Answering questions from my video about smoke and co alarms, do gas engineers supply CO alarms?

[@msuk5957]

Thank you Derek , I never get bored from your videos , please need to see more videos 😊

[@tomkatgastraining]

youtube.com/@tomkatgastraining Nearly 400 videos on here 👍🏻

[@rm-mastering]

Thanks, great video for clarifying, I'm so glad you have taken the (laborious) time and effort to really investigate the regs. I agree with you and others in regards with very important regs and standards to help save lives and keep us safe, it's become too much of an open to interpretation scenario. Over the years I've found persons responsible for putting regs/standards through parliament are not always qualified/experienced or have forgotten their trade skills within the subject to reliably comment objectively and and so will publish half though-out regs and expect engineers who rely on them to come up with their best approach. As you (and others) have righty pointed out, the regs often miss-out real world situations covering where to fit Co alarms in situations where boilers are installed in cupboards in kitchens with gas hobs or boilers installed in attics to reliably alert people living in the property of a potentially fatal harm to life. Good work and thanks very much indeed.

[@georgerobinson576]

Thanks Derek, as always we appreciate you taking your time to look into the regs and common sense attitude. 👍

[@rayc1503]

Excellent Dez, thanks for the clarification. I'll keep a few on the van. 👌👍

[@johnward5006]

Further to my reply earlier today, I revisited the subject of CO specific density and can confirm it is 0.9657 and therefore slightly more buoyant than air. The misconception of CO being heavier than air remains and this was the premise the adviser I discussed with were presumably taking into consideration. It's also said that CO is evenly dispersed. So why is the procedure for testing for CO after a suspected occupancy as it is? I've found a very interesting download entitled Proper Placement OF CO Detectors. I would advise any serious Registerd Installer to print it off as I have. As I've said before, mal adjustment of a zero gas valve will have a frightening effect on CO production! Could you do a video demonstrating the cause and effect. I'm an installer of Intergas boilers and their procedure for checking gas /air ratios is a must to read , because it highlights the importance of O2 in the procedure. My feeling is that to many installers don't appreciate that merely Checking co/co2 ratios isn't giving them the whole picture! Demonstrate how crucial that offset is!!!

[@fjrxj1134]

Any chance of posting the link: download entitled Proper Placement OF CO Detectors.

[@neilparker7497]

Great video.

[@paulfocus23]

I mentioned this on on a fb group the other day and pretty much got laughed at! What is the point of bringing this legislation in if the alarms are not fitted correctly and no one seems to care about it! 80% of the alarms I’ve seen installed are completely wrong!?! Next theory: you have a boiler in one room but the flue passes through another room…… do you put an alarm in each room or just the room the boiler is physically fitted in? To me this legislation seems completely pointless if it’s not going to be policed. 🤷🏻‍♂️ A correctly fitted alarm could save someone’s life one day!

[@tomkatgastraining]

I agree mate and you put an alarm in every room the flue passes through

[@bentzionroyde4786]

Thanks great video 👍

[@juriszimelis3489]

Nice and clear, thank you for detailed explanation.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

i brought this up years ago while being reassesed and just generally chatting. that test button on the alarm can only test the electrical part of the circuit right? i was gifted a can of CO(basically you bag out the alarm and you squirt in for x seconds). do i want that knocking about in the back of my van probably not(and it was pointed out to me by the person who gifted me it the potential dangers) to use your phrases.......probably not i know our anylisers take more of a beating but the amount of co alarms that fail just because of other things it worrysome. another thing. i live and work in wales mostly. why all this confusion about whats to be done, where and when, it's just crazy. shouldnt be allowed to happen. ty for upload.

[@arcturus475]

The manufacturer's instructions on Co alarms are to be fitted no more than 1.5 meters of any gas appliance it's detecting that distance is normally for bigger wire fixed Co alarms

[@johnward5006]

These new regulations are a poorly devised compromise. I had a discussion some years ago with one of those engineers charged with the task of determining the best place to site a CO alarm and he commented that because CO is initially buoyant at source but as it cools it transits to lower levels. To quote him, where do you site the alarm, close to an appliance, at low or high level or have more than one? My view is site a sensor or sensors inside the flue and casing. With cooking appliances more difficult because of the possible initial CO production. The use of CO alarms assume continuous production of CO but do they take into consideration any dilution factors? An alarm anywhere is better than none but should not be assumed as fool proof. Mandatory proper servicing should be a route for consideration!

[@jockster5525]

Good efforts 👍 thanks for your time and advice..

[@timhancock6626]

Before the mains power legislation came in I recall "delightful" days and nights on council estates when the 7 year batteries in the Honeywell CO alarms all started to fail at roughly the same time and give warning beeps. What do you do ? Just replace the alarm ?.... But what if it was giving a real alarm ? We did spillage tests and analyser checks We knew it was just the batteries, but you only have to be wrong once. And how many tenants disabled CO and smoke alarms ? Lots, that's how many.

[@tomkatgastraining]

If there is a report of the alarm activated and no one is suffering from CO poisoning then it’s up to the gas engineer who attends to check the appliances and make the decision on what action is required.

[@uklifestyle9494]

Nice video ❤

[@diomalmandiaye9024]

Thank you for the information. I have a question to anyone who can help. My landlord send in a Gas engineer in to check annually. The engineer will not check the standalone cooker or radiators, is that right?

[@YoutubeHero666]

does pressing the button check the C0 alarm sensors! or just that the batteries work! if they only check that the batteries are working then should we not be using some kind of aerosol to test them? same for the smoke alarms. Currently I do not test them as I think we should be told exactly how we should be testing them and how we stand legally as as soon as we start putting this down on paperwork we are then responsible and I only want to be responsible for something if I can guarantee its working and I am testing it correctly.

[@philipcooper4136]

Engineers might be advised to check their liability insurance. I noted a little clause when checking mine that alarm systems were excluded from the cover. I forget the actual wording as that is important to understand the cover you have but supplying fitting and testing could leave you open claims, possibly if something goes wrong, heaven forbid.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

good point. me ill just test and report it on the form. like tomcat pointed out the responsibility is with the landlord.

[@YoutubeHero666]

@@markchristohperowen6806 how are you testing them? just pressing a button?

[@markchristohperowen6806]

@@KZbinHero666 them?

[@karisha6634]

My 7 year sealed CO alarm expired 6 months ago, its only just been discovered.. It still works when test button pressed and no err message. Does my landlord have to replace it now? I am in Wales. Thanks for the videos btw.

[@tomkatgastraining]

If it’s out of date it must be replaced asap

[@karisha6634]

@@tomkatgastraining Thanks Tom, logic suggested that was the answer. I have informed the landlord.

[@karisha6634]

Landlord still thinks that because the test button was pressed during the gas check in December that the alarm is still valid. But noone considered the expiry date. I only thought to check after watching one of your videos. Landlord has reluctantly agreed to replace it however after I said a GSE trainer said it should be replaced. So you have been a great help here in sorting this so thank you so much.

[@davidblurton7158]

the thing is with co alarms is the expiry date,, some are 7 and some 10,,, so they have to be removed and checked,,, sometimes there is no installation or expiry date so who knows how old they are,,, but i check them and the smokes and charge them if they dont know

[@davidblurton7158]

get interlinked alarms,, fit it in the cupboard,, or the loft,, it will set them all of and fit a controller that isolates all the alarms but leaves the alerting one on,, fit interlinked co heat and fire throughout,,, it works,,,

[@raul835]

Brilliant vid again.. loads of useful info

[@themadhatter4761]

I wrote to my local building control officer, and asked was fitting a C O alarm with replaceable batteries acceptable? The answer was a definitive NO

[@tomkatgastraining]

Maybe they should read the regulations then which quite clearly say if you use an alarm with a battery the battery must last the life of the alarm.

[@themadhatter4761]

@@tomkatgastraining Yes, I will only fit C O alarms with a sealed battery👍