This is the worst $50 I've ever spent. I HATE this alarm. Although it's plugged into the wall, you also _have_ to install a 9 volt battery. Most devices that have a battery back up don't drain the battery while the unit is plugged in. Not this alarm! I probably go through 3-4 9 volt batteries each winter. And if the battery starts to lose it's charge, or you dare to leave the battery out, the alarm beeps every few minutes.
Another important thing to note about this alarm... although it can detect carbon monoxide and natural gas, you're supposed to mount the device at different heights depending on the gas you're trying to detect. In other words, it doesn't really serve it's dual purpose.
Although I've already lost the $50, I'll be buying a different alarm for this season. I can't take dealing with its battery problems anymore. First Alert GCO1CN Plug In Combination Explosive Gas/Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup
We live offgrid, and use propane for cooking, refrigeration, water heating, clothes drying, and generator. We had a propane leak, and this unit notified us before we could smell it. It also notified us of a CO2 issue when the generator vent was closed off. Well worth the money. Can't put a price on your families life!
I have received a lot of false alarms with this product. The first time the carbon monoxide alarm went off, I had the fire department out here within minutes thinking we had a big problem. They found nothing in the house. Since then, the alarm sounds about 4 times a week, all false alarms. I've moved the placement of the monitor several times as per the instructions, but it still gives a lot of false alarms.
Placed the product on the wall (they recommend placing higher for the Natural Gas detection) and randomly about once a day mid-evening the alarm goes off. Initially I got up to press the reset button, then realized that the alarm would go off for about 10 seconds and reset itself. Doesn't seem like it's really detecting anything...
This is really the only explosive gas alarm available for standard residential use. I just had to purchase a replacement for a 5-year old unit that began to sound false alarms. One day it was fine, the next day it would constantly sound false alarms. I had the gas company out and they confirmed the alarm was false. The gas company technician indicated they often find this product will suddenly start issuing false alarms after about 3-4 years of use. As far as I know, my device worked just fine for five years until it went bad. I purchased another because I like having peace of mind that my alarm will detect a gas leak and not just carbon monoxide. There is a big difference!!! I think it is reasonable for the alarm to go bad after about 5 years. Aside from the lifespan, the only other issue is that it eats through batteries very fast, even when plugged in. My original device would require a new 9-volt every 3-4 months, yet it was always plugged in. I considered the Safety Siren alarm, but was displease to learn the device itself plugs directly into an outlet...there is no cord. Since I don't have outlets near the ceiling (where the alarm must be positioned to properly detect natural gas), I couldn't use it. Plus, the First Alert unit has battery back-up, which could be helpful during storms and other events that could lead to natural gas leaks. Overall, I think the product could be much better, but it is the best option available if you want to detect explosive gas.
This alarm seems to function fine - no false alarms or other problems yet. My only complaint is that it's designed so that when you plug it into one outlet in a duplex receptacle, it also covers up the other outlet (unless you use the option to detach the alarm from the plug and mount it elsewhere on the wall).
update 10/2010 - in 20/20 hindsight this detector would have done wonders for the people whos homes were destroyed by a leaking natural gas line near south san francsico recently. Wired into a monitored alarm system it would have provided proof of natural gas weeks before the explosion that killed 8. Back to the review now
The unfortunate thing about carbon MONoxide deaths is that unless you have been trained to recognize the symptoms quickly you start to feel pretty darn good, a sort of wellness or euphoria, before you die. Carbon MONoxide should not be confused with carbon DIoxide, which can asphyxiate should it leak in a laboratory setting to such a level as to displace the oxygen in the room, but otherwise isn't a killer as carbon MONoxide is. It is a component of combustion from charcoal briquettes, generators, lamps, gas appliances (heaters/stoves), and furnaces just to name a few. Abbreviated CO it binds to the hemaglobin in the blood with a more attractive quality not allowing the blood to carry oxygen (O) , but (CO) instead. The brain of a trained individual (EMT/fire/pilots are a few examples) can recognize the symptoms but most people will just feel real good. The line from there to death is fast and steep, making CO gas the silent killer. As the body is designed to eliminate CO2 through exhilation, it does not poison like CO does. Running car engines inside a garage with the door down is another source of CO.
Different hazards surround gas appliances if there is a natural gas leak. Natural gas is perhaps the most dangerous as it has an explosive mix ratio with oxygen that covers a wide percentage range. This is why oderants are added to natural gas (methane or CH4) to give it that foul smell. The human nose can detect it in the ppm range before it reaches its lower explosive level. That is if you are awake, and at home.
I modified my detector and wired it into my home's centrally monitored and supervised alarm system's inputs using isolation relays so that if I am not home and gas is detected, the alarm will call for help to the fire department with the type of alarm and location. This is easy to do because any alarm turns on the lcd backlight - you take that signal and operate a small relay closure which gives a contact closure to the alarm system. Configure that input as "natural gas/carbon monoxide danger" to the monitoring company and you're all set - if the alarm goes off (I've not had a single false alarm) it will bring the fire department to your house fast.
Previously these sensors were very expensive and not a part of every gas habitable space or RV. They should be. It will make the owner aware of the gas combustion byproducts and encourage venting by alarming, and they have saved lives when the family furnace had a broken firebox thus pumping CO into the house while the family slept. While more expensive than a smoke detector, it's cheap protection from hazards of not being an all-electric house.
Using a lithium battery for backup should prevent a replacement for many years with its 110 vac power. The product could be improved by having a terminal strip on the back for wiring into centrally monitored alarm systems, which is why I rated it a 4/5. Modification no doubt voids the warantee but adds functionality for someone familiar with alarm design - it's just a pain! - Alarm - Co - First Alert - Carbon Monoxide'
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