Kidde Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector with Voice Alerts, Battery Powered, Combination Smoke & CO Alarm

I purchased two of these units to replace Kidde's previous generation KN-COSM-B combo smoke/CO2 alarm that reached their "end of life" (EOL). Kidde was very accurate with their EOL beeps. Both of the old KN-COSM-B units were installed at the same time, and both started their EOL beeps within days of each other. I first thought that all I needed was a battery replacement. After trying a number of different types of new batteries to squelch the beeping, I finally decided to read the instructions and realized that the units needed to be replaced. The replacement date I had written on the old units was 10/2016 and since this was now the second week of November when the EOL beeping started, I would say that was pretty accurate. Good Job on that Kidde!!Even though the old and new units are substantially different (number of batteries; location of the batteries; diameter of the unit) I was hoping that the wall bracket was compatible so I wouldn't have to replace it potentially leaving holes that needed to be spackled and painted. I had compared the brackets based upon pictures in the instructions and they looked the same -- so hopefully they would be compatible. The good news is that the new units fit in the old brackets. The not so good news is that the color of the old units brackets is a noticeably few shades lighter. If you are lazy like me, you can just use the old brackets. Alternatively, it would be a simple matter to unscrew the old bracket and screw in the matching new one as the hole positions are exactly the same.I also noticed that a number of reviewers commented on engaging the locking "battery fingers" in the battery compartment and they decided to return the unit. I did the same stupid thing, as I started examining the unit before reading the instructions. What happens is when you open the battery compartment, there is a moisture absorbing silica packet inside. Removing that packet, two reddish "battery fingers" pop up. At this point, you must insert batteries correctly or there could be problems. I started closing the battery door without the batteries, and the fingers engaged preventing the door from either opening or closing. However, there is a fix that I worked out so that you don't have to return the unit. If you unwind a paperclip and bend the end into a small "L", you can use this handmade pry tool to carefully go under the battery lid and disengage the locking fingers. I was able to do this without breaking the fingers or the door, and when I finally inserted batteries into the unit, it tested OK.

I purchased this item to replace a smoke/carbon monoxide detector that had expired & no longer would accept a battery replacement. I never realized these detectors "expired" & must be replaced after so many years.

In spite of the negative reviews, I decided to get this. And I am very glad I did! It's perfect for our application: we only live in a 700 sq ft place and only had need for one.The Pros:- Stand-alone operation- CO and Smoke Detection- Powered by only (2) AA batteries (much cheaper than 9V and I have lots of rechargeable batteries)- Hush Mode- IT WORKS... almost too well... (in spite of what some of the negative reviews say).- It's inexpensive!There is no down side I've seen (save the hush mode cancels itself when there's no smoke, rather than wait for the 9 minute timer to expire). The hush mode cancellation is hardly a big problem. It's just annoying when we roast coffee because we generate smoke about every 4 minutes for 15-20 minutes. Rather than 1-2 pushes on "hush" (if it was strictly timer-based) you have to push it every time you roast. Or just pull the batteries, then put them back in when you're done.It is VERY sensitive. We don't generate much smoke when we roast coffee, but even though the detector is quite a ways from the source with very good ventilation it still goes off every time. Someone who reviewed this very negatively complained it wouldn't go off with a lighter under it. That's because it's a SMOKE detector. That same genius complained that it wouldn't detect CO with a "scooter" running in a closed garage. Modern vehicles (even small engines) generate far less CO than they did decades ago. Modern vehicles with catalytic converters will generate almost zero CO. One would need to get a lot more creative to test the CO alarm at home. I will not suggest how. I haven't tried. But I'm comfortable with Kiddie's reputation and if the smoke detection is any indication, the CO detection is probably performs as they say it does.Another reviewed blasted it because the "voice" was so quiet. For a combo detector under $30 who cares? Are you going to stand under a blasting alarm (it's VERY loud) straining to hear the voice say "fire" or "carbon monoxide"? Or are you just going to get out of the house? The alarm is going off for crying out loud! A fire should be readily apparent. If it's CO you don't want to be in the house anyway.I hope this style is still around in 10 years when I need to replace this one!

The smoke detectors do exactly what is required the batteries supplied by the vendor are junk on all 6 smoke detectors the batteries went bad within 2 months of installation even though the use by date was 2026.