Kidde KN-COB-DP-H) manual About This User’s Guide, Introduction

About This User’s Guide

Notice we call this booklet a “User’s Guide” and not an “Owner’s Manual.” This is because our intention is for you to use this guide just as you will be using your Kidde CO alarm. Keep the guide in a handy location and refer to it when you have questions about your CO alarm, its functions and features, or if you have questions about car- bon monoxide. It will take about an hour of your time, but it’s well worth it. Please read it in the sequence presented. Reading this guide is the only way to learn how to use your CO alarm wisely and to know how to react in the event of an alarm.

Part One

Your Kidde Carbon Monoxide Alarm, covers the unique fea- tures of your Kidde carbon monoxide alarm, how and where to install it, as well as information on testing and maintaining your CO alarm.

Part Two

Carbon Monoxide - The Silent Killer, contains valuable informa- tion about carbon monoxide (CO). From discovering the most com- mon sources of CO in your home to recognizing the symptoms of CO poisoning, this section provides tips and information that could help protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Part Three

What You Should Know Before the Alarm Sounds, describes the effects of exposure to CO levels over time and when your Kidde CO alarm will alarm. It also tells you how to determine who is at high risk for CO poisoning.

Part Four

What to do When the Unit Alarms, gives you step-by step infor- mation on how to respond to an alarm situation. Also covered is whom to call for help if you think you have CO in your home.

Part Five

Technical Information, covers the technical specifications of your Kidde CO alarm.

Part Six

Frequently Asked Questions, contains the most commonly asked questions about our alarms. Part six was written by Kidde customer service representatives who handle thousands of calls per month, year ‘round. This section provides you with answers and tips that will most likely answer any questions you might have after reading this user’s guide.

Introduction

This Kidde carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is an important part of your family’s home safety plan. So important, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that every household should have at least one carbon monoxide alarm. In fact, the CPSC chairman has said that CO alarms are “as important to home safety as smoke alarms.” Yet because CO alarms for the home haven’t been available until recently, most people haven’t had much experience using them. As a new owner of a CO alarm, there are some basic facts you should know for your protection and convenience.

Many people think that CO alarms operate like smoke alarms. And in some basic ways, this is true. Like smoke alarms, CO alarms con- tinuously monitor the air in your home and sound a loud alarm to warn you of trouble.

But, the similarities end here. The way you respond to a CO alarm is quite different than that of a smoke alarm. That’s because a house fire and a carbon monoxide problem are two distinctly different situa- tions. If your smoke alarm were to alarm, you would quickly be able to judge the level of danger you were in (if any) with your five sens- es: you could see and smell the smoke, you could feel the heat, you could see and even hear the fire burning. You could also readily see if your smoke alarm were alarming in a non-emergency situation, say if someone smoked up the kitchen with some seriously burnt toast. Because your sense of sight, smell, hearing and touch give you so much information, you could almost instantly judge what action to take if you heard your smoke alarm.

But now, what about a CO alarm? Carbon monoxide (CO) is invisi- ble, odorless, tasteless and non-irritating–completely undetectable to your five senses. That’s why it’s so important to your safety that you have a carbon monoxide alarm. But, how do you know what to do if your unit alarms?

You have to learn what to do, because your five senses won’t tell you. That’s why this user’s guide is so important. Please take the time to read this guide from cover to cover, to familiarize yourself with the facts about carbon monoxide, how your new alarm works, and what to do if it alarms. Then, find a handy place to keep the guide so it will be readily available in the future when you have a question. You might want to write down Kidde’s toll-free customer service number and keep it with your other important phone num- bers for the same reason.

Thank you for making Kidde a part of your complete home safety program. With proper installation and use, your new Kidde CO alarm should provide you with years of dependable service.

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