Smoke/co2 alarm (23 Viewers)

[POH]

Hi folks, which is the best a combined alarm or separate ones and the best place to put them , have a combined one ATM on the ceiling by the kitchen which is 3years old now so maybe time to change .

 

[Jabstatt]

Note that it isn’t a CO2 alarm. It’s CO, important!

Tony

 

[POH]

Note that it isn’t a CO2 alarm. It’s CO, important!

Tony

Oops

 

[Zigisla]

We have two separate ones. A thermo one for fire as it’s less prone to cooking set offs placed on the ceiling in the fwd part of lounge area. The CO alarm is by our bed which is over the cab. Both by fire angel.

 

[Lenny HB]

I always fit seperate ones, the Co on a wall in the bedroom area and an optical smoke alarm on the ceiling in the bedroom area.

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[AlunandFelicie]

We also have separate ones both in the bedroom ,Oh how we laughed (NOT) when one went off under fault conditions as we sped along a narrow country road in France! There’s a litter bin in central France that no doubt still screams as you approach

 

[Guigsy]

Hi folks, which is the best a combined alarm or separate ones and the best place to put them , have a combined one ATM on the ceiling by the kitchen which is 3years old now so maybe time to change .

They have an expiry date on them. They normally last 10 years.

 

[DavidG58]

I suggest a model with a display for the CO monitor , any alert needs attention, but knowing how severe it is will allow better reaction

I think they alert above 15ppm, but has a time delay to prevent false low alerts

15ppm would need weeks to have even the tiniest effect on people or pets, but once in 100’s you really to be out very quickly and stay out

The Kidde display also allows you to check back on max levels even if below alert level

https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-Battery-Operated-Monoxide-KN-Copp-B-LPM/dp/B004Y6V5CI

They will be cheaper elsewhere and have gone up a lot recently , but well worth the extra few £’s imo, I have done a lot of confined space training courses and worked in them , dangerous gas, especially ones you can’t smell like CO are very serious when at wrong levels

Mount it around head height in bed area and standing height at other end , we have three in ours at 8.2m bedroom over Alde boiler, kitchen by hob / fridge and front drop down bed just in case

 

[Pausim]

We have two separate ones. A thermo one for fire as it’s less prone to cooking set offs placed on the ceiling in the fwd part of lounge area. The CO alarm is by our bed which is over the cab. Both by fire angel.

Not sure I see the point of a thermo alarm in a motorhome, if you haven’t noticed the temperature has risen to 58°C you have probably already been overcome by fumes. I have an optical smoke alarm and cooking has never set it off. I would rather have a few false alarms than miss the early warning a smoke alarm gives.

 

[Zigisla]

Not sure I see the point of a thermo alarm in a motorhome, if you haven’t noticed the temperature has risen to 58°C you have probably already been overcome by fumes. I have an optical smoke alarm and cooking has never set it off. I would rather have a few false alarms than miss the early warning a smoke alarm gives.

Looks like I edited too much out of my post when re writing the first part
I have a thermally enhanced optical detector.

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[Pausim]

Looks like I edited too much out of my post when re writing the first part
I have a thermally enhanced optical detector.

Not heard of these before but having done a quick search I like the idea. The optical sensitivity is increased if the alarm detects a sudden rise in temperature.

 

[Zigisla]

Not heard of these before but having done a quick search I like the idea. The optical sensitivity is increased if the alarm detects a sudden rise in temperature.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00T29W4MM?tag=mhf04-21

This current one is only 4 years old and started making some strange chirps. I contacted fire angel and they are replacing it free of charge.

 

[fishplug]

I spent a while researching various options and really wanted something that could take a permanent 12v feed but that would also charge from that 12v power source to give a battery backup.

The problem with the generic supermarket ones that take AA batteries is that they could sit and beep away for days on end to warn me of low battery but as the van isn't in daily use I could easily miss that and never know...

I hadn't really found anything that would do that, other than some cheap 'aliexpress' style devices which I really didn't trust and then someone on a different forum put up for sale a set of smoke/carbon monoxide alarms with WiFi integration from X-Sense.

This system allows you to place multiple sensors in different areas. You want your carbon monoxide detectors low down and your smoke detectors high up but if your motorhome has 'rooms' then you could place sensors in each and get that early warning that might make a difference.

So far I've only bench tested it as my PVC is still more PV than anything else! but it does look like a good system.

 

[Pausim]

You want your carbon monoxide detectors low down

FireAngel say CO alarms should be positioned above the height of any openings such as doors but more than 150mm below ceiling level. I can’t see any way of achieving this in a Converted Panel Van but the air volume is so small compared to a house I just hope that it would detect the problem before I was overcome.

 

[fishplug]

Agreed. Positioning in a PVC (as with most things) is a compromise.

This is another reason why I'm pleased to have a kit with multiple sensors so hopefully if one of them misses something then another one should pick it up.

As you say, these are designed to span several rooms in a house so having four of them in a space less than half the size of a normal room should hopefully do the job!

It's imperfect, but better than having nothing at all.