Kidde Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm

There was death due to carbon monoxide poisoning in my area a few months back. It really shook up my family, because we knew the young boy that died. We choose the Kidde Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide Alarm because of the positive review it received from Consumer Reports.

It is really straightforward to install, actually the hardest part of installing it is  was separating it from the protective packaging it came in. The Kidde Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide Alarm uses three AAA batteries as its main power source.

This was a little bothersome for me because I really think that something that is this important should really run off the homes power, and use the batteries as a back up. But the unit will go into alarm, if the batteries require replacing, or they are placed in the unit incorrectly.

The Nighthawk can either be hung low on a wall, at around three feet off the floor. Or it can be placed on a level surface using the built in stand. The digital display is a really great feature of this carbon monoxide detector. Firstly it tells you if the carbon monoxide detector is working properly, by flashing every few seconds. With our currently installed smoke detector, we really don’t know for sure if it is working, until we burn a meal in the kitchen.

Another really nice feature is that it alerts you should it sense any significant carbon monoxide in the air, not just the dangerous levels, but any at all. And it displays this in parts per million. The information on parts per million is crucial information for any responding fire department personnel. It is the difference between them telling you, we will be right there, and them saying put this phone down and run stupid.

The Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide Alarm does come with a test function button, but how can I really know for sure if this product works as claimed? First wait until the wife leaves to run an errand. Then place the alarm in the garage with a running car, and wait a few minutes. My little test gave me two answers, the first is the unit does work as promised, and 85 decibels is really loud.

I anyone reading this does not have a carbon monoxide detector in their home, they need to get one. Why would you spend hundreds of dollars on other security items, and not spend under 40 dollars to protect the most valuable things in your home.