A flashing green light is a normal part of the power up cycle. Any time there is a power outage, brownout, surge or other problem with the power, the alarm goes through a power up cycle. The flashing on your plug-in carbon monoxide alarm should stop after 5 minutes, then the light will stay a steady green.
The green light will flash every 30 seconds indicating a CO reading is being taken and when any button is pressed. May be a breeze carried some smoke or carbon monoxide to the unit. Wait and see after 2 or 3 hours. If the issue exists after that also, there is some malfunction.
If the unit malfunctions, the red LED light will flash and the unit will chirp every 30 seconds indicating a system problem. If the red LED flashes every 60 seconds WITHOUT an audible chirp, this is the pre-warning that the battery will soon need replacing. The alarm is battery-operated with a 9V battery.
Common CO Detector Indicator Lights and Their Meanings
Meaning: The LED lights blinks green per minutes usually indicates that the carbon monoxide detector is powered on and functioning correctly.
How to test your carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are working properly? To test your carbon monoxide detectors, press and hold the test button on the alarm. The detector will sound 4 beeps, a pause, then 4 beeps for 5-6 seconds. Refer to the user manual for your specific model.
When the detector senses a smoke or carbon monoxide hazard, the green light might become steady, whereas in “hush” mode, it may flash every 2 seconds. Alternatively, in other models, a flashing green light could simply denote that the detector is operating correctly and is in standard standby mode.
A continuous green flash indicates your CO alarm is activated and protecting your home. When low ambient light levels are detected at night time, the alarm will lower the light output.
CO alarm life span and end-of-life signal
CO alarms have a life expectancy of around 7 years. All CO alarms produced after August 1, 2009 have an end-of-life warning notification that alerts the resident that the alarm should be replaced. The CO alarm will beep every 30 seconds or display ERR or END.
Typically, colored lights on your home alarm system often indicate similar messages such as: Solid or blinking green may indicate that your system is currently running without issue.
The CO Alarm has a distinctive on-off sound of 3 pulses, followed by a pause as compared with a typical Smoke Alarm which has a rapid pulsing sound. In addition, when your CO Alarm detects CO the red light will be flashing.
False or nuisance alarms are when your smoke detector or CO alarm goes off, but there is no presence of smoke or carbon monoxide in your home. However, if your smoke or carbon monoxide detector sounds indicating an emergency and you are not certain it is a nuisance alarm, evacuate the home and call 9-1-1.
The battery may need to be replaced. An alarm will chirp every 30 to 60 seconds for a minimum of seven days. With a "low battery" announcement, disconnect the unit and replace the batteries. You can also put a unit into low battery hush for up to 12 hours on newer units by pressing the test/hush button.
With all First Alert plug-in carbon monoxide alarms, any time there is a power outage, brownout, surge or other problem with the power, the alarm goes through a power up cycle. The flashing on your plug-in carbon monoxide alarm should stop after 5 minutes, then the light will stay a steady green.
A reliable CO detector is an indicator tube which contains yellow silica is impregnated with a silico-molybdate compound. When air containing carbon monoxide is drawn through the tube the silica gel turns to a shade of green. Other types change from a tan color to gray or black.
1 beep every minute: This means that the alarm has low batteries and you should replace them. 3 beeps every minute: This means the alarm has encountered a malfunction and needs replacement. 5 beeps every minute: This means your alarm has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced with a new alarm.
Smoke alarms alert you with three beeps in a row. Carbon monoxide alarms alert you with four beeps. A single chirp means the battery is low or the detector should be replaced.
A flashing green light is a normal part of the power up cycle. Any time there is a power outage, brownout, surge or other problem with the power, the alarm goes through a power up cycle. The flashing on your plug-in carbon monoxide alarm should stop after 5 minutes, then the light will stay a steady green.
If the red or green light on your CO detector is illuminated, that's a sign that the unit has power. If the light is off, replace the batteries and follow the reset steps.
… and the green light is constantly blinking, that means that the smoke alarm at some point went off, and the detector needs to be reset. The green light will remain blinking until you reset the alarm. First, try pressing the button on the front of the detector for five second.
How to Tell If Your Smoke Alarm is Working. Hardwired units will have a steady green LED light to show that it's receiving AC power. Battery-operated units will have a quick flash every 30-45 seconds. This does not necessarily mean the alarm is working.