Sport Pilot Talk

I just purchased the Tocsin3 CO detector. Is it wisest to use it all year or is Winter only sufficient?

I would say year-round. You may assume that the only way for CO to enter your cabin is through the heater system, but that would be a dangerous assumption. Exhaust pipes and joints can leak too, and your firewall probably isn't impervious to gas molecules. You have it, so by all means use it!

I had a friend who installed a smoke system on his experimental airplane. When he would turn it on he was amazed at the smoke and smells that came into the cockpit. That is a pretty good indication of the bad stuff you are breathing when you are flying anytime, even when the cabin heat was not in use.

I have the same device and have it on my shoulder harness, and I do get a fair amount of smoke that comes in when I turn on smoked. I use it year round just part of my startup procedure.

I just flew with my new Tocsin3 hanging from a D-Ring on my vest for the first time. I could not hear it or feel it when I turned it on after starting the aircraft. I'll be using some Velcro to mount it to the dash so I can add it to my instrument scan.

I live in a hot climate and never need to turn on cabin heat but I often smell oil from the engine especially if it's overheating (it was 105 F outside a few days ago and the engine did NOT like that). I have to assume that CO poisoning is a real possibility. Extra danger because the exhaust system constantly has leaks patched up with metal straps and foil and the firewall is not airtight.

I'm about to get a cigarette lighter socket CO detector https://www.guardianavionics.com/CO-Gua ... _p_12.html with an 85dB alarm. I hate changing button batteries so this thing should be great. It detects 50 ppm and sets off the alarm. Those horrible $4 chemical ones I've heard can sometimes take more than 200 ppm to even begin to change color!

When this thread started, I did some research into electronic CO detectors, settled on the Tocsin 3, ordered it from Sporty's, and last Sunday (in preparation for my annual inspection) did once around the pattern with it. It gave me a low alarm (35 ppm) on upwind, a high alarm (100 ppm) on crosswind, and peaked at 150 ppm on downwind! I came in, landed, pushed the plane back into the hangar, uncowled it, and commenced my condition inspection, starting with the exhaust system. Three of the four exhaust pipes had breaks in them.

It's worth noting that the colored dot showed nothing. I looked up its specs, and was surprised to find that it darkens only after four hours of 100 PPM exposure. Rather worthless, IMHO. In fact, that's long enough to develop symptoms, so you might just as well be your own CO monitor.

Since then, I've ordered a full new exhaust system, received it, installed it, and today I did an extended test run-up. Unit peaked at 4 ppm -- I can live with that.

This experience has motivated me to prepare an EAA Webinar on carbon monoxide. Unfortunately, it's not scheduled until January, but since that's peak heater season in North America, I guess it's good timing. I've already prepared the PPT slides (surprising how productive one can be when the flight school is shut down...)

Stay safe, guys and gals. I'm now a firm believer in electronic CO monitors.

Excellent report, Paul.
Looking forward to that presentation.

Good thing you had that CO monitor, Paul! WIthout it, you wouldn't have known!

I have the Forensics Detection CO monitor. I like it since it has flashing LED lights which activate at 50 PPM. But the key was to mount it where I could see it since there's likely no way I could hear the audible alarm in flight with the cockpit noise and headset on. I also wanted a clean install that was easily reversible and allowed easy servicing, but high enough to see/read without moving my head. I ended up using one of the panel mounting screws to hold a flat plastic plate against the bottom side of the glareshield, and mounted the CO detector there.

Nice install! (I just stuck mine onto the panel with velcro.)

My CO webinar (in which Sport Pilot Talk gets a big credit) is scheduled for 13 January 2021
You can sign up now at:

http://pages.eaa.org/WBN2021-01-13Survi ... ation.html

drseti wrote:My CO webinar (in which Sport Pilot Talk gets a big credit) is scheduled for 13 January 2021
You can sign up now at:

http://pages.eaa.org/WBN2021-01-13Survi ... ation.html

Will we get it on your website sometime after that?

fatsportpilot wrote: Will we get it on your website sometime after that?

Absolutely! Within 2 days, along with 42 others (and more coming every other month). Here's my video archives:

http://avsport.org/webinars/index.html

Thank you!!

The video of Wednesday night's CO webinar is now available online for your viewing pleasure, at:

http://avsport.org/webinars/videos/co.mp4

I should mention an error in my presentation, pointed out to me by several attendees (including two physicians). I stated that, when one is exposed to CO, blood oxygen saturation reads low on a pulse oximeter. Actually, that is exactly backwards. The infrared detector in a pulse ox responds to CO as well as O2, so measured sats will be artificially inflated. I regret the error.

Thanks to those of you who tuned in live. You will have noticed my shameless plug for http://SportPilotTalk.com.

Safe Skies,
Paul