Question:
In compliance with code, our electrical sub-contractor installed smoke detectors throughout this new house. He also installed in a central hall as part of the system a "Firex Smoke/CO Alarm Smoke Carbon Monoxide Alarm Model FADCQ." This device is causing a lot of confusion and grief here, going off randomly with false positives at any time night or day. It is making the house practically uninhabitable. The Firex manual is confusing to me, describing 26 different conditions that the unit communicates by means of three different colored lights that flash in combination with a "horn" that sounds in various patterns in various numbers of times. None of these seem to describe what the unit is doing and the manual's Troubleshooting Tips don't apply. The unit is wired into the AC and has a 9v battery backup. I would shut it off at the box and remove the battery, but it is on the same circuit with the lights in one area of the house. I have called the Firex company and they would not talk about the problem; they just said very quickly that they would send me another unit. The electrician has installed the new unit and it malfunctions the same way. The electrician answers our requests to uninstall the unit with a standard CYA warning speech about the dangers of CO and the virtues of detectors. Is there anyone knowledgeable out there who can suggest how we can shut this thing down ourselves?

Answer: Turn off power to the unit at the circuit breaker. Remove the unit and check the wiring with a voltage tester, one probe to black and one to white. Remove the wire nuts, and disconnect the device from the house wiring. Cut the exposed ends of the white and black separately, and screw the wire nuts back onto the ends to insulate them. Fold the wiring back up into the junction box, and install a blank cover on the box. Take the unit to the garage and find your biggest hammer. Put on safety glasses, and...well you know the rest. As an alternative, try another brand, even a battery operated model would be better than nothing. A CO detector is a good idea. I know, ours saved the lives of my family on Christmas morning almost two years ago.