CO Detector

In the Feb 21 column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, T&R recommended a Carbon Monoxide Detector for a person who suspected CO leakage. They assured readers we could find one at the hardware store for around $20. All the hardware stores I have contacted have only CO alarms, and they are well over $20. What am I missing?

CO is carbon monoxide. CO2 is carbon dioxide. Detector=alarm.
Is your question about price? $40-50 is what I have seen around.
What does this have to do with automobiles?

I’m talking about Carbon Monoxide. My question is about item–I can find CO Alarms for a lot of money, but not CO detectors for any price. The column implied the detector should give a CO level reading. But an alarm is made for a house, and does not give a reading; rather if buzzes if the CO level goes too high.

The cartalk column http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/wheels/352061_talk22.html advises the reader to use a CO detector to check for CO leaks in a car.

search the internet for “Carbon Monoxide Meter”, you will find lots of meters for several hundred dollars.

detector is the same as alarm, and they sell for about $50. If you want to actually measure the level, you need a CO meter, and they sell for $200-400.

Tom and Ray are not experts on everything.

A search of the internet will give you the numbers noted above.

correcting the above, a CO alarm is the $40-50 item that rings an alarm when to CO level goes above a preset limit.

A CO meter is like a voltmeter and reads the actual level of CO. $200-400.

The terms CO Detector and CO analyzer are a bit ambiguous and I have seen them applied to either type of instrument.

I bought a CO detector/meter some time back with an alarm and a digital meter on the front(ppm of CO). Seems that it was around $50. Nighthawk brand, division of Kidde Safety. Portable as it uses 3 AAA batteries.

I stand corrected, didn’t know that was available…