fire - CO alarm help

silverweed

silverweed

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I bought a Kidde smoke and CO alarm in one. I didn't get round to installing it but took it out with me. After reding the instructions on where to place it I was totally lost. Nowhere appeared to fit instructions. I put it on a high shelf by near where I thought I'd attach it and every time the cooker was turned on it screamed. Thought about throwing it out the window!!!! With the Hymer, the dealer attached one and first time out off it went. Any advise where to put it ( I blush easily so no nasty suggestions haha). Believe me it's where iv thought of putting it. The hymer has a passenger door behind passenger seat and cooker next to that, the alarm at present is on the other side of door next to drop down bed
 
What is making it go off is it smoke or co ? its just we have a kiddie co alarm mounted on the wall above the cooker and it is fine it has a digital display on it that shows the level of co in the van and if it gets too high sets it off. We also had the same model of alarm in our last van and noticed when the grill was on the co level would rise so we had the cooker cleaned out and ajusted and all was fine. Just a thought if it is the co side of the alarm going off maybe you cooker is not burning correctly?

Mike
 
If you are cooking without normal ventilation then the alarm is just doing its job and there maybe nowhere that will avoid false alarms.

The photoelectric type of detectors are less likely to false alarm when cooking but your combined one is likely to be the ionisation type.

Some get around the problem by removing it when cooking and placing it under your pillow so you remember to put it back at night when it is most likely to be needed.
 
It was the fire alarm side that kept going off. I like the sound of one that gives co levels. I know if I put it away when cooking then I'll forget to put it back and I will then just stop bothering with it
 
Carbon dioxide is slightly heavier than air so position the alarm low down by the head of the bed (assuming your main worry is at night time). The ioniser is probably detecting smoke from cooking so a floor level position should help avoid this &/or cook with a window(s) open &/or stop burning your dinner so much !.
 
ivecotrucker said:
Carbon dioxide is slightly heavier than air so position the alarm low down by the head of the bed (assuming your main worry is at night time). The ioniser is probably detecting smoke from cooking so a floor level position should help avoid this &/or cook with a window(s) open &/or stop burning your dinner so much !.
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Sorry, but this is not good advice.

Yes, carbon DIoxide is heavier than air, but we are talking about carbon MONoxide which is as close to the density of air as makes no difference. CO is associated with combustion so tends to rise just as smoke does.

Putting a smoke detector down low is totally useless because warm air rises and smoke first goes to the ceiling. You need advance warning, not getting an alarm only when you are about to suffocate.

In Australia it is now mandatory to have a working alarm in every RV.

There are some with a button you can push BEFORE you start cooking and it desensitises the alarm for a certain time and then reverts to full sensitivity.

As I said, if you put it under your pillow, it is unlikely you will forget to put it back when you go to bed.


BTW - bad places to fit alarms are right in the corners of the roof-wall join because it is a dead area for air movement - but of course we are much more restricted in an RV. WE have ours just above the entry door where it is easy to get at. Propane alarm is also near the door - down low in the footwell
 
The problem with a combined smoke/ CO alarm is that a smoke detector should ALWAYS be fixed at the highest point in a compartment, whilst a carbon monoxide detector is usually fitted lower down.

If you fit a smoke alarm anywhere other than the ceiling, then all the space above it could potentially fill with smoke before the alarm activates. This obviously reduces the vital time that you'd have to react and escape safely, so I'll repeat.. ALWAYS fit a smoke alarm at the highest point of a compartment.

If you still have false alarms (smoke) even if you put the detecter at a distance from your cooker, you could (as has been suggested) fit an "Optical" type smoke alarm instead of the "Ionisation" type that yours probably is. Optical types only react to larger smoke particles, and can usually be fitted in kitchens without undue false alarms.

Another option is to get one with a "Hush" button (check if yours has one, as most modern detectors have these now). If the detector activates and you're sure that it's just cooking fumes, you press the Hush button and the detector will be silenced for around ten minutes.

It's NEVER a good idea to cover the detector, take it down, or remove the battery "just whilst you're cooking". The time that you forget to activate it again could well be the time that it may save your life!! (believe me, I've seen that happen too many times).
 
Just in case UK carbon monoxide acts differently, here is a UK info site

Carbon Monoxide Alarm - Where to install an Alarm

The British Standards Institute produces a Code of Practice (BS EN 50292) on the selection, installation, use and maintenance of CO alarms. It says that "It is not possible to give specific guidance on the exact location of a CO detector." It suggests that if it is mounted on the ceiling, it should be at least 300 mm from any wall. If mounted on the wall, it should be at least 150 mm from the ceiling but above the height of doors or windows.
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A local manor house near us had a serious fire but as it started in a bedroom and the detector was in the landing the smoke took a long time to reach the detector as doors and windows of the house were open the smoke just blew out !
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Yes, only designed to give the occupants time to get out safely, so I guess they worked. Same as sprinklers - only to allow escape by keeping things damped down for a while.

Our MH with three rooms divided by sliding doors has a smoke detector and a CO detector in each of the three rooms AND an emergency escape hatch in the bedroom - and that is pretty much the recommendation for houses if the owner can afford it or if full protection is required. If there is a chance of a fire starting in a bedroom then there must be one inside the room as well as the essential one in the hallway.
 
basildog said:
Smoke detectors are a nightmare as I just witnessed !
A local manor house near us had a serious fire but as it started in a bedroom and the detector was in the landing the smoke took a long time to reach the detector as doors and windows of the house were open the smoke just blew out !
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You can't blame the smoke detector in this case. The minimum recommended is usually one at the bottom of the stairs and one on each landing, to protect the escape route. But as Tony says, ideally you would have a smoke detector in every room, and have them linked (so that if one alarm activates, they all sound and give warning).

Most valuable or important buildings have some kind of detection in every room, but the lives of your family is priceless!

If a bedroom has bunk-beds, you should always fit a smoke alarm in it, as smoke may reach the child in the top bunk before activating an alarm on the landing, even if the door was left open.

Smoke alarms aren't expensive nowadays, so don't wait until you have a fire before appreciating their value.

As far as I know, all fire brigades in the UK will fit smoke detectors for free if you contact them, plus give advice and safety checks. :)
 
Combo alarms

Personally i dont like combination smoke and CO alarms.I have two different types of smoke alarm and a CO alarm mounted close to the ceiling on bulkheads as per their instructions.The CO alarm I have close to where i sleep.The smoke alarms are on the opposite side of the unit from the cooker to avoid cooking triggers.
I also have a dual gas alarm which detects propane butane plus other sufficating /explosive vapours and petrol.Call it paranoia but all of these gases are deadlh in small spaces and £100 for all four alarms is a small price to stay safe.Too many people die needlessly from suffocation due to CO or other gases.
 
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