Carbon Monoxide Detector & Getting The Most Out Of Them

Carbon Monoxide detectors are the only systems that can alarm you when harmful levels of carbon monoxide are detected in your home. In order to get the best protection from this poisonous gas, a detector should be installed in each bedroom and on every level of your home, in order to awake you and family members if CO is detected.

If your home uses one or more fuel-burning appliances, it makes safety sense to install carbon monoxide detectors.  Placing carbon-monoxide detectors too close to a fuel-burning appliance, however, can become a nuisance, since furnaces and gas-powered water heaters may emit a slight but safe amount of CO when they kick on. Proper placement of CO detectors is vitally important and will help you feel secure in your home.

According to the journal of the American Medical Association, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America. Carbon monoxide is normally caused by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. In the home, CO detectors can catch hazardous levels of carbon monoxide emitted, for example, from blocked chimneys, heaters or clothes dryers. They should not to be confused with smoke detectors, which signal an alarm when there's smoke from a fire. Smoke detectors, for example, cannot detect carbon monoxide coming from faulty appliances in the home. Bottom line, smoke detectors are not a substitute for carbon monoxide detectors, or vice versa.

The average lifespan of a carbon monoxide alarm is two years. With technological developments, alarms have been developed with a higher life expectancy. However, they do not live forever, and one should consult the instruction manual to find out when they should be replaced, as well as when the batteries should be changed.  The initial rule of thumb is to change the batteries when the clocks are set back in the fall but make sure you follow manufacturer recommendations. Practicing CO and smoke alarm maintenance reduces risk and helps in maintaining the comfort of your family, friends and neighbors.

Here at Comfort Services we have experts who are happy to answer any questions or offer advice. We've been serving Columbia and the Midlands since 1976.