Question For Firefighter Types....

[RTicUL8]

I want to replace my smoke detectors with smoke/co combo detectors.

Are some brands better than others?
Any to stay away from?
Feel free to make a recommendation.


Note: My current detectors are about 12 years old. They are A/C powered and interconnected(one goes off - and they ALL go off).


Thanks!

.

 

[1985xjlaredo]

Are they connected to an alarm system? I'm not a firefighter but I have these Kiddie's http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-Combination-Monoxide-Battery-900-0114/dp/B00032NDSG
One of the ones I have by our bedroom has a really bright light bulb in it that projects downward. They are really loud too. When I test them only one goes off at a time. Hope this helps

 

[Del00XJ]

Yea the one thing to check is whether they are connected to an alarm system. i.e hardwired into the house. I haven't had any real experience with which are better and which to stay away from. The ones we give away at fire prevention "gatherings" are just home depot brand/ no name(d) detectors. They all do the same thing really... I'd say don't but cheap, but something average like a Kiddie...

 

[selarep]

Kiddie has some great stuff. We used kiddie in the Military (ex-Fire Fighter) and it was tops. My roommate uses kiddie alarms and he's a Fire Fighter. Kiddie has my vote.

 

[Waterhammer]

I would recommend the kiddie ones as well, not connected to AC. Just check the batteries every so often. Those real expensive, security system tied, AC, computer readout...etc. aren't any better. In fact, they false trigger so much most fire departments are de-sensized to them. Keep it simple.

 

[RTicUL8]

They are interconnected (wired together). However, they are NOT part of an alarm system.
They get A/C power and they are backed up by 9v batteries in each unit.

==
The ones installed right now: Lifesaver model 1275

 

[Waterhammer]

I can understand why you would want them to alarm together. It would be great if you could tell which head was triggered though, quickly. A/C tied units tend to alarm with power surges and after blackouts, thats why I keep to stand alone... JMO

 

[RTicUL8]

I can understand why you would want them to alarm together.

I live in a tri-level house with a basement (4 stories).

I want to know if there's a fire - no matter where I am in the house.

A/C tied units tend to alarm with power surges and after blackouts

I've had the house for 12 years and never had that problem.


.

 

[MT Mike]

You're better off having two separate detectors for CO and smoke. CO lies close to the ground, while smoke obviously rises. By the time CO gets high enough to trigger the combination detectors, chances are that you'll either be very sick or possibly unconscious. We recently ran on a house where the occupants cats had died and they had a strong odor of natural gas. Turned out that there hot water heater vent had become plugged (with cat hair) and put out 10,000 parts per million of CO, snuffing out the pilot light for the water heater. IF they hadn't smelled the natural gas, they would have died. (The wife and kid had already gone to bed complaining of headaches, and the husband was feeling ill.) Their combination smoke/CO detector did not go off until after we had arrived on scene. Point is CO detectors need to be mounted as low as possible, preferably by the baseboard. Hope that helps. If cost is an issue, a combination smoke/CO detector is better than no CO detector.

 

[RTicUL8]

You're better off having two separate detectors for CO and smoke. CO lies close to the ground, while smoke obviously rises. By the time CO gets high enough to trigger the combination detectors, chances are that you'll either be very sick or possibly unconscious. We recently ran on a house where the occupants cats had died and they had a strong odor of natural gas. Turned out that there hot water heater vent had become plugged (with cat hair) and put out 10,000 parts per million of CO, snuffing out the pilot light for the water heater. IF they hadn't smelled the natural gas, they would have died. (The wife and kid had already gone to bed complaining of headaches, and the husband was feeling ill.) Their combination smoke/CO detector did not go off until after we had arrived on scene. Point is CO detectors need to be mounted as low as possible, preferably by the baseboard. Hope that helps. If cost is an issue, a combination smoke/CO detector is better than no CO detector.

So then let me tell you how my house is laid out and ask you what you would suggest. The gas appliances are the furnace and water heater - located side-by-side in the basement. There's currently a smoke detector in the basement - but on the ceiling about 15 feet from the furnace.

If you say that CO is heavy, would you recommend installing it near the floor?

Here's another problem - it's a tri-level with a basement, and I sleep on the top floor. If the alarm is in the basement, I might not hear it upstairs. I was thinking of putting these in:

Kidde AC Wire-In Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm with Voice Alarm and Battery Backup #900-0114

I would have 7 of them in the house - all interconnected.

What do you think?

.

 

[MT Mike]

So then let me tell you how my house is laid out and ask you what you would suggest. The gas appliances are the furnace and water heater - located side-by-side in the basement. There's currently a smoke detector in the basement - but on the ceiling about 15 feet from the furnace.

If you say that CO is heavy, would you recommend installing it near the floor?

Here's another problem - it's a tri-level with a basement, and I sleep on the top floor. If the alarm is in the basement, I might not hear it upstairs. I was thinking of putting these in:

Kidde AC Wire-In Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm with Voice Alarm and Battery Backup #900-0114

I would have 7 of them in the house - all interconnected.

What do you think?

.

Like I said, a combination CO/smoke detector is better than no CO detector. IF no one will ever sleep on the bottom floor, then the Kidde should do you just fine. You could use those, then buy one stand alone CO detector and mount it near the floor in your basement. If you do that, I would mount it near the floor just outside of the room where your furnace and water heater are. If you mount it near the floor in the same room, you could end up getting a "false positive" or false alarm from it. Most gas appliances put out somewhere in the range of 10-50 parts per million on a regular basis (which isn't enough to harm you). If you go with the interconnected ones, read the instructions clearly, and keep them handy. When one goes off, they will all go off. Test them every six months. If you do get a false alarm, by reading the instructions and having a good understanding of how they work, you'll be able to figure out which one is tripped, and reset it. Good luck.

 

[tybo]

they all work but dont buy cheep.