Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector, Propane, Natural, Methane, & Explosive Gas Alarm, Plug-in Wall with 9-Volt Battery Backup, Digital LED Display

I'm about to wax poetic about the "Safety Siren Pro Series 1000" (or whatever demonic device this is). Let's be clear, this thing detects carbon monoxide like a bloodhound sniffs out a dropped hotdog at a picnic. No complaints there. If there's a rogue molecule of CO within a five-mile radius, this thing will know. It's like having a tiny, hyper-vigilant, gas-detecting chihuahua with a PhD in atmospheric chemistry. But, and this is a BIG but, when those batteries start to wane, oh. sweet merciful heavens... it's like a tiny, metal-clad demon has taken up residence in my home. The beeping... the BEEPING... isn't your standard, "Oh, batteries are low, please replace me" chirp. No, this is a sustained, high-pitched, soul-rending wail that sounds like a chorus of dying smoke detectors harmonizing with a dentist's drill. It starts subtly, a little "beep" here, a little "beep" there. You think, "Oh, I'll change them tomorrow." WRONG. You've just signed a pact with auditory torment. Within hours, it evolves into a relentless, rhythmic pulse of pure, unadulterated annoyance. My cat now hides under the sofa, my plants have visibly wilted, and I've started having flashbacks to that scene in Reefer Madness where the guy leaps out the window, convinced he's being chased by jazz demons. I swear, this thing is less a safety device and more a psychological warfare instrument. It's so effective at alerting you to low batteries that you'll replace them out of sheer, unbridled terror. You'll be sprinting to the store, batteries clutched in your trembling hands, like you're carrying the antidote to the apocalypse. Five stars for gas detection, minus a million for auditory assault. If you value your sanity, buy this thing, but keep a fresh pack of batteries on standby, and maybe invest in some industrial-grade earplugs. You've been warned.

No complaints about this, but I have no way to really test its accuracy and sensitivity, so I have to take that part on faith. But the Kidde name warrants that faith. I do really like the device. MANY of these have a fixed AC plug on the back that requires one to place it at an outlet or to run an extension cord to the correct location for mounting. In our case, we are monitoring for natural gas, and that means the power source must be up near the ceiling. Of course, homes rarely have power outlets near the ceiling, and if they do, those are dedicated to TVs and such. So the only option is to run an extension cord or power strip to the proper location, mount that to the wall somehow, and then plug in the device into the power supply cord. That's ridiculous and unsightly. Those will work great for propane, but not for natural gas. The Kidde has a long (about 6'), low voltage extension cord attached to a conventional wall wart (transformer power supply) on the end that reaches down to a convenient outlet and feeds power to the device in a proper location reasonably near the ceiling. Installation is easy with the small "mollys" to hold adequately in sheetrock. The device is light enough that it doesn't take much to hold it securely. The LED display, which, I believe, is a continuous readout of CO levels, is large and bright enough to read from across the room. I've installed this primarily to monitor for natural gas leaks. Since moving in, we have removed THREE natural gas appliances: a gas range, a gas "fireplace" and a gas hot water heater. The only remaining gas appliance is the furnace. With a running furnace and three capped off gas spigots, this detector provides peace of mind about gas leaks. The CO detector is a bonus, and it's good to know that the furnace is properly vented and not leaking combustion byproducts. I'm pleased with this purchase, and I recommend it.

I’ve bought several of these over the years. They work well.

The Kidde KN-COEG-3 Nighthawk is well made, easy to use and well worth the cost! Our home seemed to have had a slight gas odor lingering for a few weeks after having our water heater replaced. We could not tell if it was from that or not though because in weeks prior we began having problems with our gas range. Since we only had a the standard Kidde Smoke Alarm and CO2 Detector installed (in the ceiling) and did not have an explosive gas detector, we picked this one up with hopes it would help us determine where the gas odor was coming from by testing each room for gas levels. Having an alkaline 9 volt battery (included) backup; it can be unplugged from the outlet and moved from room to room for testing. You can plug it right into a 110 volt outlet or slide out a built in stand and sit it on the counter. The moment the battery was installed and the detector was set up to test it with an open gas valve, it emitted a very loud piercing blast! It's sure to wake up even the soundest sleepers!! Fortunately, we were able to determine where the gas was coming from and in turn had the problem addressed and resolved in a timely fashion. Pros: Battery Length, Clear Instructions, Easy Installation, Easy Replacement, Easy to Use, Lots of Features, Plug-in and Battery Backup, Very LOUD!!!!!!!! Cons: Somewhat large but not a deal breaker for me obviously Highly recommend!!

I didn't have a natural gas detector so I got this one to put in my basement, which is the only place in my home with natural gas. Installation is easy, just plug it in. The plug portion can be removed from the back of the unit and the main part located at a different level than the plug. Natural gas is lighter than air and propane is heavier so they recommend that it be located high in the room if you have natural gas and low if you have propane. A lot of the negative reviewers don't appear to understand when the unit is supposed to sound the alarm. Carbon monoxide is poisonous at high concentrations. Natural gas and propane are not poisonous but can be explosive at high concentrations, the levels are well established. At very high concentrations they can cause suffocation because they displace oxygen. The packaging says that it might take up to 4 hours to sound depending on the concentration of CO, this is consistent with the UL standard. In fact a unit would fail the UL test if it went off within 30 days when there are low levels of CO. This is to minimize nuisance alarms, the alarm wouldn't do any good if people got frustrated and disabled it. The gas detector alarm is specified to sound by the time the concentration reaches 25%, this is below the explosive threshold. Just because there is a heavy gas odor doesn't mean there is an immediate danger. One negative reviewer tried to test it with a cigarette lighter, which typically use butane. This unit is only specified to test for natural gas (methane) and propane. The warranty is 5 years, the unit will stop working after 7 years and should be replaced. This is a safety feature, not planned obsolescence.

You trust your life to these devices. I bought this to replace a Nighthawk unit that had aged out after 10 years. I was glad to see the same device was still available. Apparently Kidde has purchased Nighthawk but it is still the same trusted device. Perfect like-for-like replacement.

Good CO detector, has 12v backup battery and 110 v plug in main power supply with a long (4’cord). This is a replacement for the first one I purchased 5 years ago. These units have a 5 year design life once they are plugged in. After 5 years of operation they automatically stop working and sound an alarm and message to replace the unit. I like the display, bright and legible red lettering and the alarm is loud enough for me to hear it upstairs even though it’s located in the basement. Yes, I will probably purchase again.

My Mom started feeling sick the week after having her gas furnace serviced. I brought over my CO detector (Kidde brand, earlier version) and about five minutes after plugging it in it started alarming-registering 256 on the digital screen!! Every CO detector that I have bought in the past ten years just paid for itself in that moment. CO detectors generally have a 5 year life. I bought another brand at Lowes thinking CO detectors are all the same since they did not carry Kidde, and long story short: I returned it because there were no dates on the device, or its packaging even though it mentioned the five year expiration. So who knows where in its shelf life it was??? And it was $50. I was happy to find Kidde on Amazon and for much less $$$. Best of all, stamped on the device was its date of manufacture-Jan 2013 so I know that I have a good five years-no guessing, because they do stop working in the fifth year, and then there is no guessing why. I have a two story house, so I have two detectors; one upstairs and one downstairs. Having two lets me double check the whole CO detector system as well as having adequate coverage. Once the upstairs detector started alarming and read GAS instead of registering a number on the screen. Turns out that my husband was making a big pot of mulled wine and putting high enough alcohol vapors into the air, that it set the detector off! Read the fine print-these babies detect flammable vapors as well as CO! So you really get your money's worth. Doing the math: detector is $35 and is good for 5 years equals a measly $7 a year, about 75 cents a month. If you have natural gas coming into your home, the CO detector is a must have. I have seen it in action, and I wish for you that peace of mind.