CO Detector Location ?

[Robert11]

Hello:

What's a better location for an AC wall plug in type of CO alarm: a wall socket a few inches off the floor, or a wall socket mid way up the wall ?

Why ?

B.

[Travis Jordan]

I'd use the location that is midway between the floor and ceiling. CO is not significantly lighter or heavier than air, it tends to disperse evenly.

[~KJPRO~]

Better question to ask is rather the ones you can purchase at a Big Box store is even going to offer protection BEFORE you have serious issues!!!

The maximum exposure for 8 hrs is 35 ppm, and for 24 hrs is 8 ppm. According to the UL Listing company, they will not UL list anything that sounds before the following guidelines.....

Take a look and you will find a false sense of security in using MOST store bought detectors!!

There is a very good detector I sell, that will provide an alarm at 10 ppm.....at around $200.

Want one that will PROTECT you, or do you want to buy one that is only WASTING your money?

~kjpro~

[Joseph Meehan]

The instructions on mine said to put it near the ceiling. That's were it is. CO is a little lighter than air and it usually comes in warmer than the rest of the air so it is going to be in higher concentration higher up. However, it is not much lighter.

I will repeat a real life situation I was involved in about 40 years ago. I was in the scouts and we were staying in a cabin, about 25 of us. We were all sleeping on the floor. A fireplace was at one end of the one large room cabin and a furnace at the other. Some of the men stayed up playing cards at a table. When one decided he was tired and ready for bed, he stood up and passed out.

The second man stood up to help him and had to quickly lie down because he became very dizzy. The other two were more careful and someone figured out what was happening and got on his hands and knees to open the door. They then called for help and get the doors open and all the scouts crawled outside and waited for the fire department. It was cold.

The end result was every man at the table was sick, no one serious, and not one scout who was sleeping on the floor even had a head ache. The med works checked us all out and explained that we were all OK because we have been lower. It might have been very bad if everyone had gone to sleep on the floor. Proof that card games are good.

[Joseph Meehan]

I believe there is a lot more to the story than that presented by that web site. It seems to present information in the same selective manor as the UFOs are taking over the world sites. A number of unrelated true statements and a conclusion not really supported by the given facts.

For the use intended, the approved sensors sold in the stores are fine. If you look, you will see that there are some inexpensive sensors with readouts of lower levels, but only sound the alarm when it exceeds a higher level. Too many low lever alarms would only cause people to disconnect them.

[m Ransley]

Get a unit with digital display and mount it at an easy height to access the unit. The Peak function will record your highest level for you to monitor low level problems. To sensitive units were made before and weather inversion layers set off thousands of false alarms as that happened in Chicago years ago. Google it.

Units were redesigned years ago to not be so sensitive-alarm at a higher level. But by monitoring your peaks that will not set of the alarm will warn you of any problem developing that may be serious now and need imediate attention, such as hitting 10- 50 temporarily every day. Level peaks should be zero. many leaks on furnaces etc start slowly and build over time as the exchangers cracks widen . Alot of cooking can without air movement raise levels momentarily, you need to learn your unit and house.

[rj]

RTFM (old military expression)

[~KJPRO~]

Think what you wish, but I don't want any levels of CO above the maximum rating of 9 ppm (in 24 hrs) in my home!!

Not to meantion that lower levels than that give me a headache anyway.

~kjpro~

[Joseph Meehan]

Well I don't either, but the way the laws are written is practical and delivers good safety.

[~KJPRO~]

How can a normal (non-digital) CO detector PROTECT you from DANGEROUS levels of CO when it doesn't sound till 70 ppm?

That is a false sense of security in my book!

~kjpro~

[steve]

KJ, not to add fuel to eithers fire, but the unit I sell, sounds after 70ppm is reached for 60 minutes, and 189 minutes....150ppm if it stays there for

10, and at 400ppm, 4 minutes. It also shuts it self off 5 years after its activated...and lets the homeowner know its life is over. Its under $80....to some it might be just the ticket.

[Joseph Meehan]

There is a difference between immediate danger and long term danger. I don't believe 70 ppm is an immediate danger issue. I agree it is not desirable, bit could well be an indication of an problem that could become an immediate danger and it should be detected, reported and acted on. But we live in the real world. People take batteries out of smoke detectors that go off when they burn supper, then die when there is a real fire. Many people are not going to accept a detector that will go off without an immediate danger. They will just eliminate the detector and go without any.

In short. I believe that the current standards are preferred when it comes to saving lives.

It is much the same as using condoms to protect from AIDS. Sure it would be better to eliminate any unsafe sex, but in the real world that is just not going to happen so condoms do save more lives that eliminating them and hoping people will change.

[Joseph Meehan]

Thanks for the thread. It reminded me that it was time to replace mine. I now have a better one and I am using the old one as a backup on another floor.