The reliability of carbon monoxide detectors in regard to theASHRAEproposed residential ventilation standard will be discussed at the society's 2003 Winter Meeting. A special session (which is part of ASHRAE's 2003 Winter Meeting, January 25 to 29, in Chicago) will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, January 24, at the Palmer House Hilton, hosted by the committee writing the proposed standard 62.2P, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

Parties who have previously shown interest in the topic have been invited, and the session is open to other interested parties as well. At various times in its preparation, the proposed standard has included a requirement that carbon monoxide (CO) alarm devices be installed in all residences. The current draft of the proposed standard, recently released for its fourth public review, does not contain requirements for the devices.

The requirement was removed following the first public review. Commenters expressed concern about the unreliability and expense of alarms, and that alarms are not needed if there are requirements on carbon monoxide sources. Keeping this issue in mind, the committee looked carefully at air handlers, excessively large exhaust fans and unvented combustion devices, according to committee chair Max Sherman.

In the second public review, the committee received many comments requesting that the requirement be returned to the standard, according to Sherman. The committee held a public meeting in December 2001 to discuss the recommendation. Members rejected requests to return the requirement to the proposed standard based on reports questioning the reliability of devices currently in the marketplace.