Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms

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jake75
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Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Post by jake75 »

I need to replace two older smoke alarms - hallway near kitchen, and upstairs.I am torn between a smoke alarm model that has dual smoke sensors, and one that combines an ionization type smoke detector with a carbon monoxide sensors. There are a lot of smart people here - any advice?
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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808 Vibes
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by 808 Vibes »

There's different kinds?! I need to replace 4. They are the originals, discolored and freak me out when they go in panic mode at 3am with no battery inside.I have vaulted ceilings so I have to pay someone to change the units.I could buy a 20 foot ladder and change them myself, but I even lose my balance on a 2-step stepladder, so it's just not something I want to risk.
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millster
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by millster »

Go with the Kidde Nighthawk CO/Smoke detector. I've owned 3 of them (3 different houses, not because they broke) and they've always been fantastic. The only thing that has ever bothered me is that they "Speak" whatever the alarm is for (fire or CO) and they also speak when the battery is low. I had one in the basement of one of my homes and when the batteries went low, it was a little frightening to hear a voice coming from my basement.
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jake75
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »There's different kinds?! I need to replace 4. They are the originals, discolored and freak me out when they go in panic mode at 3am with no battery inside.I have vaulted ceilings so I have to pay someone to change the units.I could buy a 20 foot ladder and change them myself, but I even lose my balance on a 2-step stepladder, so it's just not something I want to risk. If you Google "smoke detector long life battery" you will see that there are some that use a sealed 10 year lithium battery. The more common ionization type detectors only have a life of about 10 years anyway. The iomnoization type use a small amount of radioactive stuff that loses its effectiveness after that length of time.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
Wolfman213
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Post by Wolfman213 »

He had a local TV station do a report on smoke and CO detectors a few years back. It turned out that a cheaper model was better than all the expensive ones. I can't for the life of me remember which one it was and what all of the positives it had over the others. Then HHGregg had them on sale for super cheap on conjunction with the report. Maybe one of my fellow Hoosiers can remember what I'm talking about. I'm thinking the report was either done on WRTV or WISH.
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808 Vibes
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by 808 Vibes »

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »If you Google "smoke detector long life battery" you will see that there are some that use a sealed 10 year lithium battery. The more common ionization type detectors only have a life of about 10 years anyway. The iomnoization type use a small amount of radioactive stuff that loses its effectiveness after that length of time.I didn't know they had special long life smoke detector batteries! I'll look for these! Thanks!
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jake75
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »I didn't know they had special long life smoke detector batteries! I'll look for these! Thanks! I suppose you might find a 10 year replacement battery - I was referring to entire units where the battery was not even replacable as the life of the detector itself is just 10 years. I saw some on eBay for $5 + $8 shipping. Hawaii was more.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by 808 Vibes »

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »I suppose you might find a 10 year replacement battery - I was referring to entire units where the battery was not even replacable as the life of the detector itself is just 10 years. I saw some on eBay for $5 + $8 shipping. Hawaii was more.Oh yeah...typical. Something that could fit in the smallest priority box costs the same in shipping if I sent it to you or you sent it to me.But many sellers still rip AK/HI/Guam/PR off!
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by Caretaker »

there's no need to get a carbon monoxide detector if you have no carbon based ignitable source in/around that area. So, do you have a gas stove in your kitchen? If not, no need for the carbon monoxide detector. CO detectors need to be in close proximity of carbon fuel burning sources (ie: fireplaces, gas water heater, gas furnace) since CO does not rise or fall, it just hovers. If you put a CO detector in your home, it should be at least 10 feet away from any of the aforementioned carbon sources, otherwise you risk false alarms all the time.
jake75
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »Oh yeah...typical. Something that could fit in the smallest priority box costs the same in shipping if I sent it to you or you sent it to me.But many sellers still rip AK/HI/Guam/PR off! At least in the case of HI, Guam and PR it's just because they get so darn jealous when they lookout the window and see all the snow and ice .
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
belfert
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by belfert »

The issue with the Kidde CO/smoke alarms is the new ones will die 7 years from first power up. I have some installed in 2001 that have been failing every few months. I lost one in late 2007 or early 2008 and two so far in 2009.CO detectors are supposed to be replaced every seven years and the new ones simply ridgidly enforce this. I suspect my older ones are not really failing, but rather the CO detector portion is aging out, but not at exactly seven years or they would all be dead already.
jake75
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (Caretaker)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker »there's no need to get a carbon monoxide detector if you have no carbon based ignitable source in/around that area. So, do you have a gas stove in your kitchen? If not, no need for the carbon monoxide detector. CO detectors need to be in close proximity of carbon fuel burning sources (ie: fireplaces, gas water heater, gas furnace) since CO does not rise or fall, it just hovers. If you put a CO detector in your home, it should be at least 10 feet away from any of the aforementioned carbon sources, otherwise you risk false alarms all the time. I though there was a danger that a forced air furnace could have a defect and be sending CO through out the home.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (jake75)

Post by Caretaker »

Just to make sure, your forced air furnace is electric or gas? If gas, how old is it? Today's models now have a feature that turns on a motor allowing a positive draft up the flu. If the furnace does not sense that this positive updraft is occuring, it will not allow the main blower motor to turn on. I'm not saying you should not have a CO detector upstairs near your bedrooms, especially if you are very heavy sleeper. For me, when my CO detector goes off (and it has several times forcing us to call the fire deparment), I hit the ceiling when it goes off downstairs. The piercing noise can wake the dead. About the only way you can get CO erroneously coming out of your furnace is if you have a wood burning fireplace downstairs where the gas furnace is. If your house is built air tight, the fireplace needs to find a fresh supply of oxygen to burn the wood, as the super hot air (and your wallet) goes up the chimney. When the fireplace can't find any air, guess where it gets it from? Right, your furnace, causing a rollback effect that draws the superheated CO gases out the front of your furnace and towards the fireplace. Certainly a bad way to die if you don't have a detector downstairs. But again, remember: CO gas does not rise; it wafts around where it eminates from. Peace of mind while you sleep is always a good thing and is worth every penny. Do as your gut tells you. I have 7 smoke detectors all around my house. I can go to sleep at night knowing I'll never die from a fire.
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Re: Smoke - Carbon Monoxide Alarms (Caretaker)

Post by 808 Vibes »

I went into the home fix-it megastore today and saw them in the main aisle. There was the "never change the battery" model that lasts 10 years, it's a fast flash fire sensor or something, and another model that will sniff slower burning smoke but the battery will only last 6 months. Decisions, decisions.... There were also talking ones (no thanks) and ones with a light. http://www.kidde.com/utcfs/Tem....html
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Post by ragingfish »

The only advice I can offer is DO NOT PURCHASE FIRST ALERT DETECTORS.We had a few of them, and they all triggered false alarms. One of which led us to contact the fire company. They came out, found no problems at all, looked at the detector, and said that the first alerts are notorious for being unreliable and going off falsely.We've used only Kidde brand alarms since, and haven't had any problems.
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Re: (ragingfish)

Post by 808 Vibes »

I go down to ----'s AND ---- ----- to compare detector prices. Every model is two bucks cheaper at ---- -----! Every little bit counts when they're $20+ each and I need 4! A guy working there tells me to take it off the wall and check if it's wired before I buy ANY model. (sigh) so I bought a ladder that could go that high up my vaulted ceiling: (telescopic ladder; folds down compact) and did just that..took the unit off the wall and found that it's wired. Shut off power at all switches because there was none labeled 'hallway' or 'smoke detectors'. Back up the ladder I went. So I try to unclip the wiring harness from the unit. There seems to be a recessed tab locking it down: I tried pushing the tab in, pushing the tab out and it still won't budge, but I'll keep trying...
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Re: (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by 808 Vibes »

Done! Yesterday's DIY project: Dog washin' shower attachment! (can't wait to try it out on my victims...bwahahaaaaaa)
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Re: (ragingfish)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »The only advice I can offer is DO NOT PURCHASE FIRST ALERT DETECTORS.We had a few of them, and they all triggered false alarms. One of which led us to contact the fire company. They came out, found no problems at all, looked at the detector, and said that the first alerts are notorious for being unreliable and going off falsely.We've used only Kidde brand alarms since, and haven't had any problems. Do you smoke? I have been using First Alert brand for many years and except near the kitchen never had any problem with them being too sensitive. I just bought pair of First Alert photoelectrics at Costco for $23 - that type is supposed to be better near the kitchen. They have a new side battery compartment that supposedly allows you to change the battery without taking them down but they come off of the ceiling mount with an easy twist anyway. There was an old Honeywell detector there that would go off when I was making toast.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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Re: (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by jake75 »

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »I go down to ----'s AND ---- ----- to compare detector prices. Every model is two bucks cheaper at ---- -----! Every little bit counts when they're $20+ each and I need 4! A guy working there tells me to take it off the wall and check if it's wired before I buy ANY model. (sigh) so I bought a ladder that could go that high up my vaulted ceiling: (telescopic ladder; folds down compact) and did just that..took the unit off the wall and found that it's wired. Shut off power at all switches because there was none labeled 'hallway' or 'smoke detectors'. Back up the ladder I went. So I try to unclip the wiring harness from the unit. There seems to be a recessed tab locking it down: I tried pushing the tab in, pushing the tab out and it still won't budge, but I'll keep trying...Yes - I have found HD to be lower priced than L on a lot of things. However, L is 1 mile away and HD 8 miles away so it is worth it to pay a little more to save gas and time. Walmart also 1 mile away had a good selection.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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Re: (jake75)

Post by 808 Vibes »

wallyworld has smoke detectors? I never would have thought to look there. Oh well, the dude @ H.D. looked at the old unit I brought and ripped open a package and showed me the adapter included in the kidde hard wired model would fit, so I got all the same instead of the 10 year battery model. Since I already invested in a telescopic ladder, I figured what the heck.
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Post by ClunkClunk »

While we're on the topic of smoke detectors, anyone know of an option for people who do a lot of cooking? I live in a 2br apartment with poor ventilation, and when we're doing something like broiling chicken, it produces enough smoke to set off the kitchen smoke detector and the two bedroom ones within 30 or 40 seconds (and this is with windows and the back door open -- the detectors are near the center of the apartment with the kitchen, just poor design to ventilate).I'm glad they're working, but it's such a pain to have to get a chair and rip them off the ceiling, take out the batteries, and then later remember to put the batteries back in and put them back up. I do this almost weekly I really could use a detector that's either easier to disable for 10 to 15 minutes, without having to take it down and pull the battery, or one that's generally just less sensitive.
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Re: (ClunkClunk)

Post by 808 Vibes »

I saw some that specifically said either on the back or front of the package 'temporarily disables nuisance alarms from cooking and fireplaces'. The ones that cost a little more all have a "hush" button on them. But I'm sorry for the life of me can't remember which model that was.
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Re: (HawaiiPontiacLover)

Post by jake75 »

The First Alert Cat SA710CP2 alarms I got at Costsco - 2 pk $23, say they have a test/silence button. Also says "Ideal for cooking areas".
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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