Carbon monoxide tester

[cbouch]

I was wondering how many boats have marine co2 testers vs regular home co2 testers installed. Marine testers are about $100 each vs $25..interested to know others experiences. Thanks cliff

 

[HenryD]

Cliff,
I have both. I have a Xintex Carbon Monoxide next to my bed, a different marine Carbon Monoxide in the salon, and then household units elsewhere.
The Xintex unit has not signaled for CO detection but it has alarmed for low and high battery.

 

[psneeld]

There's always a debate, but the home ones seem to work just as well.


I have had them alarm when gasser boats nearby on calm days idle too long in a slip.



I have also had several alarm due to outgassing of batteries....which may have prevented fires as I caught the overheating batteries early.


I really see no need for marine ones toher than people nt changing batteries..but how that happens is beyond me as the low battery chirping is annoying as heck.

 

[rslifkin]

Unless you're getting hard-wired marine units, the only difference I can see in the specs and standards they're tested to for the marine vs household units is that the marine ones seem to have a wider operating temperature range.

Personally, I've got a few of the household units and figure that for 1/4 of the price, I'll just replace them at half the expected lifetime and still come out ahead. If I decide I want hard-wired at replacement time, then I'll spring for marine units. But a lot of the newer household units have those 10 year batteries anyway, so the detector will need replacing before it needs any attention for power.

 

[kchace]

I have 3 household units.

 

[C lectric]

I use the household units. Mine have AAA batteries and they get replaced every year.
A new unit was installed last year after about 5 on the previous unit.
It has alarmed when we had the boat shut up tight, COLD weather, and I used our alcohol stove more than usual. It was legitimate.

 

[Shrew]

I used residential grade, battery operated smoke detectors and CO detectors. I had poor results, overall, with those models. Approximately every 1.5-2 seasons, I would need to replace both for 'false-positives'. For example, in the middle of winter, sitting in the yard under shrink-wrap. I get a call from the yard "Your boat is 'beeping', do you want us to go onboard and look around?"

replacing batteries wasn't sufficient. Only replacing the units solved the issue.

I recently spent the money on a hard-wired Fireboy-Xintex CO detector and three hardwired smoke detectors. The only source of CO is the Main and the Generator, so I place the CO detector in the saloon. There is a smoke detector in the saloon along with one in both staterooms. I haven't had any false positives so far (2 seasons).

 

[C lectric]

Shrew, interesting so clearly not all are going to work. In my case the first gave its full expected service life and was replaced and the 2nd is now on 2 years.
I would need to look to get the mfgr. name.

 

[psneeld]

Cold and damp seem to very occasionally trigger my smoke (not CO) detectors into a false alarm.


Usually just warming and a vacuuming seems to resolve the issue tlll next winter...and usually they get worse before their expiration dates ...but a 2 pack prices compared to marine ones and the hassle of running wires.... I can live with it all and sleep soundly.


....except the one or 2 nights a year they start chirping in the middle of the night....

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

You can get combo smoke/CO detectors (home style) that are linked, so if one goes off, they all go off. I'm putting one in each stateroom, saloon, ER and flybridge. We have had regular home style units on for a year with no problems, but I like the idea of linked units, especially if I'm up on the FB, and the engine room tester goes off. Cheap monitoring system.

 

[Comodave]

I put 4 First Alert smoke detectors in our boat. You can link them wirelessly so that if one goes off they all go off. We were steam cleaning the bilge and they all went off due to the one in the engine room. So far they have worked well. I have one behind the main electrical panel. I am going to get 2 more and put one up on the flybridge where we always run the boat from in case we would not hear them below going off the one on the bridge will let us know they are going off.

 

[cbouch]

Thanks everyone.. looks like home alarms are ok...I also like the ones that are linked

 

[stubones99]

The CO sensors that have a gel block sensor can be false triggered if near a diaper pail, even with bagged diapers and closed diaper pail... Found this out the hard way.

 

[diver dave]

The CO sensors that have a gel block sensor can be false triggered if near a diaper pail, even with bagged diapers and closed diaper pail... Found this out the hard way.

That would be a true alarm in my house.