If there is things for safety one should have in their home, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a natural gas detector (for those who tend to have issues with their gas stove or are forgetful) and also a CO2 Detector.
Some people think Carbon Monoxide and CO2 are the same, but both are different and both require their own detectors.
But one thing I wanted to get is the Aiment 3-in-1 CO2 Detector, but one that has numerous options and also one that can be constantly plugged and not on battery power.
I’ve owned enough smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors that run out of battery power and I just wanted to see if there were better options for Carbon Dioxide monitoring.
And Aiment has a CO2 detector but also features air temperature and also air humidity.
So, how this works is that if you have 400-700 ppm, it stays green at normal. 700-1500 ppm has a yellow warning and 1500-5000 ppm is considered dangerous.
Average outdoor is 400 ppm. But typically in home with good air exchange, it should be around 4,000-1,000 ppm. While adverse effects is 2500-5000 ppm.
So, I decided to test this device out to see how things go.
It’s fairly easy. The unit comes with a USB cable and since I have a power strip that allows for USB connections, it was easy to set up. But its important to note that the cable charges the rechargeable battery which lasts up to 40 hours.
The unit comes with an infrared NDIR sensor, multiple interference prevention, air convention technology and greenhouse compensation calibration. And the company offers a 3 month free return and a lifetime warranty. Which is a plus!
Button functions is that to turn it on/off with the center button on top (long press). You can change from Celsius to Fahrenheit easily.
You could hit the + via a long press to turn off the alarm. The sound can be customized for sound alarm value via the +/- buttons. By pressing the – button, you can turn the backlight on and off. You can also run a calibration by holding all three buttons (when the unit is off).
So, as for the big test…
So, while everyone was out, my home stayed at an average of 700-800 ppm with just me in the house. When others were in the home, I saw the numbers go up to 850.
The oven was used and then I saw it start to go higher until it reached yellow and then hit 1500 ppm and it beeped loud scaring everyone. We opened the windows but this was a good test to see if the unit would work. While I’m sure those in the house are not happy to hear that noise so loud, I used it as a good education to let them know that I’m monitoring for CO2 levels and that’s that. It’s important.
We have an oven that does natural cleaning but the thing is, our oven could have had grease splatters or cheese residue that was burning and while its important to clean your oven, the thing is that ovens can produce a lot of CO2.
Some work with their fire department to get assistance and recommendations, some decide to replace their whole oven unit and range because they feel their oven is bad. But in this instance, I’m quite confident that the oven needs a good deep cleaning but also just in case, from here on in, to keep an eye how much CO2 will be produced.
But it also taught us a lesson of the importance of opening the windows while using the oven and CO2 levels.
So, after waiting 30 minutes after the oven was shut off, I observed as the CO2 level dropped down to 882 and once I closed the windows, it slowly went up to 931 and later back down again to 852 as normal.
I’ve read that CO2 detectors are best kept lower to the ground, carbon monoxide detectors best kept high. So, I’ll probably put it towards the bottom of my shelf.
But I’m glad I got the Aiment 3-in-1 CO2 Detector, but this is just one important device to have in the home, there are others that one should have.
