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I recently brought a carbon monoxide detector I have in my basement to my garage as I am doing some work in the garage...I have been running a kerosene heater as well for a day here and there. I have not had the heater running for three days and this morning, the sensor starts flashing/audibly signaling an "evacuation" notice. I worked in there yesterday(again...without the heater being turned on) and installed a bunch of tongue-groove pine on the walls but last I checked, cutting lumber would not produce Carbon Monoxide. I went to youtube and there appear to be several videos which sort of indicate that at least the consumer grade of these test units are a bit spotty. Some refer to them as completely unreliable..???
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No idea why yours went off for no apparent reason, but one of mine went off a year or so ago after my wife left a bucket of hot wood stove ashes sit on the hearth instead of taking it outside. It turned off after we took the ashes outside and aired out the house. I'd say it worked.
John
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Far from an expert on these things, but my understanding is for the sensors it's a quantity/time equation. A low concentration for a long period of time will trigger them, a high concentration for a short period of time will trigger them. So it seems reasonable that a small concentration would trigger them after the carbon monoxide danger has potentially already passed, the sensor is just picking up the build up. I personally hedged my bets and installed many, 2 at the potential source (basement) and one on every floor. I also chose not to install all in one units (smoke and Carbon) that way I can replace the monoxide detectors more frequently as recommended.
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A friend called this am, all his detectors were going off.....turns out the furnace has a cracked heat exchanger.
Ed
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Well while on the subject what are some of the more reliable ones on the market. Either hard wired, electric, or battery operated.
John T.
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The post motivated me to order one.
One thing I've heard is that they will not work after a few years and must be replaced. This is why some come with non-replaceable batteries. Just toss them and replace as the detector saturates or something.
WoodNET... the new safespace
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Splinter Puller said:
The post motivated me to order one.
One thing I've heard is that they will not work after a few years and must be replaced. This is why some come with non-replaceable batteries. Just toss them and replace as the detector saturates or something.
Correct; they will have a date of manufacture stamp on them and the unit will let you know with a blinking light or such that they have expired. It definitely has something to do with the life of the sensor. Mine went last fall and I had to replace.
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