How To Care For Your Co Alarm; The Peak Level Memory Button - Kidde KN-COPP-3 User Manual

Part One – Your Kidde CO Alarm
How to Know If Your Alarm is Malfunctioning
(continued)
Never ignore a CO alarm. A true alarm is an indication of potentially
dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. CO alarms are designed to alert
you to the presence of carbon monoxide before an emergency, before
most people would experience symptoms of carbon monoxide poison-
ing, giving you time to resolve the problem calmly.
How to Care for Your Alarm
To keep your alarm in good working order, you must follow these sim-
ple steps:
DO:
• Test the alarm once a month by pressing the Test/Reset
button (see page 1-5,6).
• Vacuum the alarm cover once a month to remove
accumulated dust. Use the soft brush attachment of your
vacuum cleaner, and unplug the alarm from the electrical
outlet before vacuuming.
• Instruct children never to touch, unplug or otherwise interfere
with the alarm. Warn children of the dangers of CO poisoning.
DON'T:
• Never use detergents or solvents to clean the alarm.
Chemicals can permanently damage or temporarily
contaminate the sensor.
• Avoid spraying air fresheners, hair spray, paint or other
aerosols near the alarm.
• Do not paint the alarm. Paint will seal the vents and
interfere with proper sensor operation.
• Do not mount the alarm directly above or near a diaper pail,
as high amounts of methane gas can cause temporary readings
on the digital display.
Note: If you will be staining or stripping wood floors or furniture, paint-
ing, wall-papering, or using aerosols or adhesives for a do-it-yourself pro-
ject or hobby, before you begin: Remove the alarm to a remote loca-
tion to prevent possible damage to or contamination of the sensor.
You may wish to unplug the alarm and store in a plastic bag during the pro-
ject.
The following is a list of substances that at high levels can affect the sen-
sor and cause temporary readings on the digital display that are not carbon
monoxide readings:
Methane, propane, iso-butane, ethylene, ethanol, alcohol, iso-
propanol, benzene, toluene, ethyl acetate, hydrogen, hydrogen sul-
fide, sulfur dioxides.
Also most aerosol sprays, alcohol based products, paints, thinners,
solvents, adhesives, hair sprays, after shaves, perfumes, auto exhaust
(cold start) and some cleaning agents.

The Peak Level Memory Button

Although the peak level feature will display levels below 30 PPM, these levels will not
result in an alarm no matter how long the device is exposed to these levels.
The peak level feature is helpful in indentifying low level CO occurrences below 30
PPM. Although the unit will not automatically display levels below 30 PPM, it will
detect and store these readings in memory. By pressing the peak level button, con-
centration levels as low as 11 and up to 999 PPM will be displayed.
Concentrations of CO between 0 and 30 PPM can often occur in normal, everyday
conditions. Concentrations of CO below 30 PPM may be an indication of a transient
condition that may appear today and never reappear. Just a few examples of condi-
tions and/or sources that may cause low level readings are heavy automobile traffic, a
running vehicle in an attached garage, an appliance that emits CO when starting up, a
fire in a fireplace or charcoal in a nearby barbecue. A temperature inversion can trap
CO generated by traffic and other fuel burning appliances causing low level readings
of CO.
Normally, the digital display will read "0" and under certain conditions you may notice
levels of 30 or more for short periods of time, by using the Peak level memory feature
on the Kidde CO alarm you can view concentrations of CO detected between 11 and
30 PPM. Use the low-level concentrations shown in memory as a tool in identifying
the source of the CO. It may be helpful to purchase additional Kidde CO Alarms to
place in different locations throughout your house to isolate the CO source. Monitor
the CO concentrations shown in the peak level memory to see if readings occur in cer-
tain areas at certain times of the day, or near a particular appliance.
Once the source is located, correcting the problem may be as easy as opening a win-
dow, venting an appliance, backing a car out of the garage a safe distance from living
quarters, closing the garage door, and letting the car warm up outside. It could be pos-
sible that a weather condition caused the low-level reading and the condition may or
may not happen again.
Some CO conditions may start out as low level leaks but could develop into CO con-
centrations that could become harmful. If this happens, the CO alarm will detect the
dangerous level and alarm, notifying you and others of the conditions. DO NOT
ignore high concentration readings above 30 PPM or a CO alarming device that is in
alarm. Refer to page 4-1 for more details.
CO concentrations displayed below 30 PPM in memory are for reference only and the
accuracy of the concentration shown may not be as accurate as noted on page 5-1.
To Reset the Peak Level Memory...
Step 1. Press the peak level button.
Step 2. With the peak level button still pressed, press the test/reset button for two
seconds and release.
The number on the display will turn to "0". The memory has now been cleared
and the alarm will begin monitoring for CO within a few minutes.
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