CO alarms mounting height

[ditchcrawler]

Get yourself a canary then

Will he be able to cover the flashing light up, he would be no good as a CO detector as you would need to be awake to see him fall off the perch

[Rob@BSSOffice]

 

I'm afraid that the BSS guide isn't the definitive guide - if it was then it would explain the particular issues associated with CO alarms on boats which you mention.

 

By way of assurance about the information in the guide, the advice is not ours. The advice comes from our publishing partners the Council of gas detection and Environmental Monitoring - the trade association of the UK CO alarm manufacturers/suppliers. It should be taken as the advice from the alarm manufacturers specific for boats. All the members were consulted and asked for their opinions, as such, it is the joint industry position.

 

And based on that type of joint approach mechanism, we have now made a small update to our previously published advice which is to choose alarms approved as meeting BS EN 50291-2; these are best suited for boats. This is the latest standard incorporating environment challenges faced by boats and leisure accommodation vehicles. Most of the major alarm manufacturers are already supplying alarms to this standard and they should be easy to find.

 

Regards

[blackrose]

 

You will find in practice that it will be quite difficult (if not impossible) to fit a CO alarm exactly as per the fitting instructions on your average boat hence the BSS link. Ours for example is a little nearer a CO generating appliance (oven) than I would ideally like but I had to compromise somewhere.

 

I didn't find it difficult at all to fit my CO alarm exactly as per the fitting instructions on my boat. It's on the ceiling as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. In fact on my boat it would actually be more difficult to follow the BSS advice which is why I didn't.

Edited January 9, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

I didn't find it difficult at all to fit my CO alarm exactly as per the fitting instructions on my boat. It's on the ceiling as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. In fact on my boat it would actually be more difficult to follow the BSS advice which is why I didn't.

Out of curiosity what make and model is it?

[blackrose]

 

By way of assurance about the information in the guide, the advice is not ours. The advice comes from our publishing partners the Council of gas detection and Environmental Monitoring - the trade association of the UK CO alarm manufacturers/suppliers. It should be taken as the advice from the alarm manufacturers specific for boats. All the members were consulted and asked for their opinions, as such, it is the joint industry position.

 

And based on that type of joint approach mechanism, we have now made a small update to our previously published advice which is to choose alarms approved as meeting BS EN 50291-2; these are best suited for boats. This is the latest standard incorporating environment challenges faced by boats and leisure accommodation vehicles. Most of the major alarm manufacturers are already supplying alarms to this standard and they should be easy to find.

 

Regards

 

I'm afraid I still don't understand the reason for the difference between fitting a CO alarm in a room in a house and in a room in a boat Rob? Until this is explained clearly to users there will always be ambiguity and you will find just as many users (if not more) following the manufacturers' advice as your own. I'm afraid that some BSS advice which is given without reason won't have the uptake as the advice which is explained properly.

Out of curiosity what make and model is it?

 

It's a Kidde - I can't see the model number. I also have a First Alert CO alarm which also recommended ceiling mounting.

 

The Kidde needs to be replaced this year so we'll see what the instructions for the replacement says.

Edited January 9, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

I'm afraid I still don't understand the reason for the difference between fitting a CO alarm in a room in a house and in a room in a boat Rob? Until this is explained clearly to users there will always be ambiguity and you will find just as many users (if not more) following the manufacturers' advice as your own. I'm afraid that some BSS advice which is given without reason won't have the uptake as the advice which is explained properly.

So you still don't think the BSS office know what they are talking about even when they include advice from the manufacturers of these things?

 

Surely its an issue about minimum distances and clearances from things like windows, doors, roof, co generating appliances. Easier to achieve in a house than a boat.

[blackrose]

So you still don't think the BSS office know what they are talking about even when they include advice from the manufacturers of these things?

 

Surely its an issue about minimum distances and clearances from things like windows, doors, roof, co generating appliances. Easier to achieve in a house than a boat.

 

No, I didn't say that at all. I think you need to re-read what I wrote.

 

You may be correct, but you're making assumptions. We don't know what the issues are because they haven't been properly explained. Boats vary in dimensions. I have a 24ft x 11.5ft open plan saloon and galley and I didn't have any problem achieving the distances and clearances that you mention.

Edited January 9, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

No, I didn't say that at all. I think you need to re-read what I wrote.

 

You may be correct, but you're making assumptions. We don't know what the issues are because they haven't been properly explained. Boats vary in dimensions and I didn't have any problem achieving the distances and clearances you mention.

Let me think?

 

Do I go with the BSS and the manufacturer's or

 

could 'Mike on a boat' just be right and just because he questions the fact that the BSS have not been able to explain themselves satisfactorily to him mean I should mount my CO alarm on the ceiling??

 

Jepordy????

[blackrose]

Let me think?

 

Do I go with the BSS and the manufacturer's or

 

could 'Mike on a boat' just be right and just because he questions the fact that the BSS have not been able to explain themselves satisfactorily to him mean I should mount my CO alarm on the ceiling??

 

Jepordy????

 

You're (deliberately?) missing the point or perhaps you genuinely misunderstood from the beginning? I'm not telling you where to mount your CO alarms. You can think about it all you want and install your CO alarms exactly as you see fit!

 

On the other hand, I had no problems following my alarm manufacturers installation advice. I didn't, as you seem to be implying, just make up the installation advice myself - it came from Kidde and First Alarm! So in the absence of any published explanation from the BSS as to why the advice from both these manufacturers might be wrong on my boat, I'm satisfied to leave the alarms where they are.

Edited January 9, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

You're (deliberately?) missing the point or perhaps you genuinely misunderstood from the beginning? I'm not telling you where to mount your CO alarms. You can think about it all you want and install your CO alarms exactly as you see fit!

 

On the other hand, I had no problems following my alarm manufacturers installation advice, and in an absence of any explanation from the BSS as to why this installation might be wrong on my boat, I'm satisfied to leave them where they are.

 

If you have the installation advice you must know the model? Surely

[blackrose]

If you have the installation advice you must know the model? Surely

 

Found them: The Kidde is a 900-0145 (nearly 7 years old) The First Alert is a CO-FA-9B (fairly new).

Edited January 9, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

First one sounds old, have you checked the life expectancy of the sensor?

[blackrose]

First one sounds old, have you checked the life expectancy of the sensor?

 

It's got an expiry date: 11/2014 (manufactured 2006)

[Guest]

It's got an expiry date: 11/2014 (manufactured 2006)

I can't locate that specific model on the Kidde website...only one very similar, and that is wall, not ceiling mountable.

 

I suspect it's now obsolete and time to change anyway..

[blackrose]

It may be obsolete from the manufacturers perspective, but not from the user's, so I won't be changing it until it expires in Nov this year. The First Alert alarm was bought very recently and as I already said, it is ceiling mountable.

[b0atman]

I went for two one on the floor the other near the ceiling

[Loafer]

Mine are on bookshelves next to our beds. At night, I just turn mine over and you can't see the flashing confidence light. It's not screwed down to anything and can be moved at any time. Sits next to my clock.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Loafer