First Alert GCO1CN Plug In Combination Explosive Gas/Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup
by First Alert
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of First Alert GCO1CN Plug In Combination Explosive Gas/Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup
Customer Review: A must have
Summary: 5 Stars
Product is easily installed. A must have for any home with natural gas of propane.Customer Review: Important gas appliance accessory [safety]
Summary: 4 Stars
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!
Customer Review: Functional with one flaw
Summary: 4 Stars
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).Customer Review: It's cool
Summary: 4 Stars
Haven't had a scare yet, so I'm guessing since it's on, it gets the job done. I just wish there's a better way to power it (using a battery so that you don't have to hide an ugly cord).Customer Review: Works!
Summary: 4 Stars
Works good!
cons:
-covers 2 wall sockets
-while unplugged and on battery mode will drain the battery in about 2 days