Kidde KN-COPP-3

I'm not sure about some of the negative reviews, but I feel I need to post regarding this unit, which saved my family: This CO detector sounded one afternoon on the SECOND floor of my house where I had it… plugged in. Note that I had just bought it two weeks prior. Although I initially thought it was broken, I called 911 and was able to give them the exact digital reading on the display (rather than just saying an alarm is sounding), and the speed at which the count was increasing. I was instructed to immediately open windows on the second floor and tell if the reading went lower -- it did. When the fire department arrived, they found a large CO leak in the furnace on the first floor. I was informed that at the rate the CO reading was increasing, the situation was actually critical (it was at 55 when I called, 65 when I was chatting with 911, 70 when I started opening windows; the display went progressively lower after opening windows and fresh air circulated). Had I not had an alarm, I would have never known what was happening... an unsettling thought. I was praised by the fire officials for having a unit that digitally displayed the level of CO in the house. This permitted the fire department to better assess the exact risk and rate of CO leakage. They also found a slight gas leak (even though I had just had the furnace "inspected" the month before... but that's a separate lesson about dishonest contractors). The end result was the furnace was shut off by the fire department and I had to replace the entire system. Would another unit have worked just as well? Maybe. All I know is this one DID and my family made it through without injury. That's how this company gained my trust. As a side note, I've only needed to replace the battery about once a year.

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I have purchased three of these (one a replacement) and they appear to work fine. Assuming it works(?) the actual numeric display of the level of CO in the air is reassuring (removes the "well, no alarm,… so I guess it's working" doubts). My only issue has been with the product lifespan. Two units worked for only about two years, then displayed error messages which indicate the units had to be replaced. They're not exactly cheap, so replacement is expensive. After 5 years, I would expect to have problems; malfunctions after 2 years...something's not quite right.

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I was using plug in alarms for about 1-2 years and they seemed great. Never had a problem with the backup battery or the product malfunctioning. When we moved into our new house the home inspector told us… that we needed to install carbon monoxide alarms.. and before I could tell him that I already had some packed away ready to plug in he also told us not the wall plug type for the simple reason that Carbon monoxide starts up high in the room then settles down. By the time the floor alarm detects it, it may be too late. Now I'll say this though I'm sure something is better than nothing and hopefully would still give you ample time to vacate the house if by chance an alarm was triggered. I'm going to play it safe though and purchase a couple more ceiling units. Changing the battery every few months is not that big of a chore.

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