Sensorcon Labor Day sale - CO Inspector and more

[DandyDon]

It's not the best CO alarm for tank testing, but it's the cheapest I'd trust. I carry mine everywhere, in case my car develops a CO leak, a store or restaurant develops a problem with no alarms, and most certainly for hotel rooms. I don't have it calibrated as often as suggested, just every other year when I send it in for battery & sensor servicing, but even with sensor drift - I think it's good protection.

And it can be used to check tanks. I think the idea of using a tube to bleed gas from tank directly into the unit failed as the pressure caused poor readings, if I remember correctly, but dropping the unit in a gallon,easy to close zip lock can work. You'll suck in some outside air, but it'll give you a reasonably close reading.

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Sensorcon

Oh they are as tough as advertised. Mine has been thru a complete machine wash cycle with no harm.

 

[Jcp2]

Your zip lock bag idea has been commercialized.

Pocket CO SCUBA - Detect Carbon Monoxide

 

[DandyDon]

Your zip lock bag idea has been commercialized.

Pocket CO SCUBA - Detect Carbon Monoxide

I started with that model, but had too many problems.

 

[divinh]

I picked up one of these SensorCon's in a previous sale. Today, I really got to put it to use, unfortunately.

I had vacuumed the inside of the gas fireplace. After relighting it, everything seemed fine. The flame was blue, with a few licks of orange around the fake logs. I noticed after about 30 min that when I stood by the fireplace, my eyes would sting. I grabbed the SensorCon and turned it on. It immediately began to flash and the ppm was 60+! I shut off the fireplace and opened the windows. The SensorCon was approaching on 70+, right by the fireplace. I went over to the window and saw that the SensorCon registered 10, only after a bit. I retested with the SensorCon every 15 minutes and saw that the ppm was indeed going down. During all of this, my Nest Protect, mounted 20+ feet up (high ceilings), started going off with CO detected. The Nest Protect was getting readings delayed from what I saw on the ground.

What I learned:

- CO can fill a room fast, just 30 minutes to fill my room from 1-2 ppm to 80 ppm
- CO goes from the ground to the ceiling. The Nest Protect, at the end of all the alerts (given multiple times), issues a report, which said highest ppm encountered, which was 82.
- CO takes a while to dissipate, three hours to drop to 2 ppm

I had originally purchased the SensorCon to test tank air, as @DandyDon had described in another thread. I never really got to use it for that purpose, so was considering perhaps selling it. Well, it did a fine job tonight.

 

[DandyDon]

Today, I really got to put it to use, unfortunately.

Close call there. The levels may not have been in a deadly range but injury and sickness were possible, and it could have gotten more dangerous. My home dive bud had home CO alarms go off at his home when his gas fireplace malfunctioned and his shop when a space heater did. Scary experiences.

Actually, the specific gravity of Carbon Monoxide is 0.9657 (with normal air being 1.0), this means that it will float up towards the ceiling because it is lighter than regular air. It's so close to 1.0 though that it can take a while and for all intents and purpose it often mixes pretty evenly in a room in time. With 20 foot high ceilings, I can see a disadvantage of having the room CO alarm so high.

Why turn your Sensorcon off? I never do. The sensor will need replacing after two years anyway and the battery will last that long. I send mine in every two years for servicing, and they replace both then. I add a date sticker to the back of the unit as the display starts flashing EOL much quicker, but I don't feel the need for that much accuracy so use mine that long.

 

[divinh]

Oh, I didn't realize the battery would last two years. When I didn't use it, I kept it in a dry, cool place, free from dust, so I figured the sensor would last longer.

The reading inside has been 0 ppm, which was what it read when I first got it. I initially tested it by holding it by the gas stove, to see it go up by a few ppm. This most recent incident really showed it working, and yes, it was scary.