Turning off carbon monoxide detector.

I live dangerously, both the smoke detector and the CO/LP detectors now have switches. There is no point in having them on depleting batteries when there is nobody home. The rocket scientists that installed my smoke detector 22" from the stove,(measured on the ceiling) is another reason to have a quick way to turn it off.

Is it really worth $50 to wonder if you are going to be dead in the morning???

How does a person get these alarms constantly going off or even at all (except on low battery)? Is the smoke alarm too close to the stove or toaster? Is a detector need replacement? Is the detector defective?

We have never had a CO/propane or smoke alarm go off. Except the CO/propane detector did last year after a simultaneous battery & charger failure and consequent low voltage.

A smoke detector should be replaced at max. 10 years (refer to print on detector) but they lose 10% of their effectiveness each year and it's recommended to replace them at 5 years of use. Propane/CO detectors should be replaced at 5 years. Basically, replace both at the same time every 5 years...

A life safety device should never ever be defeated. The cause of any false alarms needs to be addressed and pdq.

You just never know when you'll need an alarm. Couple of months ago after we got home, not sure how, but a knob on the stove got turned partly on. Wasn't until a day or two later my SIL asked why an alarm was going off in the trailer. Not good. Could easily happen while you're inside.

As an aside the Eveready 9V Lithium battery has proven itself long lived in these applications.

GordonThree wrote:
Maybe so, but constant false alarms also erode the effectiveness of the device.

Maybe it's a physics issue but I've never had a false alarm from my smoke detector. I've had accidental alarms from cooking but that's it.

My four year old COLP detector went into a constant state of false alarm just this last month. There were no fires to generate CO and the propane was also off.

That's when the detector got the wire cutters.

That said I do believe it saved me once when a class A parked next to me while sleeping overnight at a rest area with both their engine and generator exhaust pumping into my windows.

Right, I've had a few alarms but they weren't false. I always carry 9V batteries with me too, just in case my smoke detector battery dies. I'd rather wake up in the morning when I go to bed.

Your life can depend on the detectors.
I don't know about others, however I am not a fan of combination units.

Smoke typically rises, so I want my smoke detector on or at the ceiling.

LP gas is heavier than air and should be located down near the floor.

CO is just about equal in weight to air so it should be mounted about the height that your head is at the most...
So what is your head height at the most when you are in your trailer? Well, my head would either be on the bed (sleeping) or sitting height (eating, watching tv, conversing, etc.) So I would recommend mounting your CO detector about waist height when you are standing...

Cleaning solutions such as Lysol, etc., can set them off, so perhaps putting a shower cap over it while cleaning will be visible so that you don't forget to remove when finished.

IMHO, combination units should not be sold or allowed.

Sorry that I cannot give info on how to disarm as there must be a reason, if no other than time for a replacement!

Be safe, happy camping!

Would it not be worthwhile to search out if indeed a truly superior unit exists?

I am terrified of carbon monoxide. Five decades ago when I learned carbon monoxide was five times more easily absorbed than oxygen in the lungs it made my hair stand out on end. Today, my hair has little chance to stand out on end.

I picked up a crate of detectors at the Lockheed auctions. Made by HP. Ugly, 12-24 volts with a huge coin cell battery inside. When 120vac power is lost the unit chirps every minute or so. They do have a chirper on/off slide switch on the reverse.

Maybe so, but constant false alarms also erode the effectiveness of the device.

Maybe it's a physics issue but I've never had a false alarm from my smoke detector. I've had accidental alarms from cooking but that's it.

My four year old COLP detector went into a constant state of false alarm just this last month. There were no fires to generate CO and the propane was also off.

That's when the detector got the wire cutters.

That said I do believe it saved me once when a class A parked next to me while sleeping overnight at a rest area with both their engine and generator exhaust pumping into my windows.

A safety device such as a CO detector, LPG detector or smoke detector should never have an on/off switch. It is too easy for it to accidentally be left in the off position.

mike-s wrote:

rwgeiser wrote:
I wonder if folks are talking about carbon monoxide detector or if they are actually talking about the propane detector located just above the floor? These are two completely different animals.

Except when they're exactly the same thing.

X2 exactly my case. I have an even cheaper model with just a Ready and Alarm light, no indication of what caused the alarm.

New unit has Ready, Gas Alarm and CO Alarm.