Low Battery – The alarm will chirp every 30-40 seconds (every 60 seconds for some alarms) for a minimum of seven days. Replace the battery when this occurs, then test your alarm.
It probably means your CO alarm has reached its end of life and should be replaced. CO alarms have a life expectancy of around seven years. All CO alarms produced after August 1, 2009, have an end-of-life warning notification that alerts the resident that the alarm should be replaced.
A carbon monoxide alarm can be reset by pressing the “RESET” button that is located on the alarm. If after resetting the alarm it keeps chirping, replace the batteries and test the unit. The alarm may have a low battery when it beeps. Replace the batteries when the unit beeps every 30 seconds.
How do I make it stop? Your detector may be reaching its end-of-life cycle, and may need to be replaced. Many carbon monoxide and smoke detectors come with a “Hush” feature, which will stop the beeping for 72 hours. To silence the beeping, press and hold the “Hush” or “Test” button.
Newer smoke alarms keep some errors in the processor. The smoke alarm must clear errors after the battery is changed, but it might continue to chirp even after you change the batteries. This usually occurs in electrical powered smoke alarms with a battery backup.
Smoke alarms alert you with three beeps in a row. Carbon monoxide alarms alert you with four beeps. A single chirp means the battery is low or the detector should be replaced.
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.
Smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors can false alarm for several reasons. False or nuisance alarms are when your smoke detector or CO alarm goes off, but there is no presence of smoke or carbon monoxide in your home.
Carbon monoxide detector batteries need to be replaced every six months (a great time to do this is during daylight saving time when you're turning your clocks back or forward).
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.
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 CO alarm sounds if your sensor detects a buildup of carbon monoxide in your home—usually before you start sensing symptoms. With a low CO level (50 ppm), it may take up to eight hours for the alarm to go off. Higher carbon monoxide levels (over 150 ppm) can trigger an alarm within minutes.
In domestic properties, your CO alarm can be triggered by any fuel burning appliance such as gas cookers, boilers and ovens. All of these appliances give off small traces of CO, but the levels can rise slightly when adequate ventilation isn't provided, or the venting is blocked or clogged by dust.
Clothes dryers. Water heaters. Furnaces or boilers. Fireplaces, both gas and wood burning.
Can a carbon monoxide detector go off for no reason? In most cases, no. There is typically a reason why the CO alarm is sounding, whether it detects carbon monoxide in the air or is low on battery.
Most Carbon Monoxide detectors are good for 5-7 years and should be replaced after that time frame. Typically, the units have a tag or date stamp on the back to indicate it's age or expiration date.
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.
If your smoke alarms are powered by a nine-volt battery, the battery should be replaced every 6 months, while the alarm itself should be replaced once every 10 years.
Call 911 immediately and report that the alarm has gone off. Do not assume it is safe to reenter the home when the alarm stops. When you open windows and doors, it helps diminish the amount of carbon monoxide in the air, but the source may still be producing the gas.
Opening a window will slow carbon monoxide poisoning, but it likely won't stop it. There simply isn't enough airflow through most windows to get rid of the poisonous gas, and it could take between four and eight hours for the CO to dissipate entirely.
Most people with a mild exposure to carbon monoxide experience headaches, fatigue, and nausea. Unfortunately, the symptoms are easily overlooked because they are often flu-like. Medium exposure can cause you to experience a throbbing headache, drowsiness, disorientation, and an accelerated heart rate.
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.
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.
In others, a steady or blinking green light on a carbon monoxide detector can mean it's detected a** low-level presence of carbon monoxide**. If the presence increased, it would cause the alarm to sound. It could also mean it's time to replace the battery, especially if it's also chirping.