Kidde Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm #KN-COB-DP-H

This product from what I can see works excellent and has no need for batteries... Just plug and go.

Ok, first is the fact that the anti-tamper switch is a little *too* sensitive- you have to have it plugged in *just right* or the switch will pop out, causing the alarm to go off. Not easy to do in our old house with old outlets that have odd covers that stick out from the walls. In fact, we couldn't even use it in most outlets and had to use an extension cord just to get a flush enough outlet for it. Even then, we actually had to duct tape it to the cord's outlet so that the switch would stay pushed in. After too many hassles with that we finally just disabled the anti-tamper switch. So then it seemed to work fine for about a month or so, but then one morning it started beeping every thirty seconds or so. False alarm, or is there a problem? It's difficult to say, as we didn't have a second detector, or really any other way to test for CO, but I did bring it out onto our drafty (enclosed) back porch to see if that made a difference. It didn't. The thing kept beeping. So then I brought it *outside*- still kept beeping. The test/reset button also didn't seem to work very well- I'd hold it down for several long seconds and... nothing. Maybe this particular unit was just defective, I don't know. I'm going to give First Alert a try for my replacement.

easy setup... as long as you have an outlet that your kids won't mess with

This alarm has a "tamper resist" feature which makes the alarm sound if the unit is "unplugged" (fortunately, this can be deactivated, though it's on by default). However, this feature is very poorly implemented. There is a button that sticks out on the back of the alarm which is pushed in when the unit is plugged in. However, if the unit is slightly bumped or jostled, this alarm will sound at full blast even if the unit is never actually unplugged! Earlier today, I was plugging something else in nearby when I grazed the alarm, causing it to go off. My head was only a foot or so from the alarm, and I fear it may have damaged my hearing!

There are several obvious ways to fix this problem. First, they could have set the unit to produce a significantly lower-volume (10-20 dB) sound when the unit is "unplugged." Second, they could have set it to electronically detect that it's not receiving power from the outlet, instead of using the cheap, poorly-functioning button on the back.

I got a great deal on the carbon monoxide alarms and am so far pleased (luckily they havn't had to actually work yet and i'm hoping they won't ever have to) They are good for a little peace of mind!