CO alarm

 
Bubbalowe
Member
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri. Sep. 08, 2017 12:54 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
Baseburners & Antiques: Grodin Petite
Other Heating: electric radiators until used boiler hook up

Post by Bubbalowe » Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 5:04 pm

So what is everyone using for carbon monoxide alarm? Have battery powered smoke alarm from wood stove but need to upgrade. Not going to hard wire for 110 volts, battery only.


 
rberq
Member
Posts: 6442
Joined: Mon. Apr. 16, 2007 9:34 pm
Location: Central Maine
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1300 with hopper
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Anthracite Nut
Other Heating: Oil hot water radiators (fuel oil); propane

Post by rberq » Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 6:28 pm

I have two Kidde Nighthawk CO alarms. See link below. Each plugs into an outlet and has a battery backup in case the power goes off. One sits about three feet from my pillow, and the other in the room with the stove, about 20 feet from it. We have few power outages so the backup battery lasts a very long time.

In some remodeling work, the electrician was required by code to install two hard-wired combination smoke and CO alarms. I think that's really stupid, because come on, when that alarm wakes me up at night, am I supposed to stagger around bleary-eyed and figure out whether it's fire or CO??? If it's fire, get out quick. If it's CO, open up all the windows and figure out what the problem is, don't just run out into the snow drifts in your bedroom slippers and birthday suit. Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to go to Amazon now and order straight smoke alarms to replace those combinations.

https://www.amazon.com/Nighthawk-Operated-Monoxid ... 0700&psc=1

 
User avatar
StokerDon
Site Moderator
Posts: 7484
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 6:48 pm

rberq wrote:
Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 6:28 pm
I think that's really stupid, because come on, when that alarm wakes me up at night, am I supposed to stagger around bleary-eyed and figure out whether it's fire or CO???
Not only that, by the time the CO gets all the way up to the detector, you will have been breathing it for a while!

-Don

 
User avatar
coalkirk
Member
Posts: 5185
Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
Location: Forest Hill MD
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal

Post by coalkirk » Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 7:12 pm

rberq wrote:
Tue. Oct. 16, 2018 6:28 pm
I have two Kidde Nighthawk CO alarms. See link below. Each plugs into an outlet and has a battery backup in case the power goes off. One sits about three feet from my pillow, and the other in the room with the stove, about 20 feet from it. We have few power outages so the backup battery lasts a very long time.

In some remodeling work, the electrician was required by code to install two hard-wired combination smoke and CO alarms. I think that's really stupid, because come on, when that alarm wakes me up at night, am I supposed to stagger around bleary-eyed and figure out whether it's fire or CO??? If it's fire, get out quick. If it's CO, open up all the windows and figure out what the problem is, don't just run out into the snow drifts in your bedroom slippers and birthday suit. Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to go to Amazon now and order straight smoke alarms to replace those combinations.

https://www.amazon.com/Nighthawk-Operated-Monoxid ... 0700&psc=1
The combination smoke and CO alarms have unique beeps for smoke or CO. The smoke is the regular slow beep-beep that we are all used to hearing. The CO is a fast beep. It's very distinguishable from the smoke beep. Many of them also talk.

And to the original poster of this thread, it's CO, not CO2. CO2 is what we exhale and what makes beer happy.

 
Bubbalowe
Member
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri. Sep. 08, 2017 12:54 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
Baseburners & Antiques: Grodin Petite
Other Heating: electric radiators until used boiler hook up

Post by Bubbalowe » Wed. Oct. 17, 2018 11:51 am

Thank you.

 
nickdearing88
Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu. Nov. 23, 2017 3:11 pm
Location: NW PA
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS AquaGem 1100
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak bulk pea/nut
Other Heating: LP Boiler

Post by nickdearing88 » Wed. Oct. 17, 2018 12:18 pm

My last round of smoke/CO that talked used to go off randomly for no reason. All the sudden they scare the sh!t out of you and say smoke 0ppm CO 0ppm. Then once I reset them, they are fine again for a few months.

If the Nighthawk doesn't do this, I'll replace mine gladly!

 
User avatar
Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14652
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Thu. Oct. 18, 2018 5:00 pm

I like these. We have one upstairs and one on the first floor. Battery powered with PPM digital readout. They haven't ever sounded without having a reason to.

Attachments

20181018_165250.jpg
.JPG | 258KB | 20181018_165250.jpg
20181018_165238.jpg
.JPG | 226.4KB | 20181018_165238.jpg


 
Bubbalowe
Member
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri. Sep. 08, 2017 12:54 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
Baseburners & Antiques: Grodin Petite
Other Heating: electric radiators until used boiler hook up

Post by Bubbalowe » Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 1:30 pm

October fire prevention month sales still on at Home Depot etc. Going for Nighthawk with LED ppm screen, will be nice to know if CO is present before needing to evacuate in middle of night.
Thanks

 
titleist1
Member
Posts: 5226
Joined: Wed. Nov. 14, 2007 4:06 pm

Post by titleist1 » Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 7:28 pm

Ordered two kidde Nighthawks while online shopping they got here today. Two for $58. The mfg date on them is 12/17 so they are a year old already. I am not sure how that compares with stock in stores.

 
rberq
Member
Posts: 6442
Joined: Mon. Apr. 16, 2007 9:34 pm
Location: Central Maine
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1300 with hopper
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Anthracite Nut
Other Heating: Oil hot water radiators (fuel oil); propane

Post by rberq » Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 7:47 pm

titleist1 wrote:
Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 7:28 pm
Ordered two kidde Nighthawks while online shopping they got here today. Two for $58. The mfg date on them is 12/17 so they are a year old already. I am not sure how that compares with stock in stores.
I think current alarms will tell you when they have reached the magic age when they are no longer deemed reliable. The manual for my alarm says it is 5 years from installation (when power is applied???), and that the malfunction alarm sequence will beep at that point.

 
titleist1
Member
Posts: 5226
Joined: Wed. Nov. 14, 2007 4:06 pm

Post by titleist1 » Sat. Oct. 20, 2018 7:38 am

rberq wrote:
Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 7:47 pm
I think current alarms will tell you when they have reached the magic age when they are no longer deemed reliable. The manual for my alarm says it is 5 years from installation (when power is applied???), and that the malfunction alarm sequence will beep at that point.
The Nighthawk i had in the workshop gave that end of life error code about a month ago. I installed it in 2010. I have a few in the house that the in service dates are staggered by a couple years and I replace them when they hit 5 years. I move the replaced ones from the house to the workshop to finish out their days.

 
nickdearing88
Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu. Nov. 23, 2017 3:11 pm
Location: NW PA
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS AquaGem 1100
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak bulk pea/nut
Other Heating: LP Boiler

Post by nickdearing88 » Sat. Oct. 20, 2018 4:52 pm

@lightning Great thanks for the suggestion!

 
User avatar
carver012
New Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon. Aug. 20, 2018 10:58 pm
Location: Germansville Pa
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigiliant 2 2310
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: Electric

Post by carver012 » Sun. Oct. 21, 2018 12:02 am

2 nighthawk (Ac plug in/battery backup) digital CO detectors along with hardwired (battery backup) smoke alarms. The first Co detector is on what i call the burning floor with the stove and the other is upstairs.

 
Bubbalowe
Member
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri. Sep. 08, 2017 12:54 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
Baseburners & Antiques: Grodin Petite
Other Heating: electric radiators until used boiler hook up

Post by Bubbalowe » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 12:18 pm

Lightning wrote:
Thu. Oct. 18, 2018 5:00 pm
I like these. We have one upstairs and one on the first floor. Battery powered with PPM digital readout. They haven't ever sounded without having a reason to.
These are the double packs on sale at Home Depot for fire prevention month and the ones I got. Set one near stove to see if it will read when re-filling but so far only a chirp and stays on 0.

 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10128
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 12:41 pm

Never test a CO sensor by placing in a strong concentration like a open stove or stove pipe...High concentrations of CO will contaminate the delicate sensor and effect it's accuracy forever after.
Likewise holding sensor at the tailpipe of a automobile will render same.

All CO test and alarm devices have a integral "TEST" Button for proof of work ability.


Post Reply

Return to “Coal Bins, Chimneys, CO Detectors & Thermostats”