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Carbon monoxide detector attached to wall of home
January 08, 2024

Where To Place Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Your Decatur Residence

Property owners must safeguard against a variety of risks like burglary, flooding, and fire. But what about a danger that can’t be discerned by human senses? Carbon monoxide presents an uncommon challenge because you may never realize it’s there. Even so, using CO detectors can simply shield you and your household. Find out more about this dangerous gas and where to place carbon monoxide detectors in your Decatur home.

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Known as the silent killer due to its absence of color, taste, or odor, carbon monoxide is a common gas formed by incomplete fuel combustion. Any fuel-utilizing appliance like a furnace or fireplace can generate carbon monoxide. Even though you usually won’t have a problem, complications can present when an appliance is not regularly maintained or adequately vented. These oversights may result in a proliferation of the potentially lethal gas in your home. Generators and heating appliances are commonly culpable for CO poisoning.

When exposed to low levels of CO, you may experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue nausea, or vomiting. Extended exposure to elevated amounts may lead to cardiorespiratory failure, and even death.

Tips For Where To Place Decatur Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If your home is without a carbon monoxide detector, purchase one today. If possible, you should install one on each level of your home, and that includes basements. Here are a few recommendations on where to place carbon monoxide detectors in Decatur:

  • Place them on each level, particularly where you have fuel-burning appliances, including fireplaces, furnaces, water heaters, and gas dryers.
  • You ought to always have one within 10 feet of sleeping areas. If you only install one CO detector, this is where to put it.
  • Place them approximately 10 to 20 feet away from sources of CO.
  • Avoid placing them right next to or above fuel-utilizing appliances, as a non-hazardous amount of carbon monoxide could be emitted when they kick on and set off a false alarm.
  • Secure them to walls approximately five feet off the floor so they can sample air where people are breathing it.
  • Avoid using them in dead-air zones and near doors or windows.
  • Place one in rooms above garages.

Test your CO detectors often and maintain them in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. You will typically have to switch them out within five or six years. You should also make certain any fuel-utilizing appliances are in in optimal working order and sufficiently vented.