Following a Which? report two types of carbon monoxide alarms have been removed from sale by both e-Bay and Amazon.
The alarms branded “Bimwo” and “Mudder” have both been proved to be dangerous in tests carried out by the Which? magazine. Tests were being carried out in order, potentially, to label the items as good value for money and good buys, but it ended up with Which? having to label them “don’t buy” and pushing for them to removed from the market.
The Which? tests were based on European Standards for CO2 carbon monoxide alarms which both alarms claim to have passed.
Samples of both alarms failed to go off when tested. Three alarms by Bimwo failed to go off in four out of five tests and one of the three Mudder alarms didn’t go off in three tests.
Both unreliable alarms also state that they should not be fitted in kitchens. As kitchens are where the majority of gas boilers are sited, this is somewhat of a significant concern. The findings have been shared by Which? with the Trading Standards and industry bodies. Their tests are currently ongoing.
Both eBay and Amazon have stopped marketing the two alarms.
If you are buying a carbon monoxide alarm, be safe. Only buy an alarm with the kite mark which shows the alarm has been fully tested to the European standard. Both the Bimwo and the Mudder alarms, although claiming to pass the European standards, did not have the kite mark and did not meet the standards when tested.
If you have one of these alarms it should be replaced at the first available opportunity and if you are buying a carbon monoxide detector, we would suggest that you strongly consider buying one from a different manufacturer and make sure it has a kite mark.