Hmm, CO detector just went off...

[Black]

kap wrote:
I'd call a gas company. We had a gas leak but couldn't figure where the problem was. The gas man came out the next day morning. the range was not completely turned off and its pilot was off.

Call the gas company.

[mikebw]

Black wrote:
[quote=kap]
I'd call a gas company. We had a gas leak but couldn't figure where the problem was. The gas man came out the next day morning. the range was not completely turned off and its pilot was off.

Call the gas company.
Purple monkey dishwasher.

[pqrst]

Silly idea I know... but what does the alarm manufacturer's instructions say to do? They probably have info about the recovery time after alarm goes off, battery life, suggestions for how often to replace battery and whole unit. I had a normal smoke alarm, that went off and after checking the instructions it turned out that after six years the unit would be unreliable.

[kap]

pqrst wrote:
Silly idea I know... but what does the alarm manufacturer's instructions say to do? They probably have info about the recovery time after alarm goes off, battery life, suggestions for how often to replace battery and whole unit. I had a normal smoke alarm, that went off and after checking the instructions it turned out that after six years the unit would be unreliable.

Good info!

[testcase]

CO alarm sounds, CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MOVE EVERYBODY OUTSIDE. Advise the 911 (or other dispatcher what action you're taking).

Several years ago KIDDE had a batch of defective CO detectors. A large housing development had installed these units. The local volunteer FD had 100 or more false alarms, many in the middle of the night. After the third false alarm, I was surprised that somebody didn't sue the builder and KIDDE. The FD alays responded though (poor guys).

[pqrst]

Update I just bought a first alert co alarm. The packaging says to replace the alarm after five years.

[kap]

Our CO alarm went berserk this past Sunday. I opened all doors and windows which I always do when I get home from work just to air out our duplex unit, which doesn't have much air circulation anyhow. Called the gas co. The tech spent nearly one hour to thoroughly check every gas appliance. I replaced the battery on the CO device. Not so sure why but this device sucks battery juice dry every 6 months! This is a three year unit. We also have a backup without the read-out screen. Is the smoke and CO alarm combo a good device to have?

[pqrst]

And while we're on the issue of safety equipment, my C.E.R.T. fireman trainer told my class the surprising statistic that 1 out of 10 fire extinguishers doesn't function properly out of the box (no ryhme or reason to which ones), so he recommends getting two. And that the powder types needed to be inverted once a month to prevent caking of the powder and possible malfunction. He also recommended that you completely replace the unit at least every 7-10 years, no matter how nice it looks or what the gauge says.

[kap]

pqrst wrote:
And while we're on the issue of safety equipment, my C.E.R.T. fireman trainer told my class the surprising statistic that 1 out of 10 fire extinguishers doesn't function properly out of the box (no ryhme or reason to which ones), so he recommends getting two. And that the powder types needed to be inverted once a month to prevent caking of the powder and possible malfunction. He also recommended that you completely replace the unit at least every 7-10 years, no matter how nice it looks or what the gauge says.

Good info. Thanks!