Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors Can Save a Life

October 18, 2013 7:19 pm

Knowing where to place your CO detectors can save a life.

The cold, winter heating season is upon us and will be here before we know it.  While we constantly remind our home inspection customers about the importance of having your heating system professionally cleaned and maintained, not all do it.

A primary worry and risk is Carbon Monoxide (CO) leaking into your home from a poorly maintained heating system. Carbon Monoxide can cause severe health effects and even death if allowed to accumulate in your home.

Nationally, fire departments responded to over 80,000 non-fire Carbon Monoxide incidents in 2010 and that number is increasing.  That is an average of 9 calls per hour for CO alone!!

What can you do to guard against CO poisoning?  While we will conduct our home inspections and look for permanently installed CO detectors and their placement, that is not always enough.  Whether you own or rent your home, you understand the importance of being safe in your own home. With that in mind, we have borrowed some safety tips from the National Fire Prevention Association’s website to help you protect yourself and your loved ones from this silent, deadly gas.

That said, installation of carbon monoxide detectors and their placement are very important. First and foremost, all of the manufacturer’s instructions and those of the Building and Fire Code established by the state and/or municipality within which you reside should be followed.

To summarize, here are a few guidelines to follow when installing a CO detector:

1. A CO alarm should be placed on every level in the home where a CO source exists, such as cooking appliances, fireplaces or other fossil fuel burning appliances.
2. A CO alarm should not be placed within 15 feet of fossil fuel burning appliances.
3. A CO alarm should be placed within 15 feet of a sleeping area.  No sleeping area or unit should be more than 15 feet away from a CO alarm or detector.  In other words, you may need to install more than 1 CO alarm on a floor level to ensure proper coverage for each sleeping area.
4. A CO alarm should be placed in the living area directly above an attached garage.
5. A CO alarm should be placed in the hallway leading to an attached garage.
6. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for placement, keeping in mind installation high on a wall or ceiling area is often an ideal placement location.  Try to keep at least 5-10 feet away from kitchen appliances and bathrooms.
7. In New York State, for homes constructed after 1/1/2008 each sleeping unit should have a CO alarm.
   1. They should be hardwired (not the plug-in style) to the home’s electrical source with a battery back-up.  Batteries should be changed at least twice a year (at a minimum).
   2. They should be interconnected so that when 1 alarm sounds, they all sound.