One reviewer questioned if these really work... YES they do! I had a new furnace installed recently, and the installers made a mistake. Without detectors in the house I might never have known, and my family could have suffered greatly (ie somebody could have become ill or even died!). We had had them for years and they ALWAYS read 0. When we started seeing it detect CO we knew we had a problem. Occasional low readings (such as near your kitchen on Thanksgiving if you have a gas stove) are ok, but any consistant reading is cause for real concern particularly if it is away from any known source of CO (stove, fireplace, etc).I strongly reccomend folks place a detector on each occupied level of your home. If something happens you may very well get different readings on different levels (I did).When selecting a CO detector be sure to pick an electornic one with a digital readout. They cost more, but are well worth it. The only maintenance with a unit like this one is replacing the backup battery. (BTW, a backup battery is a really good idea. Each year many folks die because they used various types of gas heating devices during power outages with inadequate ventalation.) Also, the digital readout will help track down problems envolving lower levels of CO and may give you earlier warning of a malfunctioning heating system.Finally, this particular unit has an advantage in that it can be placed directly over an outlet, or the included power cord can be used to allow higher wall mounting or placement on a table/shelf/etc. Kidde KN-COPP-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display
I also had a problem with my two detectors using up the batteries in one to two months time. But I called Kidde customer service and after I gave them the model no and assembly dates from the back of the units, they confirmed that these models were defective. Apparently there is a faulty circuit that triggers the low battery indicator prematurely. So the batteries are actually not worn down completely. The problem is with the sensor that reads the battery levels. Kidde sent me two new detectors. They are working fine so far. I will know more after a couple months. If you have this problem, call Kidde customer service and they should take care of you.
This alarm seems to be everything it claims to be. Initially plugged it in my garage until I brought it inside. The alarm went off when the garage door was closed too soon after our car was pulled out. I bought this before I read a great review on this product in Consumers Reports. This is a great product
I got this to protect my family and myself from any potential CO hazards. We have gas heat, fireplace, and stove. We had a cheaper model with those stupid cartridges. One day it went off and my wife called the police to ask what to do. Within 5 minutes, there were 3 police cars, 2 fire trucks, a rescue truck, and 20 firemen, paramedics, and police officers at the house. The neighbors all came out and the police had to direct traffic around all the vehicles parked in front of the house.It was a false alarm, the cartridge was old and became saturated with CO over a long period of time (a common problem). Worse yet, the replacement cartridge cost almost as much money as a new unit. What a waste of money.This one has a nice digital display and doesn't need a replaceable cartridge. I bought one for my parents to. Get a CO detectors. The added security is well worth the money.
I have had this detector for a few years and it has worked flawlessly. I have always had very low CO readings in my house since it is 75 years old now. Recently, my wife while in the house, was talking on her Cellular Phone, and walked within 5 feet of this detector, and it set off the detector and caused the detector to generate false readings from the radiation that the Cell Phone was producing. She actually saw the display, displaying a series of random numbers, as she was talking on her cellular phone. We also have 900MHz cordless phones in the house and these do not appear to affect the detector.
This instrument saved my life recently during a power outage. When the power went out my gas furnace was operating at maximum. This caused the electric blower to stop suddenly. The furnace was full of hot air, gas, partially combusted gas and carbon monoxide which had no place to go except into the room air. My Nighthawk CO alarm, which has a battery backup, alerted me to the potentially lethal situation and I was able to open the windows. Never go to sleep without it.
This is probably the best CO detector on the market. It will last you 7 years - the cheaper non-digital detectors will only last 2 years and will end up costing you much more money in the long run.
The best feature is the peak level dectector which will allow you to monitor carbon monixide levels as low as 11 ppm (the alarm will go off if ppms excede 50). There are some reports and studies that show that a constant exposure to low level carbon monoxide gas can cause long term health problems - so this is a handy way to check different parts of your house for this.
I am suprised at the Amazon price for this. I got this at Home Depot in West Roxbury MA for $49.00.
This is the third Kidde Nighthawk that we've owned and all have exhibited the same behavior - after a little more than a year they produce a false alarm in the dead of night. How do we know the alarms are false? First, the alarm isn't continuous. The unit sounds long enough to get us out of bed and get our hearts pounding and then stops. Second, the display reads 0 ppm CO. Third, when we check the peak level of CO it is always below the threshold level where CO would be a concern. I have tried replacing the battery even though "LB" is not displayed. The result is the same behavior and frustration a week or two later. Our first two units were the combined CO and explosive gases units which others have noted are problematic. However, we have had the same problem with this unit (CO only). Interestingly, the alarm usually sounds in the summer when we have the AC on, rather than when we are heating the house with natural gas. I'm wondering if others have had this problem. - Kidde - Carbon Monoxide - Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Carbon Monoxide Alarm'
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