aart wrote:
After shutting down yesterday I heard distinct beeping. My CO detector was saying goodbye after 2+ years of service. I have the BW Gasalert that needs replacement.Good reason to resurrect this thread and make use of the excellent into here.
I’ve had my doubts about the volume of the BW. I don’t have an easy option to put a unit in my direct line of sight and rely on the aural warning. Have had some alerts but always on the ground, at stationary RPM. Not sure if I’d hear it in cruise..
This thread lead me to the following brand. I have two USB-ports on board, so the Model 6 seems perfect for me. I like the option to connect to my phone/headset. Available in the EU for € 169 plus shipping. 7 years lifetime. Let’s hope I can buy 2 or even 3 more of these during my own lifetime..
Seems like a fairly new product. Any experiences here?
https://www.aviationconsumer.com/accessories/co-monitors-aithre-a-top-pick/
https://www.air-store.eu/Aithre-Shield-USB-60-Portables-CO-Warngeraet-mit-App-Schnittstelle*Bold*
No experience yet, but I just received the USB/BT version. Fairly small and seems to work along with the app. It sends aural warning through your headset at the condition BT is connected, and will blink Blue if no problem, yellow between 20 an 50ppm, and red over. Easy and portable, as first comment, I would love a good aural warning from the device, but it is really tiny and I don’t think it has the power to generate this.
Then it must connect on a constant 5V USB power, not a power bank that will disconnect it because of the too low consumption.
I’ll take it with me on the next flight on Saturday.
It is different from what aart’s version (the shield 4), that has a internal battery and a buzzer. Not sure which is the best, especially for me that have a club activity, I can’t velcro it anywhere and need to have it with my bag all the time, I opted for a portable one.
I’ve bought the device mentioned in my post 30. Works well. Just to make sure tested it on a car exhaust. Pretty loud beep, not sure if loud enough though, so put it in line-of-sight. Amber/Red warning should be apparent instead of slow blue blinking. Easy recharge through USB port, but proper battery does last quite a bit it seems. I’ve velcroed the holder to my panel and the device slips into the holder. I take it off after each flight and switch it off, but could also leave it in and keep the charging cable connected all the time. There is also a version where the USB connection is part of the device, like a cigarette-lighter set up.
Device connects to your phone, records data and SOC and so one can also get an aural warning through he BT connection of a headset
Reading previous posts, I had somehow assumed that the Honeywell BW Gas Clip Real Time needed switching on and off to get its two-year battery life.
But looking at the manual, it seems it really is “always on”
Always on, except when placed in a ‘hibernation case’, available as an option. May be useful if there are longer periods of time between flights.
Thanks Aart, that was an interesting paper.
Reading previous posts, I had somehow assumed that the Honeywell BW Gas Clip Real Time needed switching on and off to get its two-year battery life.
But looking at the manual, it seems it really is “always on”. And offers real-time and peak readings, and a user-set lower alarm limit.
Looks like a no-brainer :-)
Thanks to all who posted!
Same with this famous PA46 crash. A probable cause.
As was posted before, it’s “really interesting” that the CAA didn’t want to retrieve the wreckage. Fairly obviously it would have diffused the prosecution of the operator…
The Final Report in to the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft, VH‑NOO, at Jerusalem Bay, Hawkesbury River, NSW on 31 December 2017 clearly emphasises:
It CONFIRMS that the cause of the accident was CO.
It CRITICISES the use of disposable CO chemical spot detectors as being unreliable, especially in sunlight.
It RECOMMENDS that GA aircraft be fitted with inexpensive and readily available electronic active warning CO detectors.
This “Video on CO Detection”: https://pilotworkshop.com/win-sim-ifrm-122522-promo/ (and you don’t have to buy in to the commercial link at the end) is a goodly reminder of our previous postings.
It clearly identifies one of the CO detectors that we shared together, along with the specific level of readings where we should take note or action.
Another factor to take into consideration when looking at alarm thresholds is altitude, which may disqualify ‘home-devices’?
There was some earlier discussion about domestic residential devices.
After a little research I believe the cheap (<£30) UK devices conform to BS EN 50291-1.2018 with alarms at:
<30ppm no alarm for at least 120 minutes
>50ppm alarm within 60-90 minutes
>100ppm alarm within 10-40 minutes
>200ppm alarm within 3 minutes
They also tend to be relatively large, eg 120mm x 70 mm so not great for dashboard mounting.
On the other hand, they have 10 year batteries so you don’t have to switch them on and off, and some have continuous digital readout with a button-press display of the peak reading since the last reset.
So considerably better than nothing, and “nothing” is what you may find if you arrive at a (group?) aircraft and find the expensive device has a dead battery…
I don‘t think that changes the answer to the question. It just means any reading needs determination of the cause and associated action, which might just be continued flight away from the smokestack or in this case coal mine.
I don’t think zero indicated CO level is achievable all the time, it all depends how sensitive your sensor is and the external environment. Mine would trigger a “yellow level” warning when flying low enough above an industrial chimney. First noticed that when doing t&g’s followed by tight circuits over some coal mine. Warning light would repeatedly light up for maybe 10 seconds over the same spot. Over time, I just learned to ignore the “yellow level” warning when there is a reasonable chance that the indication is triggered by air coming from outside.
