Macurco CO detectors

[chasbo@xxxxxxxxx]

Local distributor says Macurco no longer manufacturing CM-15A.  New
unit is CM-E1.  I breezed through the manual at the distributor's
counter looking for a reference to the snap-in battery on the PC
board, found nothing about why it was there, its life span, voltage,
or part number. Counter person was no help.

What purpose does the battery serve, despite a reference to connecting
it to a UL listed alarm panel, which would already have a battery
backup?

Does the battery get charged from the alarm panel's12-VDC?

The unit is to be ceiling mounted or wall mounted according to the
fine-print instructions, hence high up on the wall.

I've always wall-mounted the CM-15A about 5' 10" above the floor, the
height at which many of our noses are busy taking in air.

In one house I used the 5' 10" height in hallways and other locations
where there was "awake" activity, near all sleeping areas, and at a
lower level INSIDE all the bedrooms adjacent to the bed, wall mounted
between the bed and the bedroom door, in effect bringing the unit
closer to their noses.  Though Massachusetts Building Code does not
require the detectors to be placed within the bedrooms, this
particular customer wanted one in each of six bedrooms.

My understanding of CO is that when produced, it is from a hot source,
thereby rising upwards, but as it cools it begins to drop, and mix
further with the ambient air, and then can flow anywhere within the
house predicated on the normal air flow patterns of the house. It
therefore seems reasonable that the best height to mount is at the
height of the air that we are about to breathe.

To exaggerate, it would seem that the best place to mount a CO
detector is on my nose, or as close as possible!