The night my trailer was delivered, I found out it did not have a carbon monoxide detector and the service man recommended I get one off amazon. They had some cheap ones with good reviews and it helped complete the $35 I needed to get free shipping on another item.
It was a little bit of a challenge to find one that would meet my needs. First I will be living on DC 12 volt solar, so I do not have regular outlets to hook the thing into. I am not going to want something that is going to be a phantom load on my batteries either. Nor do I want to pay a service fee to have the detector professionally installed and wired into the electric lines. It is overwhelming enough, at this point to have to purchase yet another item. I am used to the standard smoke alarm that runs on a 9 volt battery. I was quite happy to find the First Alert, that ran on a 9 volt battery alone. The battery will not last 3 years the way it does in a smoke detector, and according to the reviews, it will have to be changed in a little under a year, but at least it does not require power consumption off my solar.
Also I must mention that this detector will also be of use to me now, if I need to break out emergency heating and cook top, as it will blare if, the carbon monoxide levels get too high.
You cannot see, smell or notice carbon monoxide and the only way you will notice it is if you have an alarm.
I put the battery in upon receipt of the unit and set it on the table in the living room. I have found myself very exhausted, with a lot more allergies and brain fog since the leak. Probably due to the molds.
Now for a freaky story: I was watching Evil Dead [the original], the night before Halloween. There was a scene where the demon in the house claimed it was going to take the main character, at that moment this funny image of “Uncle Sam-I want you” popped into my head. I could not help laughing.
While I was sleeping I kept dreaming about my current living situation. I woke up feeling like this house wants me dead. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Soon after I was dreaming about that same Uncle Sam poster. I woke up, rolled over and went back to sleep again. The next morning I woke up to a blaring alarm. I got the broom and kept trying to press the fire alarm off. Then in my grogginess, I realized it was my new carbon monoxide alarm. Everything seemed fine till I went in the kitchen and found that I forgot to turn the oven off, when I made dinner the night before. One result of the increased brain fog. I turned on the bathroom wall heater and opened the nearby bathroom window to clear the air. I went back to bed for most the day, due to my headache and tiredness.
Don’t know if the First Alert carbon monoxide was a good purchase, but I do know it saved my life. Certainly not a waste of $13.99!