Friday, July 10, 2015

Chinese Smoke/CO Detectors

Recently this combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector was purchased from Amazon by a Rhode Island homeowner who installed a number of these devices within a multifamily home. This detector was produced by Mengshen, and it is clearly a low cost knockoff of the trusted First Alert design that has been around for decades.

In addition to the fact that the unit did not work when tested by a local Fire Marshal, the other problem is a lack of any type of Listing by a national recognized testing laboratory or a label from the manufacturer identifying what this unit is with its specifications. Also note the blackened areas where the manufacturer tied to cover up markings on the detector housing that are no longer relevant. Finally, look at the unit's features and see that the Carbon Monoxide sensor is what they consider "permanent". What does that mean? Does it mean that this unit never needs to be replaced? This is clearly deceptive and dangerous and Amazon should remove this unit from its website. If you are an industry professional or just a concerned private citizen, please consider contacting Amazon and or the US Consumer Products Safety Commission to compel them to stop selling this detector before someone gets hurt.

Kudos to the Rhode Island Fire Marshals that found this detector and brought the problem to light!