Sam Staton
Well Known Member
Need to try to get a consensus here - what are you guys using for CO detectors? Thanks in advance!
I looked at the Gardian, but along with the purchase price of around 300-350 dollars., every five years it requires service at 200 dollars. It is a nice unit. But it does cost.
I use a Flight Data Systems http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/fds_gd40carbondet.php
One thing to check out is the life, and cost to replace the detector module. FDS units have long life and reasonable cost to replace detectors.
Small, light weight, and uses a built in fan to pull sample air through the unit, so should be able to detect CO a bit quicker than non fan units-------at least that is how I see it.
Audio warning, and EFIS script as well as red light on panel.
Any reason not to use a household detector?
I'm still building, but I have a complete Dynon Skyview package. Is there a CO detector that will interface with a SkyView?
Any reason not to use a household detector?
I have one of these on the instrument panel:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/asaCO.php
$4.50 a pop. If I were using the heater more, I might go with something more sophisticated.
My experience is anecdotal, but I keep a CO detector in my garage shop (it's pretty big with 4 doors and 50'x50' dimensions) and it routinely alarms quickly if I don't make sure to open the door nearest the running car and another door on other end of garage to get cross flow. I've never felt any ill effect even when it goes off, although I make sure to open all doors and get out. As drafty as my RV is I think I'd be comfortable with this kind of response.I would also like to know the answer to that question. I have my eye on a household CO detector with a form factor that would neatly replace the Quantum eye currently on my panel. And I can buy it for under $50. The manufacturer recommends it for boats and motor homes, so why not aircraft?
To quote the product spec:
Alarm levels as defined by European Norm EN50291-2010*
The table below shows the response times at which your CO alarm will sound:
Parts per Million (PPM) of CO Time until Alarm
50 60 ? 90 minutes
100 10 ? 40 minutes
300 Must alarm in less than 3 minutes
I like that it doesn't alarm until it should and would be grateful for any insights to why this household CO detector would be inferior to the Quantum Eye and/or why it shouldnt be used in aircraft.
No offense intended, but...really? I wouldn't trust one of these to save my life if you paid me.
Seriously...watch the video above, and then get a *real* CO detector. E.g., something like this:
http://www.pksafety.com/bw-clip-3-year-single-gas-detector-m.html
At $140, it's *cheaper* than the little plastic toy that is supposed to be changed every month, actually works, has audio and visual alarms and can even be taken out of the plane and taken with you into hotel rooms (check out the deaths and poisonings due to CO in hotel rooms).
CO poisoning is nothing to mess around with...if you're lucky, it can just make you permanently seriously brain-damaged.
My experience is anecdotal, but I keep a CO detector in my garage shop (it's pretty big with 4 doors and 50'x50' dimensions) and it routinely alarms quickly if I don't make sure to open the door nearest the running car and another door on other end of garage to get cross flow. I've never felt any ill effect even when it goes off, although I make sure to open all doors and get out. As drafty as my RV is I think I'd be comfortable with this kind of response.
Thanks for sharing. It seems to me that the $8 card detectors had a role to play 20 years ago when something was better than nothing in our aircraft. Now household CO detectors appear to have reached a point in their development that they have become a viable alternative to the $700 types in aircraft when there is no requirement for the detector to output to an EFIS. So far there have been no compelling reasons not to use a household type so I think I will give this unit a try.
http://www.quell.com.au/collections/carbon-monoxide-alarms/products/carbon-monoxide-digital-display-alarm
Again, I recommend watching Mike Busch's video webinar on CO detectors. He specifically talks about home CO detectors, and the fact that they are required to NOT alarm at what he considers a low enough level (until some significant, i.e., hours-long, period of time at that level).
It's worth watching, then if you decide that a home detector is what you want, at least you'll have the info to make an informed decision.
For we lazy folk do you have a link?
I use the Pocket CO manufactured by KWJ engineering
http://www.pilotmall.com/product/Pocket-CO/co-detectors?gclid=CNnGqqa3jswCFUZrfgod7goEQA
Also available from Amazon
Bayne
RV-7A
Don that looks like the same unit I am interested in but under a different brand name to the one I can get here in Australia. Here is a link to the product specification which has good information on response levels and times.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0542/5141/t/3/assets/PD04_Carbon_Monoxide_Battery_Operated_Alarm_-_130415.pdf
With the canopy open would you say it alarms excessively?