CO Detectors React to What Else? (Brad White)

Brad White_185

probably two years old and was bought in addition to the hard-wired one that went in with the Vitodens in or about Nov. 2006.

(We are waiting for the hard-wired combination smoke/CO detectors so we can replace all of the 120V smoke detectors eventually.)

The plug-in is just a supplement and to comply with our "Nicole's Law" CO detector statute.

I can easily see it being at the end of a lifespan and the varnish fumes probably sent it over the edge.

Brad White_185

We just had the floors refinished

and after some time tracking down that beeping sound (thinking it was a smoke detector with a low battery), it turns out according to Susan that it was the plug-in CO detector.

Granted the varnish is a source of hydrocarbons and CO is, in part, carbon...)

Anyway, maybe this is common and we are curious if CO detectors react to other compounds. So many detectors are substance-specific. Curious what anyone has experienced.

Thanks all!

Brad

jp_2

along the same line

I've been trying to find out what the CO sensor is?

ALH_4

UL

All I can find is this excerpt from this UL document.

"Will exposure to other household gases or vapors cause the CO alarm to sound a false alarm?
When UL evaluates samples of residential CO alarms, consideration is made that your home may contain moderate levels of cleaning chemicals and other substances. UL 2034, the Standard UL engineers and technicians use to test residential carbon monoxide alarms, includes exposure tests to normal concentrations of methane, butane, heptane, ethyl acetate (nail polish remover), isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), carbon dioxide and propane -- all gases that would typically be found in a home.
You should, however, keep these chemicals away from your CO alarms. Low exposure over an extended period of time could damage the sensing device and cause your alarm to sound a false alarm."

I'm not sure if that means that the sensors are particularly sensitive to those gases or not.

CC.Rob_6

humidity, too

I believe that CO detectors are also sensitive to humidity extremes.

Unknown

They especially like

bacon being cooked in a skillet on a Saturday morning. My kids called me once as they has evacuated the house because the alarm went off as they were cooking breakfast. The CO detector will actually go off before the smoke alarm in a fire.

For some expert info contact George Kerr at gekerr@tds.net he is the inventor of the CoExperts CO detector.

Mark Hunt_4

It would be easier

to list the things that did not set off a UL compliant CO detector.

How old is Susan's CO alarm Brad?

Mark H

John@Reliable_14

Steam, from a long shower, open door steam hits it = alarm

jp_2

my guess is

that the nighthawk and CO experts uses the same sensor.
can't imagine there are a lot of different materials that can react to CO.

where's jim davis on this?

Steve Ebels_3

Ditto to Mr Hunt

Add paint to the list, most any household cleaner in the right proximity and concentration.........and then there was this one. A lady called up reporting her CO detector was going off one morning. I went right over and everything checked out OK, stove, furnace, water heater, dryer....all of it. It was a brand new First Alert detector from HD she had just put up the day before. Told her to get a different detector, which she did. A week or so later she called and said the detector was going off again. Same result, all the appliances were OK. A little Q&A session revealed that the detector went off at the same time as the one that was replaced. 7:15 AM Hmmmmmmm ....I asked if it would be OK if I came over at that particular time of the day and observed what was going on to try and find out what was tripping the alarm. So I'm sitting there in the kitchen of the house at 7:15 in the morning with the Testo running on ambient CO and showing 0ppm and the detector goes off. I went to the hallway where it was mounted to check the air there and found the woman of the house standing there looking at the detector, which was right outside the bathroom, with a can of hairspray in her hand. BINGO! Took the detector outside to let it "cool off", then back inside and gave it a spritz of the stuff she was using. The thing went off instantly.
This was a non aerosol pump type container so it had to be the product itself. Hairspray........whoda' thunk it!!??

Rudy

CO alarm cross sensitivity

Here's one manufacturer's list:

Aerosols – (hair sprays, deodorizers, Lysol, etc…)

Cleaning supplies – (Clorox, Bleaches, etc…)

Gas from charging batteries

Paints

Stripping chemicals

Varnish

Silicon glue or compounds

Alcohol

Methane

Toluene

Acetone

Nail polish

Nail polish remover

Sulfur compounds

Sewer gas

Vapors from baby diapers

Car exhaust fumes

Cigarette smoke

Incense smoke

Ammonia

Carpet cleaning solutions

Sealant

Freon from air conditioners

Hydrogen

Nitroglycerin (usually from heart medication)

High/Low temperatures

High/Low Humidity

Brad White_185

Thanks, Rudy

I guess that settles it- we do not have CO detectors, we just have "detectors".

From now on we will not use hairspray, cook bacon, shower or play "pull my finger".

Life is good.

Thank you all- this has been very instructive!

Timco

I didn't see CO on that list...

Tim

jackchips_2

\"No Shower?\"

Now Brad, just how long do you think that honeymoon will last? I'll leave the "pull my finger" to Milne.

:-)

Jack

Darrell

Dog fumes.

Add dogs fumes to the list...lots of calls where the dog is sleeping under the detector...he goes off...it goes off.

Being a service man is fun sometimes!

(The odd burrito for lunch will set off my 300 dollar belt detector)

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Rudy

good point

Come to think of it, CO wasn't on the list....

jp_2

thats why

it called cross sensitivity.