First Alert CO400 Battery Operated Monoxide Alarm Manual
INTRODUCTION FIRE SAFETY TIPS
Follow safety rules and prevent hazardous situations:
- Use smoking materials properly. Never smoke in bed.
- Keep matches or lighters away from children;
- Store flammable materials in proper containers;
- Keep electrical appliances in good condition and don’t overload electrical circuits;
- Keep stoves, barbecue grills, fireplaces, and chimneys grease- and debris-free;
- Never leave anything cooking on the stove unattended;
- Keep portable heaters and open flames, like candles, away from flammable materials;
- Don’t let rubbish accumulate. Keep alarms clean, and test them weekly. Replace alarms immediately if they are not working properly. Smoke Alarms that do not work cannot alert you to a fire. Keep at least one working fire extinguisher on every floor, and an additional one in the kitchen. Have fire escape ladders or other reliable means of escape from an upper floor in case stairs are blocked.
Cautions
- This combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm has two separate alarms. The CO Alarm is not designed to detect fire or any other gas. It will only indicate the presence of carbon monoxide gas at the sensor. Carbon monoxide gas may be present in other areas. The Smoke Alarm will only indicate the presence of smoke that reaches the sensor. The Smoke Alarm is not designed to sense gas, heat, or flames.
Warning
- This Smoke/CO Alarm cannot operate without working batteries. Removing the batteries for any reason, or failing to replace the batteries at the end of their service life, removes your protection.
- NEVER ignore any alarm. See “If Your Smoke/CO Alarm Sounds” for more information on how to respond to an alarm. Failure to respond can result in injury or death.
- The Silence Features are for your convenience only and will not correct a problem. See “Using the Silence Features” for details. Always check your home for a potential problem after any alarm. Failure to do so can result in injury or death.
- Test this Smoke/CO Alarm once a week. If the Alarm ever fails to test correctly, have it replaced immediately! If the Alarm is not working properly, it cannot alert you to a problem.
- This product is intended for use in ordinary indoor locations of family living units. It is not designed to measure CO levels in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) commercial or industrial standards. Individuals with medical conditions that may make them more sensitive to carbon monoxide may consider using warning devices that provide audible and visual signals for carbon monoxide concentrations under 30 ppm. For additional information on carbon monoxide and your medical condition contact your physician.
HOW YOUR CO ALARM WORKS
occur any time during the year, and this Alarm can only alert you if it is plugged in and receiving power. When fully powered, the unit samples the air and takes a new reading about every second. A microchip inside the unit stores each reading and remembers the levels of CO it has been exposed to over time. The Alarm sounds when it has been exposed to a “critical” level of CO (measured in parts per million or “ppm”) within a specified time (measured in minutes). This CO Alarm features a permanently installed sensor, an indicator light, and an 85 dB alarm horn. It also has a Silence Feature to temporarily quiet the alarm horn.
MALFUNCTION WARNING
This unit performs daily self-diagnostic tests. If the Alarm malfunctions, it should be replaced immediately.
THE COVER OF YOUR CO ALARM
- Test/Silence Button
- POWER/ALARM Light (Red)
- (Behind Cover) Alarm Horn: 85 dB audible alarm for test, alarm, and unit malfunction warning.
INSTALLATION
WHERE TO INSTALL CO ALARMS
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that a CO Alarm should be centrally located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms. For added protection, install additional CO Alarms in each separate bedroom, and on every level of your home. If your bedroom hallway is longer than 40 feet (12 meters), install a CO Alarm at BOTH ends of the hallway.
REQUIRED TO MEET NFPA RECOMMENDATIONS
SUGGESTED AREAS FOR INSTALLING ADDITIONAL CO ALARMS
In a Single-level Home:
- Install at least one CO Alarm near or within each separate sleeping area.
- For added protection, install an additional CO Alarm at least 20 feet (6 meters) away from the furnace or fuel-burning heat source.
In a Multi-level Home:
- Install at least one CO Alarm near or within each separate sleeping area.
- For added protection, install at least one CO Alarm on each level of the home.
- For added protection, install an additional CO Alarm at least 20 feet (6 meters) away from the furnace or fuel-burning heat source.
WHERE CO ALARMS SHOULD NOT BE INSTALLED
DO NOT LOCATE THIS CO ALARM:
- In garages, kitchens, furnace rooms, or in any extremely dusty, dirty, or greasy areas.
- Closer than 15 feet (4.6 meters) from a furnace or other fuel-burning heat source, or fuel-burning appliances like a water heater. • Within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of any cooking appliance.
- In extremely humid areas. This Alarm should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from a bath or shower, sauna, humidifier, vaporizer, dishwasher, laundry room, utility room, or other source of high humidity.
- In areas where the temperature is colder than 40˚ F (4.4˚ C) or hotter than 100˚ F (37.8˚ C). These areas include non-airconditioned crawl spaces, unfinished attics, uninsulated or poorly insulated ceilings, porches, and garages.
- In turbulent air, like near ceiling fans, heat vents, air conditioners, fresh air returns, or open windows. Blowing air may prevent CO from reaching the sensors.
- In direct sunlight.
- In outlets covered by curtains or other obstructions.
Warnings
- This CO Alarm is designed for use inside a single-family home or apartment. It is not meant to be used in common lobbies, hallways, or basements of multi-family buildings unless working CO Alarms are also installed in each family living unit. CO Alarms in common areas may not be heard from inside individual family living units.
- This CO Alarm alone is not a suitable substitute for complete detection systems in places that house many people, like hotels or dormitories, unless a CO Alarm is also placed in each unit.
- DO NOT use this CO Alarm in warehouses, industrial or commercial buildings, special-purpose non-residential buildings, or airplanes. This CO Alarm is specifically designed for residential use, and may not provide adequate protection in non-residential applications.
HOW TO INSTALL YOUR CO ALARM
Read “Where To Install Your CO Alarm” before starting. Before you start the installation, find the pair of self-adhesive labels included with this CO Alarm. On each label write in the phone number of your emergency responder (like 911) and a qualified appliance technician. Place one label near the CO Alarm, and the other label in the “fresh air” location you plan to go if the alarm sounds.
- Plug the unit into a standard UNSWITCHED 120V AC outlet. The unit should be located where it can wake you if it alarms at night.
- Make sure the POWER/ALARM light shines continuously when you plug it in.
- Test by pressing the Test/Silence button firmly until the unit sounds: four loud beeps, pause,
- beeps. During testing, the POWER/ ALARM light will flash rapidly. This is normal.
IF THE ALARM SIGNAL SOUNDS:
- Operate the Test/Silence button.
- Call your emergency services, fire department, or 911. Write down the number of your local emergency service here:
- Immediately move to fresh air—outdoors or by an open door or window. Do a head count to check that all persons are accounted for. Do not re-enter the premises, or move away from the open door or window until the emergency services responder has arrived, the premises have been aired out, and your CO Alarm remains in its normal condition.
- After following steps 1-3, if your CO Alarm reactivates within a 24-hour period, repeat steps 1-3 and call a qualified appliance technician to investigate for sources of CO from fuel-burning equipment and appliances, and inspect for proper operation of this equipment. If problems are identified during this inspection have the equipment serviced immediately. Note any combustion equipment not inspected by the technician, and consult the manufacturers’ instructions, or contact the manufacturers directly, for more information about CO safety and this equipment. Make sure that motor vehicles are not, and have not, been operating in an attached garage or adjacent to the residence.
FINDING THE SOURCE OF CO AFTER AN ALARM
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, invisible gas, which often makes it difficult to locate the source of CO after an alarm. These are a few of the factors that can make it difficult to locate sources of CO:
- House well ventilated before the investigator arrives.
- A problem caused by “back drafting.”
- Transient CO problem caused by special circumstances.
Because CO may dissipate by the time an investigator arrives, it may be difficult to locate the source of CO. BRK Brands, Inc. shall not be obligated to pay for any carbon monoxide investigation or service call.
POTENTIAL SOURCES OF CO IN THE HOME
Fuel-burning appliances like portable heater, gas or wood-burning fireplace, gas kitchen range or cooktop, gas clothes dryer. Damaged or insufficient venting: corroded or disconnected water heater vent pipe, leaking chimney pipe or flue, cracked heat exchanger, blocked or clogged chimney opening. Improper use of appliance/device: operating a barbecue grill or vehicle in an enclosed area (like a garage or screened porch). Transient CO Problems: “Transient” or on-again-off-again CO problems can be caused by outdoor conditions and other special circumstances.
The following conditions can result in transient CO situations:
- Excessive spillage or reverse venting of fuel appliances caused by outdoor conditions such as:
- Wind direction and/or velocity, including high, gusty winds. Heavy air in the vent pipes (cold/humid air with extended periods between cycles).
- Negative pressure differential resulting from the use of exhaust fans.
- Several appliances running at the same time competing for limited fresh air.
- Vent pipe connections vibrate loose from clothes dryers, furnaces, or water heaters.
- Obstructions in or unconventional vent pipe designs that can amplify the above situations.
- Extended operation of unvented fuel-burning devices (range, oven, fireplace).
- Temperature inversions, which can trap exhaust close to the ground.
- Car idling in an open or closed attached garage or near a home.
These conditions are dangerous because they can trap exhaust in your home. Since these conditions can come and go, they are also hard to recreate during a CO investigation.
REGULATORY INFORMATION FOR SMOKE ALARMS
Installing Smoke Alarms in Single-Family Residences The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recommends one Smoke Alarm on every floor, in every sleeping area, and in every bedroom. In new construction, the Smoke Alarms must be AC-powered and interconnected. See “Agency Placement Recommendations” for details. For additional coverage, it is recommended that you install a Smoke Alarm in all rooms, halls, storage areas, finished attics, and basements, where temperatures normally remain between 40˚ F (4.4˚ C) and 100˚ F (37.8˚ C). Make sure no door or other obstruction could keep smoke from reaching the Smoke Alarms
More specifically, install Smoke Alarms:
- On every level of your home, including finished attics and basements.
- Inside every bedroom, especially if people sleep with the door partly or completely closed.
- In the hall near every sleeping area. If your home has multiple sleeping areas, install a unit in each. If a hall is more than 40 feet long (12 meters), install a unit at each end.
- At the top of the first-to-second-floor stairway, and at the bottom of the basement stairway.
SPECIAL COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS
This Smoke Alarm is suitable for use in apartments, condominiums, townhouses, hospitals, daycare facilities, health care facilities, boarding houses, group homes, and dormitories provided a primary fire detection system already exists to meet fire detection requirements in common areas like lobbies, hallways, or porches. Using this Smoke Alarm in common areas may not provide sufficient warning to all residents or meet local fire protection ordinances/regulations.
This Smoke Alarm alone is not a suitable substitute for complete fire detection systems in places housing many people—like apartment buildings, condominiums, hotels, motels, dormitories, hospitals, health care facilities, nursing homes, daycare facilities, or group homes of any kind. It is not a suitable substitute for complete fire detection systems in warehouses, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and special-purpose non-residential buildings which require special fire detection and alarm systems. Depending on the building codes in your area, this Smoke Alarm may be used to provide additional protection in these facilities.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
PROBLEM… | THIS MEANS… | YOU SHOULD… |
Red light is OFF. Unit will not alarm when you press the Test/Silence button. | CO Alarms may not be plugged all the way in, or is not receiving power. | Gently push unit all the way into outlet. Make sure it is not plugged into an outlet controlled by a switch. |
The light flashes (RED) and the horn sounds 3 “chirps” every minute. | MALFUNCTION SIGNAL. CO Alarm needs to be replaced. | Make sure unit is plugged in securely. CO Alarms under warranty should be returned to manufacturer for replacement. See “Limited Warranty” for details. |
The light flashes (RED) and the horn sounds 5 “chirps” every minute. | END OF LIFE SIGNAL. CO Alarm needs to be replaced. | Immediately replace the CO Alarm. |
CO Alarm goes back into alarm 4 minutes after you press the Test/Silence button. | CO levels indicate a potentially dangerous situation. | IF YOU ARE FEELING SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING, EVACUATE your home and call 911 or the Fire Department. If not, press the Test/ Silence button again and keep ventilating your home. |
CO Alarm sounds frequently even though no high levels of CO are revealed in an investigation. | The CO Alarm may be improperly located. Refer to “Where to Install CO Alarms.” | Relocate your Alarm. If frequent alarms continue, have home rechecked for potential CO problems. You may be experiencing an intermittent CO problem. |
LIMITED WARRANTY
BRK Brands, Inc., (“BRK”) the maker of First Alert® brand products warrants that for a period of seven years from the date of purchase, this product will be free from defects in material and workmanship. BRK, at its option, will repair or replace this product or any component of the product found to be defective during the warranty period. Replacement will be made with a new or remanufactured product or component.
If the product is no longer available, a replacement may be made with a similar product of equal or greater value. This is your exclusive warranty. This warranty is valid for the original retail purchaser from the date of the initial retail purchase and is not transferable. Keep the original sales receipt. Proof of purchase is required to obtain warranty performance. BRK dealers, service centers, or retail stores selling BRK products do not have the right to alter, modify or in any way change the terms and conditions of this warranty. This warranty does not cover normal wear of parts or damage resulting from any of the following: negligent use or misuse of the product, use on improper voltage or current, use contrary to the operating instructions, disassembly,
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repair, or alteration by anyone other than BRK or an authorized service center. Further, the warranty does not cover Acts of God, such as fire, flood, hurricanes, and tornadoes, or any batteries that are included with this unit. BRK shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages caused by the breach of any express or implied warranty. Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose is limited in duration to the duration of the above warranty.
Some states, provinces, or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state or province to province.