Best location to install an ADDITIONAL carbon monoxide detector?

[John E Davies]

I have been using this portable one in my garage for a couple of years, and really like it, I even gave my son one for Christmas. I just ordered two more, one for inside my home and the other for “Mouse”.

Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector with Battery Backup, Digital Display & LED Lights, CO Alarm

Note, this is battery powered only, three AA cells, it does not have a wall plug. So periodic battery replacement will be required. I have not yet had to replace the ones in my garage unit….

Carbon monoxide is slightly LIGHTER than air, so the location of the Ollie combination CO/ propane alarm under the dinette is bad for CO detection, (although the furnace vent will blow toward it, which may be why Oliver picked that spot), ideally it should be located at about eye level. …https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/where-should-i-place-carbon-monoxide-detector

Soooo….. where should it be located inside the trailer? Beside the thermostat? On the back wall near the factory smoke alarm? At the front entry above the closet? Wherever, it needs to be away from the range burners and away from fan airflow. And the digital display (for the carbon monoxide current concentration, and maximum past level) needs to be easily visible.

“Most people will not experience any symptoms from prolonged exposure to CO levels of approximately 1 to 70 ppm but some heart patients might experience an increase in chest pain. As CO levels increase and remain above 70 ppm, symptoms become more noticeable and can include headache, fatigue and nausea. At sustained CO concentrations above 150 to 200 ppm, disorientation, unconsciousness, and death are possible.”

https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Carbon-Monoxide-Information-Center/Carbon-Monoxide-Questions-and-Answers

Where do you think it ought to be located? Thanks for any comments.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Steph and Dud B]

Although CO is slightly less dense than air, in practice it flows easily with air currents rather than accumulating near the ceiling. Therefore, the recommendation is for CO detectors to be mounted approximately 5 feet above the floor. The small volume of the Ollie interior, and the placement of fuel burning appliances, certainly creates a challenge here. How about under a cabinet directly over your bed, toward the rear, since the biggest risk is CO exposure while sleeping?

[topgun2]

AS far as I remember - the smoke detector at the rear of the Oliver is also a CO detector.

So, if that is the case in your unit are you proposing to have 3 total CO detectors?

Bill

[mossemi]

51 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Soooo….. where should it be located inside the trailer? Beside the thermostat? On the back wall near the factory smoke alarm?

topgun2 and I had this discussion in the past and he remembers correctly.  There is a combination Smoke/CO detector above the street side bed, below the attic.  So, I think an additional CO monitor should be located near the thermostat.

Mossey

[topgun2]

12 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

So, if that is the case in your unit are you proposing to have 3 total CO detectors?

OR, has one or more  -timed out/expired ?

[John E Davies]

I am confused, not for the first time, I thought the one in back was smoke only, for sure my dinette one is CO and propane:

The main reason I like this Kidde unit is that it gives you an actual number rather than a Yes/No alarm. You can see what the past peak level was and reset it. For example, my garage unit almost invariably shows 0, but the peak level when I checked it yesterday was 45, from running a car engine nearby. It requires a 70 ppm reading for 1 to 4 hours to trigger the alarm, so short extremes won't sound the alarm, but they WILL show up as the peak value. I think that is sort-of valuable information. You could see if those peaks were increasing over time, indicating a problem with the furnace.

I'll update this after I look at my back one, but it doesn't alter my desire for a better CO one... Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[SeaDawg]

I'm possibly confused, but I thought rv co sensors were set to be more sensitive than home units, with lower levels and shorter time periods,  because of the smaller space, and that's why we get more frequent alarms from anything from dog farts to generators in the next camping  space?

I think the data readout is great, as a secondary unit, or possibly tertiary in your case, but if it doesn't wake me up in time... 

 

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, John E Davies said:

I thought the one in back was smoke only,

Yep - that was the thing that got me into sharing a bit of wrong info before Mossemi came to my rescue a bit ago.

It will be interesting to see what you find and while you are there - be sure to check what the "replace" date is for that unit.

Bill