Arctic Hayes PHCO520 SleepSafe Carbon Monoxide Alarm Tester Spray 400 ml, Blue

Easy to use, clear instructions and gives you peace of mind knowing that the CO monitor is working

Well I got this and thought what a joke there is nothing in there, I was wrong as it sprays! The alarm was taken down placed in a bag couple of sprays and bag sealed and the alarm sounded the Carbon Monoxide alarm. This provided the peace of mind that I needed to know my alarm work, very easy to use, good value for money as I’ve not been able to simulate an alarm without this. Does what it should good quality easy to use!

I finally got round to complying with the Scottish requirement for interlinked alarms and I bought this to test the CO detector. How long does a typical 400ml can last? If you're planning to squirt this around the place like an air freshener you'll be very disappointed. I got four 3 second bursts out of it and I am being generous to the last one only because it was enough to set my alarm off. Oblivious to how little was in this, I did the sandwich bag test on the CO detector as soon as I activated the battery. I then proudly showed it off again later to my other half. When my first heat detector arrived I linked it and tested again. Luckily by my 4th test everything had arrived and I had linked up every one of my smoke and heat detectors. I managed to verify everything was working, but that was the "400ml" can empty.

Negative reviews were noted, but we decided to check this out anyway. Yes, the can is light! But gases are not heavy, are they? Seems like some purchasers have dud or empty cans, but ours worked well. We have here a collection of four CO testing 'devices' to check, an old wall-mount one without an LCD display, a pair of recent wall-mount ones with displays, and a recent pocket tester with display and other features. Normally, none of them respond significantly to the air in our home, which is good. Our extended family have a number of wood-burning stoves in assorted family homes, hence our precautions. I'm the engineer in the family, which is why I am the bloke checking up on our CO precautions. This test is just one part of our procedure, as we gain experience. Back in the mid-60s I was the student who had saved up for his own Vane exhaust gas analyser for testing our home-brew car fuel injection systems. But this is different! So the instructions are carefully read. The idea here is that one has an ordinary CO testing device or devices, and this small can of CO mix. The intention is that there is not enough CO in the can to damage people. I still would not sniff it, not a good idea! The test procedure is simple, in a place where there is normally no CO detected, one starts up the test device, and lets it build up to its measurement state - many CO sensors need to literally warm up before use. Worth re-reading the instructions for your device(s) too! So one pops the device under test into a sandwich bag or similar clear bag (clear so you can see any display or LEDs). Then fix the nozzle to the can. Insert the nozzle into the bag, squeeze the bag to expel excess air and maybe twist it up a bit to improve the seal . . . not airtight, draught-proof is good enough. Then . . . . . . . . then the (very clear) instructions say to give a 3-second burst of CO mix from the can. Or try to! After a fraction of a second my first test device howled like a banshee, flashed its display - nearly dropped it. I was using the small portable CO meter, and the display announced a lethal excess of Carbon Monoxide inside that bag. Much flashing and screeching! Success! Very short burst of test gas mix, too. The other devices produced similar results, but the (more expensive) portable pocket CO tester was much the fastest to respond of all of them. The others all passed the test, responding well within the time allowed by the instructions on the can. Do read them before you start. This can is not an expensive item when one considers the potential dangers from Carbon Monoxide (CO) in the home, car or other situation. By using a small bag and excluding the air from it the tested devices do respond eagerly to much less CO mix from the can, and at this rate it will probably last us a year despite having responsibility for the CO test devices in a number of family households. This literally does what it says on the tin. It worked exactly as described, and it could be the means of saving lives in your family by testing your CO devices reliably. CO kills silently. Recommended!

Works well, tried it on two Co2 detectors, one brand new and one about 4 years old

This product arrived as scheduled and was the lightest spray can I have ever encountered. I was aware that the number of "doses" it delivered was limited and as I had a number of CO detectors to test I didn't do an exploratory puff. In the event it failed to alert any of the detectors which responded well to burning incense sticks. I never detected any gas emission from the canister and when punctured there was no sign of escaping gas. I cannot be sure but would not be surprised to learn that the canister was always empty!

This is made to be used on commercial fire systems, the kind that are served by a control panel, I’ve used it for a number of years, and it works well.

This gives your CO alarm a clear, real life test. It’s expensive but I feel safer now I know that the alarm in my motorhome definitely works rather than “probably works” Note that you do have to place the alarm in a poly bag so it’s not instant.