Fireangel CO-9D Digital Sealed for Life Carbon Monoxide Alarm

The wife and I wanted a CO detector to replace the old one we bought 10 years ago. Out of interest, these units should be replaced every 6-7 years, some sooner. We have a portable gas fire plus a log burner. We wanted protection in case of a flue leak, or problems with the gas fire. The unit arrived, well packed, easy to use. There are no user-replaceable batteries, so the unit is designed to last the warranty without any intervention, which I think is a good idea. The first thing we did was activate it by removing the plastic pin - this is very easy, and the unit sprung into life. The large button on the front "tests" the sounder unit, and you can switch between room temperature and Carbon monoxide level. The display is large and very clear. The sounder is very loud - sufficient to wake anyone. Next, I ran a full test of the actual unit to see how quickly it would detect dangerous emissions. You can do this by pressing the large button until the spanner icon comes up, then the unit is in test mode. You do not need those canisters or real smoke; I used an incense stick, and held the unit above it. Perhaps you never realised that incense sticks give off potentially dangerous smoke, but don't worry, the quantities here are very small, less than a gas grill, so there is no need to worry! Within about 1 minute you could see the ppm reading rising in the display, and as soon as it reached the trigger level of 50, the alarm went off. In normal use the trigger level is 200 ppm, but the test threshold is deliberately lower, to make it easier to test the unit safely.

In summary, I found it to be an excellent unit, and I know some people have had issues with some CO detectors to trigger off without reason, scaring them, but there was certainly no false triggers with this unit. Besides, if you buy a good unit like this one, you can see the ppm reading, so there is no error. I like the sealed nature of the unit, a Li-Ion battery that lasts a lifetime means you just place it in the room where you want protection, and other than testing it once a month, you simply forget it. Get one, it could save your life.

I was weary of spending more on this detector than the others available, but when you work it out, over a 7yr period, it's negligible. The peace of mind knowing they are there is priceless. This is a high quality product. They are guaranteed for 7years too. Then you have to replace them as the sensor only lasts that long and the battery dies. The battery is a sealed Li-on, lasts the 7yrs, so no need to replace it. I bought two for up and downstairs. I tested them both and they do alarm @ +50ppm. I didn't get any false alarms. One of them did get a 99-error, but it went when I took it out of test-mode. They have been working fine the last few months.
They are also guaranteed for the 7 years which is a credit to FireAngel. If they don't last that long, you can send it back for a replacement.

One thing I will say, the alarm isn't as loud as I thought it would be. Maybe it's just me. I don't know whether it would wake me from a deep sleep. So I've kept one of them just outside my bedroom. The other is in the kitchen. You can wall mount them, or leave them to happily sit on any flat surface slightly tilted, which is a nice touch. Comes with wall fixtures too. The green LED blips every minute to let you know it's working away too.

It is aesthetically pleasing, and the option of temperature display is good to have, but you can't have both reading on at once, it's one or the other, which is a shame. The digital readout is very easy to read. It gives real-time reading in ppm and a 28day peak history too. I like the fact that when you press the button, you're testing the alarm at the same time. Recommend it!

This is a smart and well designed unit that does what it says. After looking at several different units and reviews we opted for this model despite the fact it had fewer reviews and was slightly more expensive than the most popular models. We liked the fact it had a 7 yr warranty and included a lithium battery which will also last for 7 yrs. This means once fitted in place you dont have to think about batteries again. The item arrived quickly as we requested a one day delivery and was well packaged. The instructions were clear as were the test procedures to ensure the unit was working properly. We tested with a lit cigarette and after a minute or two it sounded as stated (plenty loud enough to wake you up). After a bit of deliberation on where exactly to place the unit we fitted it above one of the bedroom doors in the upstairs landing as CO rises but within a metre and half of the boiler. All in all an excellent buy that works well and looks good. Well worth spending a little more - would highly recommend.