Low-cost, portable CO detector?

40YearDream

40YearDream

Pre-takeoff checklist
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40YearDream
Anyone have experience with this? (Just noticed this in an ad on Barnstormers)

allavionics.com

MY-CO USB Carbon Monoxide Detector – AllAvionics.com

An ideal aircraft cockpit companion! MY-CO USB Carbon Monoxide Detector uses a USB power source to continuous monitoring CO levels during flight.
allavionics.com allavionics.com

Looks like it could be convenient when flying rental or club aircraft (that don't have anything better than the 'card with the dot')
 
40YearDream said:
Looks like it could be convenient when flying rental or club aircraft (that don't have anything better than the 'card with the dot')
Click to expand...
Luckily the trainers I’ve flown in are so drafty that the vents could be pumping out chlorine gas and it wouldn’t matter
 
I use the USB version of one and it gave so much whine and interference through the electrical system we couldn't use it and returned it to Amazon.
 
I've been very happy with my Aithre Shield. I have the older version, rechargeable. Had an exhaust leak, and knew it very quickly!
 
Jim_R said:
That's what I use, too, but I don't know if it counts as "low-cost" per the OP's request.
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It might be a little pricey at $200. It is much cheaper than paying for a funeral.

sensorcon-sensing-products-by-molex.myshopify.com

AV8 Inspector Pro AV8-CO-03 Carbon Monoxide Monitor for Aviation

The Sensorcon AV8 Inspector Pro is a portable, professional-grade Carbon Monoxide monitor designed for aviation enthusiasts and professionals including pilots, ground crew, technicians and inspectors. In aviation, CO is commonly produced by equipment such as piston-driven aircraft, ground...
sensorcon-sensing-products-by-molex.myshopify.com sensorcon-sensing-products-by-molex.myshopify.com
 
Martin Pauly said:
I use the more basic entry-level model from Sensorcom, the Inspector (CO) INS2-CO-01. It does all I want, and the alerting threshold is useful for cockpit needs.

From time to time, they run a discount.

- Martin
Click to expand...
That is what I have. I added HD 'Velcro' to the backside of the carrier and adhered it to a clear spot on my panel. Battery lasts about 6 mo if not turned off between flights (I leave it on so I don't forget to activate it).
 
Sensorcon has plastic holders to mount the unit to your panel, or interior.
 
A Forensics Detectors CO detector is $99 and is a battery powered device that has a digital display of CO levels, short dwell times (important in a transport vehicle) and low alarm levels (9 and 25 ppm). Can be Velcro mounted in a convenient place, and can be removed from its mounting bracket for battery changes. I find the CR-2032 batteries last 6-9 months.

It can detect low levels of CO from taxiing with the canopy open (without alarming) and it went off once in the maintenance hangar at 10 ppm or so when it was being heated with a propane heater.
 
So in an eerie coincidence, I saw a post on Insta who experienced a serious CO leak but his detector didn't go off until he was back on the ground taxiing. It was a Forensics Detectors model and with his windows open the airflow must have been drawing it away from the sensor until they landed. But the symptoms he described were pretty scary, luckily they realized what was happening and got themselves to safety.
 
robin ardoin said:
That is what I have. I added HD 'Velcro' to the backside of the carrier and adhered it to a clear spot on my panel. Battery lasts about 6 mo if not turned off between flights (I leave it on so I don't forget to activate it).
Click to expand...
Plus, if you have to activate it each time before flight, it will take 5-10 minutes for the unit to self-calibrate in a CO-free environment. If you activate it during taxi, and you have CO ingress, it may calibrate "zero" when in the presence of significant CO levels. Like you, I leave mine on all the time, and ensure that when it is activated, that it is done in a CO-free environment.
 
I hear these guys are pretty cheap and they work for bird feed.

1715372028128.png

Otherwise, we have the yellow->brown chemical detectors in our aircraft.
 
chemgeek said:
Plus, if you have to activate it each time before flight, it will take 5-10 minutes for the unit to self-calibrate in a CO-free environment. If you activate it during taxi, and you have CO ingress, it may calibrate "zero" when in the presence of significant CO levels. Like you, I leave mine on all the time, and ensure that when it is activated, that it is done in a CO-free environment.
Click to expand...
My choice has been to wear the CO meter clipped to my jacket, or the breast pocket of my shirt (depending on the season of the year) so that it's positioned close to where I'm breathing the air. Both the Sensorcon device I used for years until the sensor no longer passed calibration, or its current non-name brand replacement turn on and zero within about 30 seconds, so turning the device off and on (prior to starting the engine) between uses is not inconvenient.
 
Sensorco has a running discount for their units.
 
Eric Brunelle said:
That’s what I have - needs to be calibrated periodically for $50 - plus $20 if they need to replace a chip (I think I was a chip)
Click to expand...
I suspect the replaceable part is the amperometric detector. The detector will eventually run out of electrolyte and the device needs to be discarded or the detector replaced.
 
chemgeek said:
A Forensics Detectors CO detector is $99 and is a battery powered device that has a digital display of CO levels, short dwell times (important in a transport vehicle) and low alarm levels (9 and 25 ppm). Can be Velcro mounted in a convenient place, and can be removed from its mounting bracket for battery changes. I find the CR-2032 batteries last 6-9 months.

It can detect low levels of CO from taxiing with the canopy open (without alarming) and it went off once in the maintenance hangar at 10 ppm or so when it was being heated with a propane heater.
Click to expand...
I have the same detector. It works great.
 
For anyone on the fence, Sensorcon has a 15%-off special this holiday weekend.
Promo code MEMORIAL24.

- Martin
 
Good suggestions, I'll be buying one this weekend for sure.
A pilot friend bought a battery powered CO sensor earlier this week. First flight with it, yesterday. During climb we hear a slight change in the engine noise. No abrupt performance, except I noted after leveling off that 1 CHT was running 25 degrees cooler that the rest, and a brief smell of exhaust fumes. Pull out the CO sensor and it's reading 160s and 180s next to the air vent. Hmm can that be right? Closed air vents and very little change in reading. We decided to return to base. Fortunately, we fly a Grumman Traveler and slid the canopy open in flight to get fresh air, bringing the CO ppm down to the 40s range. About 40 minutes flight time total. We initially felt a rush of light headedness in the plane, turned into low grade head ache and nausea rest of the evening. We were planning to fly from Tampa to Key West, drop him off and return solo, probably would've ended as an NTSB statistic had we ignored our gut and kept going as planned. Turns out exhaust pipe cracked all around where it meets the flange.
 

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This is the one that I got to replace the Sensorcon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CB5MB2B6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1). It was about $29 at the time and is now listing for $36 with a 30% discount coupon on Amazon. I tested it against my hangar neighbor's Sensorcon and they matched to the ppm over the range of 0-11 ppm (the range I typically see in my plane). I also tested it by briefly passing it near the exhaust of my portable generator, and it got to a little over 50 ppm and alarmed.
 
DeadStick said:
Luckily the trainers I’ve flown in are so drafty that the vents could be pumping out chlorine gas and it wouldn’t matter
Click to expand...
I've had levels approaching 70 ppm in my open-cockpit homebuilt aircraft. Had a friend get CO poisoning in a Starduster biplane, open cockpit as well. Managed to land before he passed out.

Note the airflow over the wing, vs. the airflow over a fuselage:
1716584983377.png
The top of the wing has low pressure, and the cockpit is a low-pressure area as well. Exhaust gasses may collect there.

Ron Wanttaja
 
DeadStick said:
Luckily the trainers I’ve flown in are so drafty that the vents could be pumping out chlorine gas and it wouldn’t matter
Click to expand...
If draft lets air in or out, it can let CO in or out. About the only time I've ever seen my CO detector trip in the Navion is while operating on the ground with the canopy open. With only the propwash, it will blow enough exhaust into the cabin to be a problem. It's never been a problem, canopy open or closed, once the plane starts moving.
 
bkspero said:
This is the one that I got to replace the Sensorcon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CB5MB2B6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1). It was about $29 at the time and is now listing for $36 with a 30% discount coupon on Amazon. I tested it against my hangar neighbor's Sensorcon and they matched to the ppm over the range of 0-11 ppm (the range I typically see in my plane). I also tested it by briefly passing it near the exhaust of my portable generator, and it got to a little over 50 ppm and alarmed.
Click to expand...
First alarm at 50 ppm with no user adjustment available seems a problem. I suppose you could mount it in sight, but then you would have to include it in your scan.
 
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