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About carbon monoxide detectors
Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies
Do you have one in your home? If not, is it because you heard that they are unreliable?
In December of 1994 in Chicago, a thermal inversion caused cold air to be trapped under layers of hot air, and that kept auto exhaust and other pollutants trapped close to ground. The fire department responded to 1,851 false alarms in a 24-hour period, giving the still new-to-the-market alarms a bad reputation.
Since then, the technology has improved, and a carbon monoxide alarm is just as important to have in your home as a fire alarm. Carbon monoxide is created when fuel is burned. So, your gas dryer, gas or oil furnace, water heater, fireplace, car, and gas range and oven can all be potential hazzards. It is recommended that you place one near sleeping areas, and one near appliances. At our house, the furnace is in the hall, right by both the kid bedrooms. Our detector is near the furnace and the bedrooms.
Make sure that you test your alarm and replace it according to the manufacturer's directions. Most independent reviews pick the Kiddie Nighthawk as the best performer. As a side note, my cousin works for a company who was asked to rate these devices. He says that the Kiddie came out best in their lab as well. He also says the digital displays may not be super-accurate, but that won't mean the alarm isn't registering levels properly.
***UPDATED to add:
Please see comments below for recall information on some older models of the Kiddie Nighthawk. Thanks to Blogging Baby reader Jen for the heads up.
In December of 1994 in Chicago, a thermal inversion caused cold air to be trapped under layers of hot air, and that kept auto exhaust and other pollutants trapped close to ground. The fire department responded to 1,851 false alarms in a 24-hour period, giving the still new-to-the-market alarms a bad reputation.
Since then, the technology has improved, and a carbon monoxide alarm is just as important to have in your home as a fire alarm. Carbon monoxide is created when fuel is burned. So, your gas dryer, gas or oil furnace, water heater, fireplace, car, and gas range and oven can all be potential hazzards. It is recommended that you place one near sleeping areas, and one near appliances. At our house, the furnace is in the hall, right by both the kid bedrooms. Our detector is near the furnace and the bedrooms.
Make sure that you test your alarm and replace it according to the manufacturer's directions. Most independent reviews pick the Kiddie Nighthawk as the best performer. As a side note, my cousin works for a company who was asked to rate these devices. He says that the Kiddie came out best in their lab as well. He also says the digital displays may not be super-accurate, but that won't mean the alarm isn't registering levels properly.
***UPDATED to add:
Please see comments below for recall information on some older models of the Kiddie Nighthawk. Thanks to Blogging Baby reader Jen for the heads up.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-07-2007 @ 3:37PM
jen said...Please add a note to your post above, regarding the recall of some Nighthawk detectors (as well as some Lifesaver detectors).
>>
The Nighthawk models included in this recall are all models manufactured
between November 8, 1998, and March 9, 1999. The manufacturing date is
on the back of the unit as year, month, day. "NIGHTHAWK" and "Carbon
Monoxide Alarm" are written on the front of the unit. If "Carbon
Monoxide Detector" is written on the front, the unit is operating
properly and is not part of the recall.
The Lifesaver models included in this recall are models 9CO-1 and
9CO-1C manufactured between June 1, 1997, and January 31, 1998.
Reply
2-07-2007 @ 3:38PM
jen said...My post above got truncated, sorry!
The recall notice can be read in full here:
http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.org.uk/codetector.htm
(scroll down to read full recall notice below 'Top Tips').
Reply
2-07-2007 @ 10:14PM
Tom said...All those home detectors you find in stores (Kidde, First Alert, etc.) are junk...that's why they only cost $20-40. Most won't even alarm until the carbon monoxide level in your home reaches deadly unsafe levels, and they will also alarm when other things hit them, like water vapor! I've been recommending a detector to all my friends called the Pocket CO made by Transducer Technology, Inc. You can get them by going to their website www.transducertech.com or by going to www.quantumfields.com. They are industrial grade, super high-tech, about the size of your car door unlocker so you can carry it anywhere, and reasonably priced for what you get. I paid $129 and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I think they are mostly used by airplane pilots and truck drivers right now, but it's great for home/personal use too. You would be amazed at the amount of CO we get exposed to on a daily basis! Just my opinion but I would check them out.
Reply