Hispec RF10-PRO Carbon Monoxide Alarm: Mains Heat and CO Alarm

The Hispec RF10-PRO is a mains powered carbon monoxide alarm with a sealed rechargeable lithium back-up battery, so it keeps watching for CO during a power cut¹. It sounds at 85dB and is set to alarm from 50ppm of carbon monoxide². A combined heat and CO version is also sold, which adds a heat sensor for fire as well as a CO sensor in one unit³.

For an ordinary household, the practical points are these. It is a ceiling mounted alarm, wired to the mains, with a back-up battery that the distributor says never needs replacing⁴. It can be linked with up to 20 compatible alarms by wire or radio, so one alarm sounding sets off the rest². It has a 10-year lifespan that starts when you install it, and a 5-year manufacturer's warranty².

This page sets out what the alarm does, where to fit it, how the linking works, what the lights mean and how to look after it. It does not tell you it is better than any other alarm. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas, and an alarm is one part of keeping a household safe alongside servicing appliances and knowing the warning signs.

What the Hispec RF10-PRO is and what it suits

The RF10-PRO is a mains powered carbon monoxide alarm with a sealed rechargeable lithium back-up battery¹. The distributor describes it as providing effective protection and says the sealed tamper-proof battery ensures CO detection even in the event of a mains power failure¹. It uses an electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor and is CE marked and Kitemarked to BS EN 50291-1: 2018¹.

A second version combines a heat sensor and a CO sensor in one unit. The distributor describes it as a multi-sensor alarm containing both heat and CO for detection of fire and carbon monoxide leaks³. Its heat sensor is listed to BS 5446-2: 2003 and its carbon monoxide sensor to BS EN 50291-1: 2018 for home use³. It is suitable for kitchens, garages and other rooms containing a fuel burning appliance³.

Both are ceiling mounted and plastic cased, and both are intended for the home³. The distributor lists the RF10-PRO range as suitable for installations complying to BS 5839-6 Grade D1, which it describes as mains powered with a 10 year longlife backup⁴. If you are weighing up a combined unit against separate alarms, our guide to combined or separate alarms sets out the trade-offs.

The RF10-PRO range is wider than the CO alarm alone. The same family includes mains smoke alarms, heat alarms and a kit of three smoke alarms, one heat alarm and one carbon monoxide alarm⁵. The smoke and heat alarms are covered on our Hispec RF10-PRO smoke and heat alarm page.

Specifications at a glance

The figures below come from the distributor's product listings. Where the distributor gives more than one figure for the same specification, both are shown and the disagreement is noted.

The distributor's listings disagree on some CO alarm figures. One gives a height of 43mm and a diameter of 110mm, while another gives a height of 75mm, a width of 40mm and a depth of 32mm¹. One gives a weight of 160g and another 70g¹. The documents do not resolve this, so check the unit you receive against its own label before you drill any fixing holes.

Where to fit it

Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in every room where there are flame burning appliances or open fires, and have those appliances serviced regularly⁶. Fire and rescue services across the UK give the same core advice: alarms should go in all rooms containing solid fuel appliances, gas appliances or paraffin heaters⁷. That includes boilers, cookers, ovens, open fires and wood burners⁸.

The distributor says the CO alarm is suitable for installation where a fuel burning appliance may be installed, such as a boiler, open fire and gas cooker, and lists the kitchen, boiler rooms and areas with open fires as suitable locations¹. The combined heat and CO version is aimed at kitchens, garages and other rooms containing a fuel burning appliance³.

Placement matters as much as the number of alarms. Make sure the alarm can be heard throughout your home, and consider keeping one in the bedroom⁹. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service repeats the same message in its public safety appeals: have a working carbon monoxide alarm installed in rooms with fuel burning appliances¹¹. Our guide to where to put a carbon monoxide alarm goes into the detail of siting.

• Every room with a fuel burning appliance: boilers, gas fires, cookers, open fires, wood burners and stoves⁷
• Rooms with a flue: a detector should be fitted in any room where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance or a flue¹³
• Bedrooms: consider one so you can hear it at night⁹
• Ceiling mounting: the RF10-PRO is designed for the ceiling, supplied with a Fast Fix base plate and fixings¹

Mains power with a battery for power cuts

The RF10-PRO runs on 230V mains power with a rechargeable lithium back-up battery¹. The distributor says the sealed tamper-proof back-up battery ensures CO detection even in the event of a mains power failure¹. That matters because a power cut is exactly when a household may turn to other sources of heat or light, and a CO alarm that dies with the mains leaves you unprotected.

The back-up battery is sealed and rechargeable, and the distributor says these alarms never need replacement batteries⁴. That is different from older mains CO alarms, where independent guidance from Which? in 2020 said a mains powered CO alarm comes with a backup battery for power cuts and that battery needs to be replaced every year¹⁴. If you are moving from an older alarm, check which type you have before assuming the battery is maintenance free.

The alarm is not a substitute for servicing. The NHS advises fitting a carbon monoxide alarm in every room where there are flame burning appliances or open fires, and ensuring appliances are serviced regularly⁶. Northern Gas Networks gives the same advice for gas appliances: fit an audible CO alarm in rooms where there are fuel-burning appliances¹⁵.

Linking up to 20 alarms by wire or radio

The RF10-PRO can be linked with up to 20 devices, including a wireless control unit². It connects by radio interlink or by wire¹. The radio linking frequency is 868.499Mhz, and the radio frequency range is 30m indoors and 80m in open areas².

Linking changes how the system behaves. Activation of any one alarm within the system will trigger all the other alarms to sound². In a linked house, a CO alarm in the boiler room wakes the whole household, not just the person nearest the boiler.

The range has rules about mixing. The distributor says RF10-PRO alarms can be interlinked in mixed systems of hardwired and RF, mains-powered and battery-powered, but the battery type must be the same: lithium with lithium, alkaline with alkaline, never mixed¹. The heat and CO version repeats this: lithium alarms can interlink with other lithium alarms, alkaline alarms with alkaline alarms, but you cannot mix lithium and alkaline alarms in the same system, neither via hardwire nor RF³.

The distributor also sells an optional Test/Locate/Hush Control Unit, which can be included in the same system². It lets you test or silence the alarms remotely⁴. Our guide to interlinked alarms explains how linking works across different systems, and wireless or wired interlinked alarms helps you choose between the two.

Lights, testing and the 10-year replacement date

The alarm has three clear LED status indicators: green for power, amber for fault and red for alarm¹. Clear LED lights show operation, fault and alarm². A green light is the everyday state. An amber light means a fault, so check the power and the unit. A red light means the alarm has been triggered, and you should treat it as a real warning.

Testing is a weekly job. The alarm has a combined test and hush button for easy weekly testing². Press it to check the sounder works, and press it to silence a false alarm once you are sure there is no danger. The range uses an insect proof sensor to prolong the life of the alarm and prevent false activation, and advanced sensor technology helps reduce contamination and minimise false alarms⁵. Our guide to how often to test alarms covers the routine.

The alarm has a 10-year lifespan². The distributor says the 10-year lifespan commences upon installation, and the alarms can be stored prior to activation without the batteries degrading². Each alarm is supplied with a blank installation sticker to fill in when installing and place on the alarm, so the replace by date is easy to identify². Write the date you fit it, add 10 years, and put the sticker where you will see it.

The warranty is a 5 year manufacturer's warranty¹. The distributor also operates a WEEE take-back scheme through Valpak for safe disposal at end of life¹. Our guide to when to replace an alarm explains why the date matters.

Rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The distributor states the CO alarm is suitable for both the Welsh and Scottish updated 2022 legislation¹. The heat and CO version lists Northern Ireland legislation 2024 as well as Scottish and Welsh legislation 2022³. The wider RF10-PRO range is described as compliant with Scottish 2022, Welsh Landlord 2022 and Northern Ireland Landlord 2024 legislation⁴.

These are the distributor's claims about the alarm, not a statement of the law in each nation. Alarm rules differ and change, and they cover different things in different nations. Our guide to Wales and Northern Ireland alarm rules sets out the arrangements there, and alarm standards explains BS 5839-6 grades and BS EN 50291.

Storing it before installation and looking after it

The alarm can be stored before installation without the batteries degrading, because the 10-year lifespan starts when it is installed². Keep it in its packaging, dry, and within its stated conditions until you are ready to fit it. The operating temperature is 0°C to +40°C and the relative humidity is 15% to 90%¹. Do not store it in a cold shed or a damp garage outside those limits.

Installation is described as easy, with just one screw, and the unit is supplied with a Fast Fix base plate and fixings². The heat and CO version comes with a Fast Fix baseplate for quick and easy installation³. Once fitted, keep the alarm clear of dust and grease, and do not paint over it.

The distributor lists a customer rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 18 reviews for the CO alarm². That is a retailer's rating, not a safety assessment, and it should not stand in for checking the specification and the certification.