Kidde KN-COEG-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide and Explosive Gas Alarm with Battery Backup
by Kidde
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Kidde KN-COEG-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide and Explosive Gas Alarm with Battery Backup
Customer Review: This Is A Great Gadget If Enjoyed Properly
Summary: 5 Stars
We began experiencing false alarms with this gadget at a disturbing rate. At first, we panicked, believing that our lives might be in jeopardy at the time of each alarm. After "airing" the gadget out, we reset and reinstalled the gadget several times but it continued to give GAS alarms. Finally, we went online and read the reviews of this gadget and learned of its propensity to give "false alarms". Particularly helpful was the family that reported that they had lovingly renamed the gadget their "FBT" - short for the "Fart Beepy Thing". That gave us the idea for how to realize the true value of our very own FBT.
If you walk by the gadget and let one rip (i.e. backfire or blow mud), the gadget will go off in anywhere from 10-60 seconds and begin flashing the GAS alert. The length of time it takes to set the alarm off depends upon the severity of the individual air biscuit that was released. From our experience, Sloppy Joe mud ducks are far worse than cheap beer stink bombs. The best part is that, after setting off the alarm, you can then press one of the buttons and the gadget will quantify your stink burger, giving you a numerical rating of the severity of the blast. From our experience, a 200 level rip reflects a modest beer blast, while a 218 level reflects a much more serious effort. So far, the best exterminator we have been able to register was a 221 beauty that surely resulted in a clothing change. Just think of all the party and gaming opportunities this gadget presents. It is well worth the price of purchase as a party activity.
By the way, this gadget probably sucks as a life saving device because you have no way of distinguishing a routine doggy blaster from a more serious Natural Gas leak. We think a caged parakeet may be more reliable in this regard. When it stops chirping, you know to get the hell out of your house.
Customer Review: READ THIS PLEASE
Summary: 5 Stars
To start with I was born with no sense of smell. Until 7 years ago I've always had someone around to "sniff". I moved to a house to live by myself. My girlfriend was concerned because many of my appliances were nat gas,stove,fireplace,dryer and furnace. She got me a Kiddie Nighthawk. Of course I did not read the instructions and placed the device where I thought it would do the most good-In the kitchen about 5' off the floor and 10' from the stove next to the sink. The kitchen is in one corner of a large great room about 500 sq feet with 14' high peak. A very large open area. I could have made this a short story-the device SAVED MY LIFE. About three years ago I awoke to the loud alarm. The unit was going off and reading GAS. I had not turned on any lights etc-thank God! I looked around and there it was, a burner on the stove left on with no flame!
If you can imagine the amount of gas it would take to fill that room-. I'm a smoker and if I did not have that alarm, I would not be here now to write this story.
I've replaced the batteries 3 times in 7 years at the units request. It saved me once in that time and has not gone off except maybe a couple of times on humid days doing the dishes, i think placement, co2 alarm. The other day it went off and read GAS. Had the neighbor with a nose come over and sniff. Nothing. The alarm would stop and go off again and again. Called the gas co. and they came out and checked-no gas. He said the units last about 7 years and then do what this one was doing. I ordered a new one and put it right back where the old one was. I know I know its not where the directions say it should be but I thought -it worked for me where it was and why change a good thing.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS UNIT !!! IT SAVED ME!!!
Customer Review: This Product Saved Our Lives - Never had a false alarm!
Summary: 5 Stars
This product was recommended to us by the gas company for a number of reasons. First, CO detectors alone do not pick up natural gas and not everyone's nose works well enough to detect natural gas in the middle of the night should that ever occur. Second, it plugs-in with a 9V battery back-up should you lose power or accidentally become unplugged. So, when it goes off, it flashes CO levels or GAS if it's gas - and you know it is not a false alarm. It also saves the peak level - so when gas, fire and rescue show up - they know you haven't dreamed it up or lost your mind.
I am grateful to the gas man that recommended this product to me. A year later, it saved the lives of myself and my two kids. An old oven in our apartment started venting gas - and the gas men stayed for four hours until they found the leak. They knew that with this detector - there was a problem.
They explained had it been anything else on just a battery or without the digital readout - they probably would have assumed it was a fluke, battery problem, etc and just gone on. When you open all the windows and doors to vent out gas - by the time the gas people get there, there's nothing for their meters to pick up. Plus, they get so many false alarms on fire detectors and co detectors, that is what they will often assume if they don't pick anything up. This is the same thing the gas man a year ago had said when he recommended this product.
It does the job. We're living proof!
Customer Review: beware. It works.
Summary: 1 Stars
In our family this is known as the FBT (B=beepie T=thing and the F I will leave to your imagination.)
The problem? It works. Too well. It works if you bake a fish, refinish a floor, vacuum near it, burn some toast, do your nails, spray air freshener, run a space heater.... you get the picture. It has a piercing, screaming wail that will drive you insane. And a battery back-up to insure that should a frustrated homehowner try to shut it up by taking it outside and throwing it into the wet bushes, say, or even a pile of snow, it will continue to beep all night long. Loudly. Prompting a police call from a concerned neighbor. It has an apparently infinite power source. Terrorists would do well to stock up on several of these at the new low price.
I wonder how many of these have been destroyed by irate consumers?
Picture this: you have just sanded a floor and are nearly finished applying the polyurethane when the FBT chooses that very moment to go off. You look up sadly across the expanse of newly varnished floor, realizing there is no way to reach the FBT and throw it against a nearby tree. You know that cutting the power to that outlet will do you no good because your ultra responsible husband put in fresh batteries recently. What to do?
Simple. A hotel.
Do not buy the FBT. Unless you are a sadist.
Customer Review: Flase Gas Alarms
Summary: 2 Stars
I seem to be having the same problem with my unit as many other people have, and that is false gas alarms. The unit is only 1.5 years old, and is supposed to last for 7. We have now had 4 false gas alarms in about a month. The first one we thought was serious so we actually called the gas company who came out and assured us there were no leaks. We have had 3 more after that, one of which occurred at 3 AM, and with a 4 month old baby, that was not much fun. I have purchased a small hand held propane detector and have used that to confirm that the other alarms were just false alarms. I self-test the unit monthly, but that doesn't seem to do much good, as we still have had the problems.
UPDATE:
I contacted the Kidde customer service line (which is a pain to reach since they are only open M-F during regular business hours, so it is tough to find a time to call if you work) and talked with a representative. He told me that this alarm is their most sensitive, and things from perfume to close proximity to a cat's litter box could set off the gas alarm. However, my alarm is placed in a location where there shouldn't be any of these triggers, and the representative agreed. The company is now sending me a replacement alarm for free. Thankfully they stand behind their products.