On First Alert® carbon monoxide alarms, the red light flashes to show the Carbon Monoxide Alarm is properly receiving battery power.
New tech in the house can sometimes take a little bit of time to get familiar with. Luckily, if your First Alert carbon monoxide alarm is holding a steady red light, this means that it is operating normally.
You can test this CO Alarm by pressing the Test button on the Alarm cover until alarm chirps. The alarm horn will sound: 4 beeps, a pause, then 4 beeps. The alarm sequence should last 5-6 seconds. If the unit does not alarm, make sure it has been activated correctly, and test again.
On First Alert carbon monoxide alarms, the red light flashes to show the CO alarm is properly receiving battery power. If you do not see the red light flashing, change the batteries in the alarm immediately.
When the Alarm detects potentally dangerous levels of CO, it flashes the red alarm light and then sounds a loud alarm if the CO persists. The digital display (Model Ei261DENRC only) indicates the CO level in parts per million (ppm) CO.
A carbon monoxide detector is a must for any home and just as important as a smoke detector. CO detectors should be placed near all bedrooms; they're the only way you will know if carbon monoxide is affecting the air quality in your home, and can help prevent serious illness and even death.
Grilling or barbecuing too close to an open door, window or inside the garage – Not only can these activities pull CO indoors, they're also a fire hazard. Lack of fresh air ventilation indoors – When homes are tightly closed for cooling or heating for weeks on end, unhealthy gases can accumulate inside.
If your smoke detector is blinking red, it means that the batteries are low. While this can happen with all smoke detectors, it's more often the case with First Alert smoke detectors, since they are known for their exceptionally long battery life.
Will a carbon monoxide detector detect a gas leak? Technically speaking, a carbon monoxide detector is not designed to detect the presence of gas. Instead, these devices alert for elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the air that could be the result of toxic gases or air quality issues.
1 beep every minute: This means that the detector has low batteries and you should replace them. 5 beeps every minute: This means your alarm has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced with a new carbon monoxide alarm.
What does it mean? This is the power indicator light: First Alert and BRK alarms have a power indicator light to show you that your alarm is receiving power. Some alarms have a red or green light that blinks every few minutes, while other models blink rapidly or shine a solid light.
1 Beep Every Minute: Low Battery. It is time to replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide alarm. 5 Beeps Every Minute: End of Life. This chirp means it is time to replace your carbon monoxide alarm.
What Does an End-of-Life Beep From My Detector Mean? Most carbon monoxide alarms last between 5 and 7 years. Even if the battery is still good, all detectors should be replaced after 7 years.
Does a carbon monoxide detector go off continuously? Most carbon monoxide detectors will continue to sound their alarm until the level of carbon monoxide in the air drops back to an undetectable level. Most detectors beep four times followed by a pause and continue to do this while carbon monoxide is present.
Signs of a carbon monoxide leak in your house or home
Sooty or brownish-yellow stains around the leaking appliance. Stale, stuffy, or smelly air, like the smell of something burning or overheating. Soot, smoke, fumes, or back-draft in the house from a chimney, fireplace, or other fuel burning equipment.
Possible false alarm causes
Fossil fuel-burning appliances may not be burning fuel completely. Check pilot lights/flames for blue color. Appearance of yellow or orange flames indicates incomplete combustion—a source of carbon monoxide.
If the carbon monoxide concentration in the air is much higher, signs of poisoning may occur within 1-2 hours. A very high carbon monoxide concentration can even kill an exposed individual within 5 minutes.
The most common source of CO poisoning is unvented space heaters in the home. An unvented space heater uses combustible fuel and indoor air for the heating process. It vents the gases it makes into the room, instead of outdoors.
Self Checks/At-Home Testing
There isn't a self-diagnosis option for carbon monoxide poisoning, but anyone with confusion or a loss of consciousness should have 911 called for them.
Most smoke detectors use a red blinking LED light to alert users to an active alarm. In this case, the red LED light will flash once for every 45 seconds that the alarm is active. This is usually a common thing across smoke detector brands, regardless of the manufacturer.
(1) The CO Alarm will not work without good batteries - the green power light must flash every 45 seconds. If the battery has been drained the alarm will not give protection. Button test the alarm on return from holidays and other long absences. (2) Carbon Monoxide must enter the unit for it to be detected.
This battery characteristic can cause a smoke alarm to enter the low battery chirp mode when air temperatures drop. Most homes are the coolest between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. That's why the alarm may sound a low-battery chirp in the middle of the night, and then stop when the home warms up a few degrees.