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Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:29 pm
by Longfinal
Just make sure you know how to cancel it if it does go off for some reason. In the confines of a cockpit, even with a noise cancelling headset on, it is ear splitting. A false alarm taught me that!

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:57 pm
by Jonzarno

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:03 pm
by Pilot H
Worth mentioning also that as well as following the emergency procedures (Such as ventilation, shutting off heating and landing ASAP) the engine should, if possible be run as lean as possible after an alarm, as a lean of peak misture will reduce the production of CO significantly in the exhaust.

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:12 pm
by Rob P
Jonzarno wrote:Another option:

https://newatlas.com/pocket-co-detector-carbon-monoxide/12129/


The overgrown schoolboy in me does lead me to wonder if such a pocket-borne device might be triggered by breaking wind?

Rob P

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:15 pm
by AlanM
I have the same alarm in the main cabin on my boat. Does seem to go off more than I expected but it saves me hitting test and thinking that the batteries have gone!

I have never been keen on the cardboard versions

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:15 pm
by riverrock
AndrewE wrote:I've just ordered this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B2HHTPJ/

No idea how good it is but could also be used in the car.

I thought the metal casing should help shield rf interference too.

Alert at 3ppm would give too many false positives - ambient air in a city may be higher levels than that.
See https://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us ... larm_.aspx for sensible values.
Note that UK certified alarms are time weighted, which is why the display screen is so important.

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:22 pm
by PeteSpencer
Longfinal wrote:Just make sure you know how to cancel it if it does go off for some reason. In the confines of a cockpit, even with a noise cancelling headset on, it is ear splitting. A false alarm taught me that!


The Fire Angel alarm can be silenced for three minutes by pressing the huge test button: If CO is still about after three minutes it will resume sounding and can be silenced once more: The readout will confirm or deny whether CO is present.

It its a genuine false alarm then one press of the test button will shut it up.

Its worth mentioning that on start up if your windows/door are open and its a touch breezy, enough CO from incomplete combustion can be wafted into the cabin to trigger the alarm.
I believe in early Kitfoxes the design regularly led to significant CO entering the cockpit on start up: this was addressed in later models IIRC.

Peter

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:49 pm
by Sooty25
PeteSpencer wrote:I believe in early Kitfoxes the design regularly led to significant CO entering the cockpit on start up: this was addressed in later models IIRC.

Peter


This was the 582 engined variants, caused by a very short exhaust outlet pipe. The exhaust outlet pipe is extended to overcome this.

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:31 am
by Paul_Sengupta
It's quite difficult to find out at what level the display starts reading. I've got a different Fire Angel one which starts reading at 10ppm. Some others I've looked at today start reading at 30ppm.

When I start up with the canopy open, I can get 10ppm until I close the canopy.

The Swedish Bulldogs had a shorter exhaust and I believe there was a service bulletin out to weld some extra tubing on to extend them. By the time they made the RAF ones, longer tubes were standard.

Another unit I was looking at today was this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JHWKPZP

It comes with a handy backplate to be able to remove and refit the unit easily, for example to change the batteries.

There are also some compact ones available on e-bay, but I don't know how good they are. I've ordered one and will try it out alongside my other one to see.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CO-Digital-LCD-Screen-Monoxide-Smoke-Detector-Alarm-Poisoning-Gas-Warning-Sensor/362692488013

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:56 am
by PeteSpencer
[quote="Paul_Sengupta’ ]

Another unit I was looking at today was this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JHWKPZP

It comes with a handy backplate to be able to remove and refit the unit easily, for example to change [/quote]


The one I have has a 7 year non replaceable battery You bin it and buy another unit At £17 for 7 years not a big deal

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:37 am
by patowalker
AlanM wrote:I have the same alarm in the main cabin on my boat. Does seem to go off more than I expected but it saves me hitting test and thinking that the batteries have gone!


The manual suggests it is unsuitable for boats.

I guess they would also say it was unsuitable for aircraft, if they thought someone would consider fitting it in one.

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:25 am
by Shoestring Flyer
It says it is only possible to silence it twice once it goes off. So what do you do then with thing then especially if it has such an ear splitting sound. Throw it out of the window?
The thing bleating away may be a very serious distraction whilst trying to get your aircraft on the ground!

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:34 am
by AlanM
patowalker wrote:
AlanM wrote:I have the same alarm in the main cabin on my boat. Does seem to go off more than I expected but it saves me hitting test and thinking that the batteries have gone!


The manual suggests it is unsuitable for boats.

I guess they would also say it was unsuitable for aircraft, if they thought someone would consider fitting it in one.


I would definitely suggest they would also say that it is unsuitable for aircraft too.

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:42 am
by stevelup
Is it suitable for motorcycles though?

Re: Carbon Monoxide detector recommendation

PostPosted:Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:13 am
by PeteSpencer
Shoestring Flyer wrote:It says it is only possible to silence it twice once it goes off. So what do you do then with thing then especially if it has such an ear splitting sound. Throw it out of the window?
The thing bleating away may be a very serious distraction whilst trying to get your aircraft on the ground!


The brain switches off:
When returning from Saucats a couple years ago the gear auto extend switch(we found Out later) broke on take off and the horn started sounding . We did a quick circuit and landed but just got the Gallic shrug from a hangar full of Jodel engineers. I rang our engineer in UK and he said just fly home.Which we did with the klaxon blaring for three hours. Fortunately the horn got a bit of a sore throat and went quieter and our brains soon ignored it ( a bit like the geezer who did a wheels up at Courchevel )