Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ultimate Guide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most hazardous gases found in the home. Known as the “silent killer,” CO gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless and non-irritating, but it can result in unconsciousness, brain damage or death. Because of this, more than 400 people die as a result of carbon monoxide exposure each year, a steeper fatality rate than any other type of poisoning.

When the weather cools down, you seal your home for the winter and trust in heating appliances to stay warm. These situations are when the threat of carbon monoxide inhalation is highest. Thankfully you can defend your family from carbon monoxide in a variety of ways. One of the most effective methods is to put in CO detectors around your home. Use this guide to help you understand where carbon monoxide can appear from and how to take full advantage of your CO detectors.

What generates carbon monoxide in a house?

Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. Because of this, this gas is produced when a fuel source burns, like natural gas, propane, oil, charcoal, gasoline, woo, and more. Frequent causes of carbon monoxide in a house consist of:

Blocked up clothes dryer vent

Faulty water heater
Furnace or boiler with a cracked heat exchanger
Closed fireplace flue while a fire is lit
Improperly vented gas or wood stove
Vehicle idling in the garage

Portable generator, grill, power tool or lawn equipment being used in the garage

Do smoke detectors recognize carbon monoxide?

No, smoke detectors do not detect carbon monoxide. Alternatively, they begin an alarm when they recognize a certain amount of smoke caused by a fire. Installing functional smoke detectors decreases the risk of dying in a house fire by nearly 55 percent.

Smoke detectors are offered in two main modes—ionization detectors and photoelectric detectors. Ionization detection is ideal with fast-growing fires that generate large flames, while photoelectric models are more suited for smoldering, smoky fires. Some newer smoke detectors come with both kinds of alarms in a solitary unit to increase the chance of responding to a fire, regardless of how it burns.

Clearly, smoke detectors and CO alarms are similarly beneficial home safety devices. If you check the ceiling and notice an alarm of some kind, you may not know whether it’s a smoke detector or a carbon monoxide alarm. The visual contrast depends on the brand and model you prefer. Here are several factors to consider:

Quality devices are visibly labeled. If not, check for a brand and model number on the back of the detector and look it up online. You should also find a manufacture date. If the device is more than a decade old, replace it right away.
Plug-in devices that extract power with an outlet are generally carbon monoxide is supposed to be labeled as such.
Some alarms are really two-in-one, sensing both smoke and carbon monoxide with a different indicator light for each. That being said, it can be hard to tell if there’s no label on the front, so checking the manufacturing details on the back is smart.

How many carbon monoxide detectors should I install in my home?

The number of CO alarms you should have is determined by your home’s size, how many floors it has and the number of bedrooms. Follow these guidelines to provide total coverage:

Place carbon monoxide detectors near bedrooms: CO gas exposure is most prevalent at night when furnaces have to run more often to keep your home comfortable. For that reason, every bedroom should have a carbon monoxide detector installed within 15 feet of the door. If a couple of bedroom doors are less than 30 feet apart, one detector is enough.
Put in detectors on every floor: Dangerous carbon monoxide buildup can become caught on a single floor of your home, so make sure you have at least one CO detector on each floor.
Put in detectors within 10 feet of your internal garage door: Many people unsafely leave their cars on in the garage, leading to dangerous carbon monoxide buildup, even while the large garage door is completely open. A CO detector right inside the door—and in the room above the garage—alerts you of heightened carbon monoxide levels inside your home.
Put in detectors at the appropriate height: Carbon monoxide is a similar density as air, but it’s commonly carried upward in the hot air released by combustion appliances. Installing detectors close to the ceiling is best to catch this rising air. Models with digital readouts are best installed at eye level to make them easier to read.
Put in detectors around 15 feet from combustion appliances: Some fuel-burning machines emit a small, harmless amount of carbon monoxide when they start. This disperses quickly, but when a CO detector is nearby, it might give off false alarms.

Install detectors away from extreme heat and humidity: Carbon monoxide detectors have specific tolerances for heat and humidity. To reduce false alarms, don’t install them in bathrooms, in direct sunlight, around air vents, or close to heat-generating appliances.

How do I test/troubleshoot a carbon monoxide sensor?

Depending on the design, the manufacturer may encourage testing once a month and resetting to maintain proper functionality. Also, swap out the batteries in battery-powered units twice a year. For hardwired units, replace the backup battery once a year or when the alarm begins chirping, whichever happens first. Then, replace the CO detector outright after 10 years or in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.

How to test your carbon monoxide alarm

All it takes is a minute to test your CO detector. Review the instruction manual for directions specific to your unit, knowing that testing follows this general routine:

Press and hold the Test button. It might take 5 to 20 seconds for the alarm to go off.
Loud beeping indicates the detector is operating correctly.
Let go of the Test button and wait for two quick beeps, a flash or both. If the device goes on beeping when you release the button, press and hold it again for five seconds to stop it.

Change the batteries if the unit isn’t performing as expected for the test. If replacement batteries don’t change anything, replace the detector entirely.

How to reset your carbon monoxide alarm

You only have to reset your unit once the alarm goes off, after testing the device or after changing the batteries. A few models automatically reset themselves in under 10 minutes of these events, while others need a manual reset. The instruction manual will note which function you should use.

Carry out these steps to reset your CO detector manually:

Press and hold the Reset button for 5 to 10 seconds.
Release the button and wait for a beep, a flash or both.

If you don’t hear a beep or see a flash, try the reset again or replace the batteries. If nothing happens, troubleshoot your carbon monoxide alarm with assistance from the manufacturer, or get rid of the faulty detector.

What should I do if a carbon monoxide alarm goes off?

Follow these steps to protect your home and family:

Do not disregard the alarm. You might not be able to recognize hazardous levels of carbon monoxide until it’s too late, so assume the alarm is functioning correctly when it goes off.
Evacuate all people and pets as soon as possible. If you can, open windows and doors on your way out to try and thin out the concentration of CO gas.
Call 911 or a local fire department and explain that the carbon monoxide alarm has triggered.

Do not assume it’s safe to reenter your home when the alarm is no longer beeping. Opening windows and doors might help air it out, but the source might still be creating carbon monoxide.
When emergency responders show up, they will search your home, measure carbon monoxide levels, try to find the source of the CO leak and establish if it’s safe to return. Depending on the cause, you will sometimes need to schedule repair services to keep the problem from reappearing.

Get Support from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

With the proper precautions, there’s no need to worry about carbon monoxide inhalation in your home. Along with installing CO alarms, it’s worthwhile to maintain your fuel-burning appliances, namely as winter arrives.

The team at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is qualified to inspect, clean, diagnose and repair malfunctions with furnaces, boilers, water heaters and other combustion appliances. We understand what signs indicate a possible carbon monoxide leak— such as increased soot, rusted flue pipes and a yellow, flickering burner flame—along with the necessary repairs to resolve them.

Do you still have questions or concerns about CO exposure? Is it time to schedule annual heating services? Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for more information.