Smoke/ C02 alarms

[Flight102C3]

I need some info about types and placment.

[JackConrad]

Smoke and CO (not CO2) alarms should be installed close to ceiling.  LP alarms should be installed near the floor. Try to not install smoke alarms near cooking area to avoid false alarms.  What other information ar you looking for?  Jack

[Flight102C3]

Do thay make combo unit??  thanks 102

[belfert]

They make combo units, but be warned that co detectors have a 7 year life span and smoke detectors a 10 year life span.

I have combo units in my house and they actually shut down after 7 years from first power on.  (It is annoying at $45 or $50 each and I have six of them in my house.)

[cody]

Mine were very annoying with the alarms constantly going off, I finally pulled the batteries and now their fine lol

[NJT 5573]

Cody,

Thats not funny, put the batterys back in!

I did that once in my house and later found out the detectors were right and that I had a real big problem. It gets old responding to them as well, but they only gotta be right once to save your life.

We just buried an aunt in Portland Or. who burned to death. She lived 5 days before they took her off life support. Tough way to go.

[gumpy]

I bought the 12v RV co detector. I got so many false alarms I finally disconnected it. I thought it was the insulation off-gassing, but never could figure it out. Wasn't CO because there wasn't anything combusting.

I had battery powered smoke detectors in, but I never remember to batteries in them.

Haven't found a reliable CO detector I can use. I tried my house 120V unit in the bus, and it would go off, too. I think the battery gas was setting them off when I bulk charged the batteries.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I have a battery operated  detector made by  the Quantum Group Inc. , Costar model P-1  that is about the size of a cigarette pack. Don't remember where i got it or what i paid for it, but i like it.

[cody]

NJT, I even had one ringing while it was sitting on the picnic table outside in the yard, there was nothing around it, nothing burning, no reason for it at all, when I opened the boxes, I thought cool, now we're safe, I put batteries in them and wow, did my life change.  They are evil, they know when I'm in the bathroom, they know how to time it for when I fall asleep for a nap, one is even trying to learn how to ring and sound like the phone, whats next, the oven alarm? or the alarm clock?  They are just plain evil the batteries are in the drawer and they can just lay there and play dead.

[John316]

We did the smart thing. We went to Home Depot and purchased a nice CO and smoke alarm. The really neat thing about it was that it talked. Yup, in english AND spanish.

You guessed it. The first night I was laying there going to sleep, feeling very secure. Sure enough I heard. "Fire! Move outside, or to a safe place quickly. " Repeated twice followed by "¡Fuego! Mueva afuera, o a un lugar seguro rápidamente." Repeated twice. I got up, looked around, sniffed, checked the bays, found nothing and then removed the battery . Worked like a champ ever after. It has never, ever bothered me again . I did try it again, and a little while later (at a very inconvenient time), I heard something similar.

"Carbon monoxide detected! Move to fresh air immediately." Repeated twice. Followed by "El monóxido de carbono discernió! Mueva al aire fresco inmediatamente." Repeated twice. Great, I thought. I went and looked around. I had nothing that would produce the monoxide. Everything is diesel, and no propane (we weren't parked near anything either). Walla I fixed that problem. That battery has never been back in . I am considering placing the unit on a train track, and seeing if it will tell me a train is coming and to move immediately .

However, we did just purchase some regular old 9v smoke detectors, and haven't had a hint of a problem. We probably won't do a co detector, because we are all diesel.

God bless,

John

[belfert]

I have talking CO/smoke detectors in my house and never a false alarm.  Never a real one either.  These cost me over $40 each as they are 110 volt with battery backup and they are interconnected.

You really should have a CO detector even if you have nothing that generates CO in your vehicle.  If you dry camp at a rally or somewhere with others running generators CO might seep in.  Something as simple as a car left running outside can allow CO to seep in.

[junkman42]

I had trouble with My CO alarm going of and after a lot of frustation discovered it was only when batterys were charging.  I have a vented battery box that is vented and with the addition of a small fan the problem went away!  John