CO Advice
Why did FireAngel introduce a new line of carbon monoxide alarms?
In this Q&A, FireAngel’s Director of Compliance, Ian Ballinger, discusses the benefits of our new advanced range of carbon monoxide alarms for customers.
CO Advice
There are two main reasons why FireAngel introduced a new line of carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.
Our successful ‘CO-9’ series is over 10 years old. It was therefore a good time for us to review the functions of the product series and the potential for integrating a new product range into our overall portfolio.
The publication of the new European standard EN 50291 in 2018 was at the forefront of our thinking. We had the option of either updating the existing product range to the new standard or as we ultimately decided, to develop a new generation of carbon monoxide (CO) alarms that would cover the integration of the new standard and be suitable for both UK and European markets with increased functionality.
With EN 50291, we comply with two elements of the standard – EN 50291:1 which is the core standard for carbon monoxide alarms for households and EN 50291:2 which is the standard applied for caravans, motor homes and boats. Our new product range is fully certified by accredited testing and certification bodies, namely BSI and CNPP. FireAngel’s new sealed battery carbon monoxide alarms (including the FA3820, FA3322 and FA3328) are also suitable for homes in Scotland under the new fire and CO regulations.
Compared to the previous product series, our new CO alarm range offers a variety of features in line with the updated standard. For example, a mandatory warning signal before the end of the equipment’s service life is now required. The sound pressure level has also been adjusted, which was originally 85 dB at 1m. This was increased to 85 dB at a distance of 3 m in order to achieve alignment with the smoke alarm standard.
Other differences include additional notes on the calculation of the battery capacity and further interfering gases being added. The electrochemical sensors used in CO alarms are extremely sensitive and interference with other gases can occur, however under the new standard these have now been increased.
On selected models of FireAngel’s new carbon monoxide alarms, we have included a pre-alarm ventilation warning that responds to low levels of carbon monoxide to alert people to open windows and ventilate a property to help reduce health risks. Thanks to the night-time sensing feature, a low battery alarm can be silenced during the night up to a maximum of 10 times, allowing enough time to replace the carbon monoxide alarm or batteries the next day.
Another helpful feature is the quiet self-test. When you press the test button on the carbon monoxide detector, it will normally sound at 85 dB at a distance of 3 meters. Now, with our new range of CO alarms, pressing the self-test button once will perform a quiet self-test which is ideal if you want to minimise disruption for neighbours. Of course, you can still test the alarm at full volume by pressing the test button twice should you wish to do so.
Our new digital display model FA3322-EUX also records property environmental values, such as temperature and humidity levels. This is helpful for landlords looking to check the temperature in winter as well as humidity levels with regards to possible mould infestation, so that a quick response can be organised.
There are several ways to now download data from FireAngel alarms. We can retrieve device history and alarm status remotely using connected technology or through downloading information via cables. With our new FA3328-EUT alarm, we can also use SYNC-IT NFC technology for easy data extraction. Using the NFC mobile app, a simple tap of a phone on the CO alarm will retrieve a list of recent events and battery status.
Overall, it is an exciting product line that we have developed with all our markets in mind. The sophisticated NFC SYNC-IT diagnostics function is of particular interest to installers who undertake planned maintenance on a property.
The range covers a broad portfolio, ranging from alarms for landlords who want more information from their devices or who are seeking to provide a more holistic form of protection for tenants alongside carbon monoxide detection, to consumers who just want a simple CO alarm. We have developed our new alarms using the latest manufacturing techniques and component selection to provide high quality, technically advanced products.
All of this is supported by FireAngel being certified by independent third-party accredited testing and certification bodies, such as BSI, for all four products to the new European CO standard. This is not necessarily the case for all CO warning devices – there are many products on the market that are only CE marked and have not been tested by a third-party body, but still claim to meet the standard.
As a private user or installer, you should always look out for the approval or certification of a product by a third-party. At FireAngel, we always invest in approval by an independent testing institute. On the one hand, this underpins our confidence in our product from an independent perspective, but it also means that our factory and our products are independently tested and audited on a regular basis
Our products are designed for the safety of human life, and that’s ultimately what we’re about. This independent review of our manufacturing technology, manufacturing processes and products is an essential part of our work and demonstrates our commitment to product quality and customer safety.
We have several important launches planned this year. In addition to the new CO alarm range, we have just launched a new fully certified range of retail smoke and heat alarms. These alarms also have some interesting new features like the quiet self-test, sleep-easy-function and they come with sealed for life or replaceable 5 year batteries. Next year we will also be launching our new Home Environment Gateway.
Find out more about our new range of carbon monoxide alarms and how our range helps to protect lives.
This article was originally published on Git-Sicherheit
