I guess this is a PSA. Something I was not aware of.
Today I was out of the house for 1 hour and sure enough wife calls me and tells me the CO detector is chirping. She already has the windows open but I tell her that doesn’t sound like an alarm, it sounds like the battery needs replacement. She replaces the battery but it keeps chirping. I come home and with the help of Mr Google I learn the follwing.
CO detectors are designed to last about 8 years, but they have a built in clock that generates an "End of Life" warning after 7 years of operation. With our Kidde brand CO detector, the "End of Life" warning is a short "chirp" every 30 seconds and an "err" message on the LED indicator. When I press another button I get an E09 code which identifies the "End of Life" warning.
Well, here is the kicker: Once you get that “End of Life” warning, the CO detector no longer detects CO, so you are now unprotected. If you get it late at night, you are unprotected until you get a new one. I am very serious about CO danger and dont like being without even for one night. I take one with me when I travel and stay in a hotel, so I am using that one tonight and will pick up a new one tomorrow or the next day.
I had no idea these things were scheduled to die suddenly and without warning in a way that requires immediate replacement of the unit. (not just the battery)
Ours started chirping 5 chirps at a time last summer. D went on the interweb and found out that 4 chirps means “working OK”, 5 chirps meant “replace me”. Who knew?
WI state law required them a few years before we moved. Good idea with a gas furnace, hot water heater and fireplace. Was a chemistry major, then physician. The above about the detector using up the chemical is what I had read. We needed one on each level so I got one that gives a number level for the basement and put two more basic models on the two living floors. That way a low level would register before toxic levels sounded the alarm.
I can’t figure out a source for CO in this house- all electric stuff and we never use the wood burning fireplace so I haven’t found a use for one. The garage will have CO- and is closed off from the house. Likewise when we travel I don’t see how CO would be a problem. If there’s a fire the heat and smoke detectors would go off.
It is more important to keep CO producing equipment in good repair than to rely on monitors. Do not panic if your CO monitor needs replacing and you get to it in a few days. Do be sure to have a gas furnace inspected every year.
Smoke and fire detectors also have a lifespan unrelated to batteries. Better check the age of those as well. Hardwired ones may not need the same battery replacement and can be forgotten. At least ten years. Fire extinguishers likewise are not rated past so many years so we got a new one for here and still have the old one left behind. I bet the old one can be used along with the newer one.
Upset over the prospect of possibly being without a CO detector for part of one night? Life is never 100% risk free and worrying over that sort of infinitesimal risk is foolish. In any case, I suspect the info about the lifespan of the detector and the warning sound was in the original packaging, and OP could have replaced the unit after 6 years to avoid the problem altogether…
We just replaced smoke and CO detectors and the packaging said they expire after a given number of years. Didn’t used to be that way, but we got some that don’t require battery replacement and are not hardwired into the electrical system, so it makes sense. They are not terribly expensive considering what they are worth if something goes wrong.
Igloo, at our house, testing occurs whenever my DH fries a hamburger on the stove. Wish he’d just go out and use the darned grill!
You can test a smoke detector by lighting a candle, letting it burn for a minute or so, and then snuffing the candle out directly under the smoke detector.
There has been a big legal case in the UK relating to a situation where two children died in their Greek holiday villa because of a CO leak. So I don’t think taking the CO alarm on vacation with you is paranoia. In alien accommodation you don’t know where a CO source might be.
Google “carbon monoxide hotel deaths Boone NC” Three people died from CO emitted from a pool water heater outside a motel room. The first two deaths involved an elderly couple and there was no suspicion of CO poisoning. It was not until an 11 year old child died later in the same room that the cause on death was discovered.
There’s a class action lawsuit brewing against car manufacturers with keyless ignition systems, because people have walked away from their cars either forgetting to turn the car off or assuming it will shut off automatically once the fob leaves the car. The house fills with CO, and deaths have occurred.
Having trouble understanding the angst in this thread. You really can’t believe that the detectors would last forever, do you? If not, they will stop – sometime. Isn’t it better that they alert you when they go bad? If you don’t want to lose a night of sleep, swap them out before their due date – every 8 years, for example, for a 10 year warranty.
As for smoke detectors, I just swap them out every 10 years. Electronics wear out; they get dusty.
Incendtally, in you are that worried about CO, make sure to have your furnace checked in the fall for cracks in the burner-thingy.
BTW, I discovered that our carbon monoxide/smoke detector had disappeared when the house was renovated so we got a new one. S2 just had a little presentation from the fire safety guy at work who said that the best place for a carbon monoxide detector was near the floor near the head of your bed. I suspect for smoke ceiling locations are still good. Since NYS law requires SD in bedrooms and CM and smoke detectors in the hall outside bedrooms it might make sense to install the hall detector down low.
Funny - I almost started a thread myself last week. Our CO detector is probably 10-15 years old. Last year with a house full of company, it went off. We snuffed candles and opened windows. Last week it went off again… ha, including one couple that was here last time. We bought a new one (it reads 0 ppm). but we kept the old one too just to experiment.
Buy a Nest Protect smoke detector. The app on your phone will tell you the status of the device. And if you have the nest thermostat, the protect , if it detects CO, will tell the thermostat to turn off the heat! Love ours! We have 2. https://nest.com/blog/2015/06/17/meet-the-new-nest-protect/ Some insurance companies offer discounts if you have a nest protect. And it (the device/ the phone app) will notify you of the status of your wifi connection, the battery, etc. You can get a battery operated one or a hard wired one. They are easy to install. It sends status reports to your phone. Love it!