Is it common for carbon-monoxide alarms to malfunction?

Question

Mine goes off even with a brand new battery, and even after the fire department assures me their meters pick up nothing.

Answer 1

of coarse, any devise can be faulty. if it happens to more than one unit though...

Answer 2

I had that problem too. Not malfunction, but maybe work "too" well. We had one that would go off at certain times eventhough there were no threats and the fire department said there was no carbon monoxide leak. We have ours in our laundry room and they said that it was a good place, but sometimes fumes from the dryer vent can accumulate and will get "stuck" in the sensor and cause it to go off randomly. It was only 1 year old and we bought a new one that hasn't had any problems so far. So if new batteries aren't helping, it could possibly be the sensor.

Answer 3

How old is it? They need to be replaced about every 3 years. They work on a combustion sensor. There is a module inside with a heating element surrounded by a metal screen. When CO enters the unit, it is flammable and causes the combustion temp to rise in respect to the elements temp. The higher the CO the higher the temp rises. When the unit has a problem, the temp gets unstable in the module and this can be due to age or high humidity. They are not that expensive so I would replace it.

Answer 4

The first reply, was right there is a module in there it costs about 20 dollars depending on where you go, but there only made to last so long usuly theres a sticker that says replace by 20XX date it could be the module ,but thats already close to half the price of them so i would just replace it .

Answer 5

Return them to the store and tell them they are defective and you want a replacement.