Questionable CO Alarms w/ Bill Spohn

Key takeaways

Standard UL 2034 alarms are designed to respond to immediate, high concentrations of carbon monoxide, but they can stay silent during long low-level exposures.
Low-level CO monitors can offer early warnings for brewing problems, giving technicians a chance to address issues before they become hazardous.
Many inexpensive CO alarms advertised as both low-level and UL 2034 compliant are misleading, and their claims cannot both be true.
Counterfeit or unverified alarms often arrive without instructions, certification marks, or model numbers, and may have origins in suspicious factories.
Testing an alarm’s CO detection capability requires more than pressing a test button; verification without proper test kits is difficult.
Manufacturers should be transparent about certifications, properly test their products in the field, and avoid making unsupported claims.
Consumers and technicians should use skepticism, research brand histories, and employ AI tools to verify product authenticity and specifications.
There's a need for industry-wide vigilance to prevent unsafe, counterfeit devices from endangering lives.

Summary

Introduction & Episode Context

The episode opens with host Bryan Orr introducing his guest, experienced HVAC professional and educator Bill Spon. They highlight Bill's background and outline the episode’s focus on discussing questionable CO alarms and the issues surrounding their claims and certifications. Bryan mentions their goal to inform technicians and consumers about how to identify reliable life safety devices amidst misleading marketing and counterfeit products. The sponsors are briefly thanked for supporting the show, emphasizing tools, dehumidifiers, and safety devices available from their partners.

Fundamentals of CO Monitoring Standards

Bryan and Bill review key differences between standard UL 2034 alarms and true low-level CO monitors. Bill explains that UL 2034 alarms respond to higher concentrations of carbon monoxide and are designed for general safety, whereas low-level monitors detect lower concentrations, alerting users early to brewing problems. They discuss the origins of these standards from incidents in Chicago during the 1990s, leading to development of the UL 2034 standard to prevent nuisance alarms. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific role of each device, especially because low-level monitors can warn of issues before they become emergencies, unlike UL 2034 alarms which react to dangerous, immediate levels.

Carbon Monoxide Physiology & Health Impact

Bill elaborates on how carbon monoxide affects the body, focusing on its binding to hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin, which displaces oxygen. He explains that CO can linger in the blood for hours, causing symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and long-term health risks, especially in vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, and those with existing pulmonary or cardiac conditions. Bryan adds that CO displacement reduces oxygen transport, and emphasizes the importance of early detection and prevention, noting that CO is produced during combustion, never leaking. They stress that avoiding exposure is key because even low levels can have chronic health effects, reinforcing the need for accurate, reliable detectors.

Concerns with Questionable CO Alarms & Market Research

Bill shares his experience purchasing inexpensive alarms branded as both low-level and UL 2034 compliant, which is contradictory. These devices arrived without instructions, model numbers, or certification marks, and closely resembled products recently flagged by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for failure to alarm. Using online research, Bill found numerous similar models from various brands, all stemming from a suspicious factory in China, with many sharing a virtual office address and unclear origins. The devices made unverified claims, and Bill points out that many such alarms have been pulled from the market due to safety concerns. This segment highlights the danger posed by counterfeit or mislabeled alarms that falsely claim compliance and safety.

Testing, Verification, and Industry Advice

Bryan and Bill discuss ways to evaluate the authenticity and performance of CO alarms, emphasizing skepticism of bargain-priced products claiming high standards. They note that many alarms only test circuit and horn functions, not actual CO detection, making verification difficult without test kits. Bill recommends researching brand history, manufacturing origins, and using AI tools for comparison to identify genuine, certified devices. He criticizes the practice of manufacturers making false claims about certification, urging established brands to maintain humility, thoroughly test products, and clearly publish accurate specifications. The segment advises technicians and consumers to avoid price-driven decisions and prioritize verified safety features.

Broader Industry Lessons and Conclusion

The episode concludes with a call for ongoing humility among manufacturers and diligent verification by technicians. Bill stresses that deceptive marketing can be driven by profit motives, and the industry must remain vigilant to ensure safety devices perform as claimed. Bryan and Bill encourage viewers to scrutinize products, especially those with unusually low prices or vague origins, and to stay informed about the risks of counterfeit devices. They promote further education through webinars and podcasts, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding public health through better awareness, testing, and certification practices. The episode wraps with a reminder to seek trustworthy tools and sensors for lifetime safety and the need for industry-wide integrity.

Show notes

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan welcomes back Bill Spohn to talk about carbon monoxide and a troubling trend in the alarms being sold online. They start with the basics: the difference between a standard UL 2034 alarm and a true low-level CO monitor. UL 2034 alarms were designed to avoid nuisance calls, so they can stay silent through long exposures at relatively low concentrations. Low-level monitors are far more sensitive and can warn you that something is brewing before it becomes a life-threatening emergency.

Bill explains why that gap matters, walking through how carbon monoxide displaces oxygen on hemoglobin, why it lingers in the body, and why children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions are especially vulnerable. Bryan adds the troubleshooting angle: a UL 2034 alarm is the safety net that keeps people from dying, but low-level monitoring helps you find and fix a problem early, much like catching a refrigerant leak before the system is flat.

The conversation then turns to the main story. Bill bought a pair of inexpensive alarms advertised as both low-level and UL 2034 compliant, which is a contradiction, since the two cannot be the same device. They arrived with no instructions, no model number, and no visible certification control number, and they closely resembled a product tied to a Consumer Product Safety Commission warning covering roughly 375,000 units and 91 reported failures to alarm. Bill traces the marketing back to what appears to be a single factory selling under many brand names, backed by a virtual office address, a fake firefighter endorsement, and a flood of promotional emails.

Bryan and Bill close with lessons for technicians, consumers, and manufacturers alike. Be skeptical when price and performance seem too good to be true, verify who is behind a brand, and remember that claiming to meet a standard is not the same as being independently certified. They also urge established manufacturers to be humble, test claims thoroughly, and make sure published specifications reflect how their sensors actually perform.

Topics Covered

Low-level CO monitors versus UL 2034 alarms, and why they are not interchangeable
How the 1990s Chicago nuisance-alarm events led to the UL 2034 standard
Why standards built around healthy adult males leave gaps for vulnerable people
How carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin and why it accumulates in the body
Why "CO leak" is the wrong phrase: carbon monoxide is created, not transported
Online alarms claiming to be both low-level and UL 2034 compliant
The Consumer Product Safety Commission alert and the 91 reported failures to alarm
Red flags: no instructions, no model number, no certification mark, a virtual-office address, and a fake endorser
What the alarm test button actually checks (the circuit and horn, not CO response)
The challenge of validating alarms without accessible CO test kits
How to vet unfamiliar brands, including using AI to research price, company history, and website age
Sensor signal smoothing and why muted low-end readings can mislead users
A call for manufacturers to test in the field and for honest specification claims
Why price alone should never drive the purchase of life-safety devices

This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, White-Rodgers by Copeland, Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, and TruTech Tools.

Resources

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