Kidde KN-COPP-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display
by Kidde
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Kidde KN-COPP-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display
Customer Review: Annoying product poorly designed product.
Summary: 1 Stars
This awful product was installed in a rental unit I was staying in. Although the unit was plugged into the wall with plenty of power, when the battery went low at 3am, it decided I needed to be woken up to change the backup battery. Now it doesn't make a obvious distinction between "you're dying" and "you need to replace the battery". So, I was completely freaking out at first. It starts chirping LOUDLY ever 15 seconds. Why not an obvious message indicating a dead battery instead of a "." and small print on the side explaining you need to count for 15 seconds for dead battery or 30 seconds for malfunctioning? I had to unplug the device to get back to sleep. So, then I had no functioning CO detector until I could replace the battery. A way to mute the alarm for awhile (24 hours?) that would have allowed me to leave the device on, would make more sense. The worse part is, the 9v battery was still very strong. Apparently the device needs the battery to have at most of it's charge or it wont let you sleep. Talk about wasteful They actually document that you should check the battery every month! Who is going to remember to do that? The backup battery in the CO detector I have in my primary residences lasts for years and only needs to be tested once a year. Considering how poorly designed the battery circuit is, I wouldn't trust the engineers to have actually gotten the CO sensor part correct. Don't use this annoying product even if somebody give you one for free. It worse then useless and you will be spending a lot on batteries.Customer Review: Every floor of your house should have one!
Summary: 5 Stars
One reviewer questioned if these really work... YES they do! I had a new furnace installed recently, and the installers made a mistake. Without detectors in the house I might never have known, and my family could have suffered greatly (ie somebody could have become ill or even died!). We had had them for years and they ALWAYS read 0. When we started seeing it detect CO we knew we had a problem. Occasional low readings (such as near your kitchen on Thanksgiving if you have a gas stove) are ok, but any consistant reading is cause for real concern particularly if it is away from any known source of CO (stove, fireplace, etc).
I strongly reccomend folks place a detector on each occupied level of your home. If something happens you may very well get different readings on different levels (I did).
When selecting a CO detector be sure to pick an electornic one with a digital readout. They cost more, but are well worth it. The only maintenance with a unit like this one is replacing the backup battery. (BTW, a backup battery is a really good idea. Each year many folks die because they used various types of gas heating devices during power outages with inadequate ventalation.) Also, the digital readout will help track down problems envolving lower levels of CO and may give you earlier warning of a malfunctioning heating system.
Finally, this particular unit has an advantage in that it can be placed directly over an outlet, or the included power cord can be used to allow higher wall mounting or placement on a table/shelf/etc.
Customer Review: Peace of Mind with a Superior Product
Summary: 5 Stars
-- I purchased 2 of these plug-in CO2 detectors, so that I'd have one for each floor of my house. They were RECOMMENDED by my local FIRE DEPARTMENT who agreed that they were the most reliable product on the market. The firemen assured me that there were back-up batteries in the event of a power failure. Meanwhile, I would not have to be concerned about constantly replacing batteries.
--I had originally purchased the battery-only product. It so happened that this malfunctioned within the warranty period. Kidde impressed me with its NO-HASSLE REPLACEMENT POLICY. This further convinced me to stick with the brand. For a few dollars more, I found the plug-in to be a sturdier, potentially more reliable product.
--I was also advised that it is best to place CO detectors toward the floor. Since my outlets are about 4 inches above the baseboard, the plug-ins work well. Also, I think that the DIGITAL is a bit LARGER on this model and certainly easier to read.
--In the event that there is a leak of carbon monoxide, it is helpful to have MUTLTIPLE UNITS so that technicians can faster determine the source.
-- Since I have 3 gas fireplaces and 2 gas furnaces (one above my bed), I am very concerned about this issue. I can relax now that I can see the blinking "0" which assures me that the air is monitored every 4 minutes. Wonderful peace of mind at such a reasonable cost!
Customer Review: Absolutely *eats* batteries - why?
Summary: 1 Stars
.. we had two of these things supplied by our housebuilder. The first one I gave up after it consumed a 9 volt battery roughly every 2-3 weeks, and the second/final one I've pretty much had enough of now after it too has decided that no battery will last more than 3 weeks tops. I swear, what's the point in these things being plugged into the mains if they constantly require new 9 volt batterys ? My mains supply is fine, no blackouts/brownouts, every other device plugged in is fine and never loses power ( no clock resets etc ), but these 'Nighthawk' alarms are rubbish - the 9v battery should ONLY be used when the power is out, not being drained all the time. No idea if the alarm is any good, we're lucky enough to have never had a CO problem, but the amount of money spent on batteries is nuts, and if they can't get that right then TBH I don't trust the alarm much either. No way to test other than pressing the 'test' button, which might just as well be called "make a beep". Sorry, avoid this POS until they fix it to work properly. The low-battery screech in the middle of the night is so super-loud that once the 9v battery goes (again) you'll end up just unplugging the thing to get a night's sleep, and after that why evern bother having it?Customer Review: Has worked well, but designed to fail
Summary: 4 Stars
We bought 2 of these detectors about 7 years ago, and while it seemed we had to change the backup battery in both about once a year, the units have worked very well, and given us peace of mind. The other day, one of them began chirping every 30 seconds and displaying "Err". The only instructions the manual gave us was to call Kidde customer service. I did and, after giving them the model number and manufacture date off the back, was abruptly told by the "customer service rep" that I needed to replace the unit. I asked if this was a malfunction or if it's built to to this, and was told it's designed to work only for 7 years, and that again, I needed to buy a new one. Would've been nice to know that BEFORE we bought them; not surprisingly, nowhere in our manual does it say that they will stop working altogether after 7 years. It'd be one thing if the unit's sensors were worn out or were truly malfunctioning, but designing it to fail after 7 years? Sounds like a way to take advantage of consumers to me. By the way, customer service at Kidde stank; the rep was short, unhelpful, and bordering on rude--not a way to run a business, but unfortunately becoming more and more common.