CO-FA-9B USER MANUAL
CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM
Please read me –
as I could save your life.
NOTE
: This User Manual is available in
larger text please call
0800 141 2561
INTRODUCTION
The First Alert CO-FA-9B Carbon Monoxide
Poisonous Gas Alarm is one of a new generation
of domestic life safety products from Sprue
Safety Products Limited, which combines the
latest technology and innovative design to
provide an aesthetically pleasing and effective
contribution to your home safety.
Sprue Safety Products Ltd manufactures some
of the most technologically advanced carbon
monoxide detectors in the world.
FEATURES
• An advanced electrochemical sensor
designed to accurately measure low levels
of carbon monoxide (CO) providing an early
warning of toxic CO levels in your home
• Detects carbon monoxide continuously
• Resistant to false alarms caused by normal
household contaminants
• Sounds a loud 85dB alarm (at 1m/3 feet) to
alert you in case of an emergency
• Test/reset button
• Regular self-check to ensure detector is
operating correctly
• Simple to mount, portable, ideal for
travelling
• Certified to the European Standard for
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
EN 50291-1: 2010 and EN 50291-2: 2010
• 7 year warranty
CARBON MONOXIDE AND
HOW IT CAN AFFECT YOU
AND YOUR FAMILY
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that kills
hundreds of people each year and injures many
more. It is often referred to as the silent killer,
it has no odour or taste and cannot be seen.
Like oxygen, CO enters the body through the
lungs during the normal breathing process. It
competes with oxygen by replacing it in the red
blood cells, thereby reducing the flow of oxygen
to the heart, brain and other vital organs. In high
concentrations, CO can kill in minutes.
Many cases of reported carbon monoxide
poisoning indicate that while victims are
aware they are not feeling well, they become
disorientated and unable to save themselves
by either exiting the building or calling for
assistance. Exposure during sleep is particularly
dangerous because the victim usually does not
wake up.
Symptoms of CO poisoning
The following symptoms may be related to CO
poisoning which all household members should
be made aware of:
• Mild Exposure: Slight headache, nausea,
vomiting, fatigue (often described as
‘flu-like’ symptoms)
• Medium Exposure: Severe throbbing
headache, drowsiness, confusion, fast
heart rate
• Extreme Exposure: Unconsciousness,
convulsions, cardiorespiratory failure, death
Your First Alert CO detector monitors the level of
CO as parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere
surrounding the detector.
35ppm
The maximum allowable concentration for
continuous exposure for healthy adults in
any 8 hour period, as recommended by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA).
200ppm
Slight headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea after
2 - 3 hours.
400ppm
Frontal headaches within 1 - 2 hours, life
threatening after 3 hours.
800ppm
Dizziness, nausea and convulsions within 45
minutes. Unconsciousness within 2 hours.
Death within 2 - 3 hours.
Should you suspect CO may be affecting you or
your family, open the doors and windows of your
property to ventilate, turn off your appliances
and evacuate the premises. At this time the
authorities should be contacted to locate the
source of the carbon monoxide before re-
entering the building. Medical attention should
be sought for anyone suffering the effects of CO
poisoning (headache, nausea).
Common sources of CO
• Oil and gas boilers
• Portable generators
• Oil or solid fuel cookers
• Gas or paraffin heaters
• Barbecues
• Clogged chimneys
• Gas, wood, coal or coke fireplaces
• Cigarette smoke
• Gas appliances
• Any fossil fuel burning appliance
WARNING:
This First Alert carbon monoxide
detector is not a combustible gas detector,
nor a smoke detector. Please install the proper
detectors to detect combustible gases, or
smoke.
This CO detector should not be seen as a
substitute for the proper installation, use,
and maintenance of fuel-burning appliances
(including appropriate ventilation and exhaust
systems), nor the sweeping of chimneys.
WARNING:
: Variables relating to your fuel
burning appliances can change at any point
eg. the flue or chimney could suddenly
become blocked or damaged, appliances may
stop running correctly or circumstances in
neighbouring properties may change resulting in
the presence of carbon monoxide. For this and
other reasons do not use this carbon monoxide
detector on an intermittent basis, or as a
portable detector for trying to trace one source
of the spillage of combustion products from fuel
burning appliances or from chimney.
Do not:
• IGNORE ANY WARNING FROM YOUR CO
DETECTOR!
• Burn charcoal inside your home, caravan,
tent or cabin
• Install, convert or service fuel-burning
appliances without proper knowledge, skill
and expertise
• Use a gas cooker for heating a room
• Operate unvented gas burning appliances
using paraffin or natural gas in closed rooms
• Operate petrol-powered engines indoors or
in confined areas
• Ignore a safety device when it shuts an
appliance off
Always:
• Buy appliances accepted by a recognised
testing laboratory
• Install appliances according to the
manufacturer’s instructions
• Have appliance installations carried out by
professionals (for gas appliances engineers
should be registered)
• Have your appliances checked regularly by a
qualified service engineer
• Have your chimneys and flues cleaned
professionally every year
• Make regular visual inspections of all fuel-
burning appliances
• Do not barbecue indoors, or in an attached
garage
• Open windows when a fireplace or oil/solid
fuel cooker is in use
• Only install CO detectors that meet the
requirements of EN 50291-1: 2010 and
EN 50291-2: 2010 in your home
• Be aware of CO poisoning symptoms
EDUCATE YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY
ON THE SOURCES AND SYMPTOMS OF
CO POISONING AND HOW TO USE YOUR
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR
WHERE TO INSTALL YOUR
DETECTOR
This CO alarm is suitable for use in domestic
premises (caravan holiday homes), caravans
and motor caravans.
The following advice is applicable to all intended
applications, there are special instructions at
the end of this section relating to positioning
in caravan holiday homes, caravans and motor
caravans.
WARNING:
This detector will only indicate the
presence of carbon monoxide gas at the sensor.
Carbon monoxide gas may be present in other
areas.
In which room should the detector be
installed?
Ideally, an apparatus should be installed in
every room containing a fuel burning appliance.
Additional apparatus may be installed to ensure
that adequate warning is given for occupants in
other rooms, by locating apparatus in:
• Remote rooms in which the occupant(s)
spend considerable time whilst awake
and from which they may not be able hear
an alarm from apparatus in another part
of the premises, and
• Every sleeping room
However, if there is a fuel burning appliance
in more than one room and the number of
apparatus is limited, the following points should
be considered when deciding where best to put
the apparatus:
• Locate the apparatus in a room containing
a flueless or open-flued appliance, and
• Locate apparatus in a room where the
occupant(s) spend most time
• If the domestic premises is a bedsit (a
single room serving as both sitting and
bedroom) then the apparatus should
be put as far from the cooking appliances
as possible but near to where the person
sleeps
• If the appliance is in a room not normally
used (for example a boiler room), the
apparatus should be put just outside the
room so that the alarm may be heard
more easily.
Where in the room should I place the detector?
Apparatus located in the same room as a fuel-
burning appliance:
A
For both wall and ceiling mounted
apparatus the following applies:
• The apparatus should be at a horizontal
distance of between 1m and 3m from the
potential source
• If there is a partition in a room, the
apparatus should be located on the same
side of the partition as the potential source
• Carbon Monoxide detectors in rooms
with sloped ceilings should be located at
the high side of the room
B
In addition to the previous points the
following must be observed:
If the apparatus is located on a wall:
• it should be located close to the ceiling;
• it should be located at a height greater
than the height of any door or window;
• it should be at least 150mm from the
ceiling.
If the apparatus is located on the ceiling:
• it should be at least 300mm from any wall
and any ceiling obstruction e.g. light
fittings.
Apparatus located in sleeping rooms and in
rooms remote from a fuel burning appliance:
• Apparatus located in sleeping rooms
or located in rooms remote from the
fuel-burning appliance should be located
relatively close to the breathing zone of
the occupants
Where not to put the detector
The apparatus should not be installed:
• In an enclosed space (for example in a
cupboard or behind a curtain)
• Where it can be obstructed (for example
by furniture)
• Directly above a sink
• Next to a door or window
• Next to an extractor fan
• Next to an air vent or other similar
ventilation openings
• In an area where the temperature may
drop below -10°C or exceed 40°C
• Where dirt and dust may block the sensor
• In a damp or humid location (for example
in a bathroom)
• Less than 1m/3 feet from any appliance
• Within 1m (3 feet) of mobile phones
Caravans
Caravans may have additional risks of carbon
monoxide ingress through air vents due to the
nearby presence of other vehicles, engines,
generators or barbecues, however this does
not change the basic guidance on location of
the alarm. Caravans should be fitted with an
HOW TO INSTALL
YOUR DETECTOR
NOTE:
This apparatus should
be installed by a competent
person who feels able to
install it according to the
instructions.
Firstly write the installation
date on your detector in
the area provided. We
recommend that your
detector is installed on the
wall.
To mount on a wall or
ceiling:
Please ensure that you use
the screws provided, as they
were chosen specifically for
use with this product. Use
template below for guidance
on marking hole positions.
Drill holes into the wall. Insert
the plastic wall plugs. Screw
in the screws. Ensure screws
are protruding from the wall
by 3mm to allow detector to
slot onto screws.
To place on a shelf:
The base of the detector has
been designed to allow it to
stand freely on a shelf.
WARNING:
When placing
on a shelf, please follow to
the recommendations for
positioning.
90mm
Drill hole spacing
BATTERY INSTALLATION /
REPLACEMENT
A
If the detector is already wall or ceiling
mounted then unhook it from the
mounting screws.
B
Remove the battery cover located on the
back of the detector.
C
Replace the batteries with 2 x approved
1.5 volt AA size alkaline batteries,
making sure the batteries are the correct
way round. Use of batteries other than
those recommended by Sprue Safety
Press ridged
area in and slide
door out to
reveal battery
compartment
Products Ltd may have a detrimental
effect on the detector’s operation.
Replace the battery cover and return the
detector to its original position.
D
Your advanced First Alert CO detector
requires a short ‘warm-up’ period before
it is fully operational.
If you have followed all of the above steps
correctly, your unit will begin monitoring for
CO in around 3 minutes. When the 3 minute
warm-up period is complete,
the Power LED
will flash green once per minute to indicate
that the alarm is receiving power from the
batteries and is fully operational (if your detector
chirps or enters alarm following the 3 minute
warm-up period and your product is still within
warranty, then please contact technical support
for advice).
E
Test the sounder, batteries and circ
uitry
by pressing and holding the Test/Reset
button for 1 second. The sounder should
sound as soon as the button is pressed,
and the Alarm LED will illuminate red for
a short time indicating that the sounder is
working and the batteries are providing power
to the unit. This test for the sounder, batteries
and circuitry should be performed weekly.
WARNING:
Prolonged exposure to the sounder
in close proximity to your ears may damage your
hearing.
Under normal operating conditions, the
batteries should last for at least 12 months.
The detector will not protect against the risk of
carbon monoxide poisoning when the batteries
have drained.
WARNING:
Prolonged exposure to extreme
high or low temperatures may reduce the life of
the batteries.
OPERATING FEATURES
Your First Alert CO detector offers many features
which set it apart from other CO detectors on
the market today.
Test/Reset button feature
This button will:
• Test the sounder, batteries and circuitry
• Allow you to test the sensor by
introducing a source of CO into the
detector (see ‘Testing The Sensor’ below)
• Silence the loud 85dB sounder during an
alarm (only possible when current CO
level is less than 50ppm)
Testing the sounder, batteries and circuitry
Test the sounder, batteries and circuitry by
pressing and holding the Test/Reset button for 1
second to confirm that the detector is operating
alarm in the same room as any combustion
appliance(s), located in accordance with
previous advice in this section. If the caravan
has a single living space which incorporates
the sleeping accommodation, it can be
considered to be equivalent to a bedsit, and a
single alarm is sufficient. However, any sleeping
accommodation which is in a separate room
from the combustion appliance(s) should also
contain an alarm, located in accordance with
previous advice in this section.
It is not always possible to find an optimum
location for an apparatus, for example, a
small caravan may not have suitable vertical
surfaces available. Nevertheless, when fitting
an apparatus in such situations, the two most
important considerations when selecting an
appropriate location are:
• Not mounting the apparatus directly above a
source of heat or steam; and
• Mounting the apparatus at a distance of
1 – 3 m from the nearest edge of the potential
source.
