overcharge or even stress using

- the battery was 3 charging cycles inconspicuous.

It was a normally charge cycle i did before several times, but the LiPo’s are allway’s in a metalcase

with quick connectors connected to the charger.

 

Whilst Alarm occurs i shock woke up and see lot‘s of smoke, so i jumped into shack,

opened window and kick out the whole metal box with the smoking battery in it.

see first flames out of the box when i kicked them out.

 

After that i excanged all CO alarms to new one‘s and be sure thankfully they maybe safed my live.

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Tractorhead

[varosd 1,185]

As a Medico, I had a couple come in one night with dizzy headaches and red cheeks. They smelled like burnt fuel. They were using portable kerosene heater inside “ with a window open”

Danger close

i bought some new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with lithium batteries 

it’s you and your families life. Don’t skimp

[Kenneth R Cluley 515]

Have alarm in bedroom foyer due to using woodstove for heat. I ran numerous calls during my career, most false alarms but some genuine emergencies due to CO. Smoke detectors and CO alarms save lives. Tell people not to be frugal when life could be on line. Sad that so many fatalities occur from using generators, heaters etc in closed areas.

[953 nut 55,093]

5 hours ago, 305 said:

now i need to get one in the garage

I wouldn't put a CO detector in the garage, they are so sensitive that driving in and out of the garage with a breeze comin in would set them off. Smoke detector yes, CO no.

We built our house eight years ago and the building department required seven smoke/CO detectors and a smoke detector in the garage.

[johnnymag3 2,515]

a definate essential.....keep one near your boiler, or furnace ...also in the living space

Edited December 4, 2020 by johnnymag3

[rjg854 11,351]

I have a CO2 detector in the basement between the coal and fuel oil boilers. Smoke and CO2 detectors in the upstairs and big barn.

[Yossarian 208]

I had one but the constant beeping and blaring gave me a headache, so I threw it out.

 

Seriously though, with a propane furnace and a wood stove I have a few.  Now I'm thinking about adding more 

 

 

 

 

[ZXT 2,401]

I'm an electrician, and we always install at least one in a home that has a gas appliance/heater in it. Generally smoke detectors are required in bedrooms and hallways. Obviously you'd never put one in your kitchen or living room (as they're often connected to a kitchen). I've never put one in a garage, as they're really too sensitive (especially CO detectors) but I see no harm in having a smoke detector in a garage if you can stand tripping it on accident once in a while. 

 

[Kenneth R Cluley 515]

Smoke detector is only way I know supper is ready!

[WHNJ701 4,165]

6 hours ago, Achto said:

I have 2 of them that I installed at the same time. One day both of them started going off with in about 10 min of each other. Freaked out !! Opened all the windows, took the detectors out side, couldn't get them to stop. When I finally removed the batteries I noticed the installation date that I had written on the inside of them, it was 5yrs & 1 day previous to this incident. Under the date that I had written in them was a notice that the unit expired after 5yrs. Apparently on the units I have an alarm goes off not stop on their expiration date. I even tried leaving the batteries out for a while and then reinstalling them, alarm still went off. Shut the widows, warmed the house back up & purchased 2 new detectors. Life back to normal.

 

Very good items to have in the house, but remember that most have an expiration date.

At the old house ours did that about 2am in the summer, freaked us out us too, heat was shut off, no garage, nothing to trip.  Just an expired co2.  They should make countdown timer or some flashing light to warm you it's expiring

[formariz 11,987]

I have three of them part of central alarm system with ADT. If they get activated its an automatic immediate visit by police and fire department. I cannot even call that one off. They get sent immediately from ADT.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

4 hours ago, formariz said:

I have three of them part of central alarm system with ADT. If they get activated its an automatic immediate visit by police and fire department. I cannot even call that one off. They get sent immediately from ADT.

 

That‘s a great solution, even if you on a business trip and keep you house warm.

 

Mostly the safety on any system depends on some more things arround,

the CO- and Smokealarm‘s are sensefully Addons except in Kitchen - once the sensors aging faster and if you really cook,

the fatty moisture can fastening that aging and clogging the Sensor additionally.

 

I be also a certified person for LPG plumbings in RV.

I seen lot‘s of homemade LPG plumbings they look more like a try for a bomb than have to be identical with anything like a plumbing,

but important for this type of customer was a Gas Alarm, more than CO2 or Smokealarm.. 

and this repeats once and once more...

 

Several times i must disconnect the LPG line, because of such horribly installation‘s or fixes on the LPG plumbing.

From self fixing like in Red Green manner, up to fixed a pipe just with duct tape and few hose clamps on it on highpressure section

over installation just with Water tubes and T inside connected even without clamps.

 

sensefully they are definiteley, there is no doubt,

but also the envoirement must be in safe condition.

 

 

 

 

 

[prondzy 3,881]

18 hours ago, 305 said:

i have three of them and one of them just went off. i don't do this often since my daily driver pickup  has to sit in the driveway , but  i was warming up a car in the garage (with the garage door open) and the one in the entryway from the garage triggered . in 35 years of living here it's never happened before. glad i have them , now i need to get one in the garage

Garage not a good idea i had one in mine, if you fire up a car or small engine, the alarm will go off eveytime its running  its annoying.

[prondzy 3,881]

15 hours ago, WHX24 said:

Dan is absolutely correct.. sensors normally go bad after two or three years for the cheap ones. 

In my business go on ALOT of calls fore CO alarms going off. Most times it's a faulty unit but can't be too careful as I have found some issues at times. 

Had a call the other day and a gal was charging her golf cart in an attached garage and that set them off. 

CO poisoning is nothing to mess around with so watch out for running tractors in enclosed spaces. I've caught more than one buzz running tractors in the shop! 

Really Jim your blaming the buzz on the tractors??. 

[Zeek 2,286]

I had one as well when I lived in PA and had an oil burning furnace. It never went off, but I tested it now and then.

[WHX?? 48,791]

We are suppose to preach if you must warm up your car in a attached garage you are supposed to back it out. I have seen guys do this even to still have CO alarms them go off. 

What happens in a tight house is when Ken is getting his breakfast burned his missus turns the stove hood on to clear the smoke out. That hood has to draw air from somewhere where ....yep you guessed it ...that big ol garage with the car running in it. Even with the overhead open and just the right breeze. Then Ken goes to take a pee and turns on the properly vented bath fan. Double whammy. Then Mrs Ken lights off the vented dryer....triple... Then the furnace takes off and that natural draft water heater doesn't know what to do with its flue gas.  Negative pressures in a tight house these days is a hot topic in my trade.