Carbon Monoxide Sensor

S

sleepyboat

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
162
Fluid Motion Model
C-242 C
Vessel Name
SALLISON TOO (2017)
Good morning,
The carbon monoxide detector in the cave of my 27 has been sounding while stored on the trailer in my yard. I noticed that the house batteries were in the high 11’s or low 12’s, sorry I can't remember. I put the charger on and left the boat for a day (still beeping). The next day the batteries were topped off and the beeping had stopped.

I am wondering if this device is low voltage sensitive or as I have heard from Mike Rizzo (Knotflying) that he thought there was a problem with units failing and needing to be replaced.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? It's funny to be shoveling snow next to the boat and hear it blabbing away. Next step, disconnect.
And no, I have not been running my lawn mower or snow thrower in the cockpit!
Thanks,
John DeCaro
 
No help here, but I have the same issue - both sensors occasionally beeping, supposedly indicating low voltage. My house battery is over 13 volts and I checked the voltage into the sensors (Fireboy models). Perhaps, as indicated, the units simply fail over time. Like you, I'm anxious for any help. In the meanwhile, I've removed the fuses to shut off the beeping and use a plug in unit when the generator is running. Replacement units thru Amazon are about $109 each.
 
Had the same problem and definitely was low voltage. Boat is on a trailer and sensor starting beeping. I checked batteries and found I had left a light on and this was drawing on the house batteries. Once I charged the batteries beeping quit. To be sure there was no draw on the batteries when stored I even pulled the fuse on the sensor so I basically have a "dead" boat.

Jim H
STELLA
 
I don't have a Carbon Monoxide Sensor on my boat, but I do have one on my 5th wheel camper. I was getting false alarms all the time and it would run down my type 24 house battery in about 24 hours. My dealer warned me it would do it. There is no on/off switch. I finally got fed up with it and disconnected it. They made it difficult to disconnect it but I figured it out. A sensor should not draw that much power and it should not have false alarms.
 
We have the Xintex Carbon monoxide sensors on Ladybug, Too. We had one fail completely and at the time Xintex had a rebuild program where you could send it to them and for $25 they would rework it. We have had the low battery issue with them (one in the cave and one forward) so I now remove the cover and disconnect the tiny power connector when we are not using the boat. It is on my checklist to reconnect them when we start out. Since the cover easily pops on and off, it hasn't been a big hassle. Fortunately they are not interlocked with the generator or boat starter system as I have seen on some other vessels.

Pat & Carolyn, Ladybug, Too
 
Those of us in cold areas should know that the Fireboy Xintex CO detector will have increased current draw when cold. It contains a small heater that is activated when the temperature is below 32F. The typical current increases from about 16 mA to 116 mA. This will drain batteries faster when cold.

The manual is interesting and worth a read. For example: The device may be triggered by any number of hydrocarbons at very high levels. These include toluene, isopropyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, mica, and various adhesives.

It also has a internal lithium battery to power a 5 year EOL clock. At 4 years 11 months from manufacture it will start to beep every 30 seconds to indicate end of life.

Howard
 
Howard,

Thanks for pointing out the "manual" information. I knew it had some kind of life limiting technology but I was not sure how they did it. Both of our sensors were trashed by the lightening strike so they were replaced last year and should last a bit longer. As to the question of ...why not go to Lowes and get a CO detector.... I wonder if it has something to do with Marine certification. Sure would be nice to have a self contained unit like the Kidde. Cheap too! The Xintex units are almost $100. I understand that there are situations where the sensor must lock out the engine starter circuit but that does not affect Tugs like Ladybug, Too.

Pat & Carolyn, Ladybug, Too
 
Most commercial CO detectors will tolerate higher levels of CO than you will. This is done to prevent false alarms, but does nothing for your health. This one:

http://www.aeromedix.com/Ultra-Low-Leve ... -2014.html

Is expensive, but the one to get if you care about low level CO. I know it works. We once docked next to a fish boat in Barkley Sound that was running its generator all night. The detector woke us up, but I was surely glad for it. I have not had problems with false alarms either.

It is small and powered by a nine volt battery.
 
Wondering if I can start this thread up again. My 27' has the factory alarm for CM, the boat is in dry storage under cover, but not in an enclosed cover. Every time the temperatures here reach over 75 degrees (as they finally did this week in Olympia), this crazy alarm starts sounding. I can usually get it to stop if I open up all the windows, flap my arms like crazy to create circulation and air the boat out. Today, no luck. I'm on shore power, so low battery is not an issue. I've read the manual that says this unit needs to be replaced every five years, but I'm at three. Any advice? I can't get the thing to stop! And I cannot locate the correct fuse either.
 
For under fifty dollars you can get a UL listed battery powered CO detector at a hardware store. I'd simply rip out the 12V powered one and replace it. No issues with battery voltage etc.
 
Wondering if you some kind of leak then or some material is gassing out causing the detector to go off. Most detectors need to replaced after 5 years. In fact there is an expiration date on them, at least was on my Rv installed detector.

What a business to be in selling something that none uses (hopefully) at needs to replaced after some time. Same is true for flares. Do they really fail to work after some time? Anyone got the insides? Or is it just litigation insurance by the manufacturer?
 
Same problem here. I solved it with a cheap fix. I installed an in-line switch for the detectors near the battery switch, putting the switch in an outdoor electrical box. Now, there's no current to the detectors when the batteries are off. I just turn on the switch whenever I'd normally be turning on the batteries.
 
The Fireboy-Xintex CO Sentinel on our 2012 R27 came to its "end of life" (EOL) this week. Alarm codes are in the Fireboy manual but for those that don't have the manual I found that when you take the cover off of the sensor you can view all of the alarm codes listed on top of the sensor cover. The EOL code, which occurs around 5 years of age, is stated as Green Light is off, Red light is on and the Horn beeps every 30 seconds. I also found that there is a sticker attached to the top of the sensor cover that lists the manufacture date and when the EOL dates are. Interestingly enough my sensor EOL date is April 2016, so it occurred right on schedule. With the cover off I simply unplugged the little power source connector at the lower left side of my sensor circuit board, to stop the beeping, until my new one arrives to install.

Jim
 
Check out the Kidde Model # 21009720 detector. Completely self contained, sealed battery power, lasts twice as long as the Fireboy, and costs half as much.
 
Good info Dan, but I am not sure if a marine rating is required and if there is a difference between one that is marine rated and one that isn't. The Fireboy is listed as Marine rated.
 
knotflying":1fakpq4l said:
Good info Dan, but I am not sure if a marine rating is required and if there is a difference between one that is marine rated and one that isn't. The Fireboy is listed as Marine rated.
Click to expand...
They both comply with the same UL2034 standard. In the standard there is a section on "recreational boats". The only meaningful additional requirement under that section of the standard is a "drip test" and "salt spray corrosion" test. From what I gather those tests are for survivability of the circuit board, not for detectability. However in the Fireboy manual it states:
DO NOT install a CO Sentinel near a hatch or porthole through which seawater could be
spilled on the device.
DO NOT install in locations where temperature, moisture, and/or ultraviolet light affect
the operation.
Click to expand...
Each person can be the judge of whether "marine rated" equipment is worth the additional cost. However, there are a couple of other points worth noting.

First, there's discussion about installing switches in the power circuit to avoid the nuisance alarms. That violates the UL standards. Therefore which standard it is built to is rather irrelevant. It also violates design principles for any safety system. It has long been recognized that "human factors" (i.e. forgetting to turn on the switch and/or assuming alarms are not real and switching it off) dramatically reduces level of protection of safety systems.

Second, the whole discussion started due to variable voltage levels causing nuisance alarms. Electronic circuits typically don't like variable power supplies.

So I guess it's a matter of "pick your poison". Does one prefer a more reliable power supply, no human factors failure mode, and longer lasting sensor, or a device that is "marine" rated but has to be protected from the marine environment anyway?
 
Thanks for all the suggestions - they were very helpful. Interestingly enough, the temps here went back down to the 50s and the alarm is no longer sounding. Since the boat is very new, it has all the "new boat" smells. As you know the alarm is in the lower sleeping birth. I suspect that when all the carpeting and whatnot get warm, they are emitting an odor the alarm is detecting. Crazy! I like all the suggestions! thanks Tugnuts!
 
And I forgot to mention that I haven't done anything with batteries, shore power, or anything else, so the only variable is the outdoor temperature.
 
Our 2009 R25 Classic equipment list states that the boat was delivered with an installed 12 V CO detector. The Owner's Manual doesn't mention it.

I'm not at the boat right now but I don't remember seeing a CO detector anywhere. Went through all my pics that detail almost every square inch of the inside cabin, head and v-berth and don't see it. Not sure if one of the three prior owners removed it or I just need to look harder for it.

Any suggestions on where to look for the CO detector in a 2009 R25 Classic??
 
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