A year ago, after getting a new Freedom Bay insert installed, I knew it was time to update the fire detectors. I bought a unit that was a combo of fire and Carbon Monoxide detector. Then, when I was running a check on the unit a year later, I found a surprise.
Twice, about a week apart, I pressed the fire/CO combination detector's test button. It has a voice along with the 85db honker... It cycled through both tests, but announced on the Carbon Monoxide alarm that there were 142 parts per million and to reset it to zero. I went to the web to find out what that meant. First Alert's site said that the alarm should have sounded at 70 ppm, but it never sounded. The next week it said there were 172 ppm, and with the hard cold of 9 degrees, there has always been one of us left in the house; even with the higher reading, still no alarm sounded.
I called their warranty number, then went through jumping all those "Press 1 Now" hoops and waiting several minutes, I finally got a live human.... He had me do a test, but it showed zero ppm. When he asked me the model/serial number and then the manufacture date, well, in the usual place on the back label, there was no Manufacture date stamp... I bought it at large Sears' mall store...smells fishy doesn't it, no date... no accountability for selling old stock?
The Bottom Line, free of charge, First Alert sent me a brand new detector worth $40.00+ shipping, and told me to toss the old one, they didn't want it. If you have this model, I'd encourage you to give it some real experience with it over your glowing nugget ash bucket to see if it will alarm and the give you a parts per million count.
http://www.firstalertstore.com/store/catalog.asp?item=1232
FYI,
Bill
Twice, about a week apart, I pressed the fire/CO combination detector's test button. It has a voice along with the 85db honker... It cycled through both tests, but announced on the Carbon Monoxide alarm that there were 142 parts per million and to reset it to zero. I went to the web to find out what that meant. First Alert's site said that the alarm should have sounded at 70 ppm, but it never sounded. The next week it said there were 172 ppm, and with the hard cold of 9 degrees, there has always been one of us left in the house; even with the higher reading, still no alarm sounded.
I called their warranty number, then went through jumping all those "Press 1 Now" hoops and waiting several minutes, I finally got a live human.... He had me do a test, but it showed zero ppm. When he asked me the model/serial number and then the manufacture date, well, in the usual place on the back label, there was no Manufacture date stamp... I bought it at large Sears' mall store...smells fishy doesn't it, no date... no accountability for selling old stock?
The Bottom Line, free of charge, First Alert sent me a brand new detector worth $40.00+ shipping, and told me to toss the old one, they didn't want it. If you have this model, I'd encourage you to give it some real experience with it over your glowing nugget ash bucket to see if it will alarm and the give you a parts per million count.
http://www.firstalertstore.com/store/catalog.asp?item=1232
FYI,
Bill
