"Carbon Monoxide Detector Questions..." Topic

The unit I moved into has a ceiling mounted smoke detector and a separate carbon monoxide/explosive gas alarm, a Kidde AC Combination Carbon Monoxide/Explosive Gas Alarm, that's plugged into an AC outlet – manufacture date Feb 2006.

All the AC outlets are near the floor and while this model comes with a 6 ft power cord, allowing one to mount it at an higher elevation, like above a door frame, it's been giving false alarms. Either it's old and/or defective or dust is setting it off from being plugged in near the ground. I'm planning on purchasing a battery powered one, like one installed in the previous apartment, and freeing up an outlet.

I'm considering buying a Kidde Nighthawk Battery-Operated Digital Carbon Monoxide Alarm or First Alert Battery Powered Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display. Do I need an explosive gas detector? Only the oven is gas powered and the gas meter was replaced last week. The unit is heated by steam from radiators.

When you say unit do you mean a building with more then one living space under one roof? Then most likely the laws say you need both even if you don.t have NG in the building.

There could be problems in spaces out side the ones you live in that the detectors will warn you about, Remember the one you have might be being set off by a real problem. you would not know till you get things tested out.

I had people in a lower apartment that used to light about 100 candles on weekends that would set off my CO2 detector.

It's a building with individual domiciles, I think going up to 10 and I reside on the second floor. My previous apartment, in the same ZIP Code and about 3-5 minutes away, only had a built in smoke detector and a battery carbon monoxide detector hung from a wall. There aren't that many AC outlets here and I need it for other things. Due to the false alarms, I removed it back in September. My conversation with the gas technician, who replaced the meter last week, no mention was made of an explosive gas detector or combo device and I showed it to him. According to the Massachusetts Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Laws from the ReMax page, a unit only needs a smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

I think of Chicago as having strict laws about these sorts of things and I've never even heard about explosive gas detectors.

Anyway, a call to your your city government or fire department should be able to answer this easily.

I could call National Grid, since they had been pestering me over the gas meter replacement, citing Massachusetts law.

Based on what I've read and explosive gas detector is for gasses like propane and butane, which have an odor as opposed to odorless carbon monoxide.

What should I do about my explosive gas detector?
Inside a Carbon Monoxide and Gas Detector

Based on the above thread, which is about the Kiddie Nighthawk detector, anything and everything could set it off and the suggestion is to purchase a regular CO2 detector.

Also, both CO2 detectors and Smoke detectors get less sensitive as they age, and if they get old enough, don't work at all.

This is due to the half life of the radioactive source they use. By the way, the radioactive source they use emits Alpha particles, very week radiation, so weak that Alpha particles are blocked by clothes and skin, and it does not cause contamination.