The International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends a carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home, including the basement. A detector should be located within 10 feet of each bedroom door and there should be one near or over any attached garage. Each detector should be replaced every five to six years.
It is recommended to put a carbon monoxide detector on each level of your home. This ensures that if carbon monoxide levels rise on any level, the detector will sound the alarm.
According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every floor of the home, including basements. Detectors should be located within 10 feet of each bedroom door, and be placed near or over any attached garages.
The best place to put a carbon monoxide detector in your home is on each level of the home, inside or near each bedroom, and near an attached garage. If you are only able to install one detector, place it outside the main bedroom.
Electrical code says that you need a carbon monoxide detector within 15 ft of gas appliances. Don't just move it out of the kitchen. Put it back.
A carbon monoxide detector should not be placed within fifteen feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or near very humid areas such as bathrooms. For more information about carbon monoxide safety, visit the National Fire Protection Association.
CO is lighter than air and as it rises, it accumulates near ceilings. Detectors need to be placed higher on the walls or on the ceiling, but not so high that they're easy to ignore.
Carbon monoxide alarms should be positioned at head height, either on a wall or shelf, approximately 1-3 metres away from a potential source of carbon monoxide. Individual manufacturer's instructions should be followed for both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO, it can make you pass out or kill you.
Even if your home is all electric, it's still recommended that you install carbon monoxide detectors, as CO can seep inside the home from an attached garage or from outside. Texas updated its building codes in 2021 to require all homes built in or after 2022 to install carbon monoxide detectors.
Every home should have CO detectors installed. We recommend one on each level of the house and one outside of the sleeping areas.
Even those living in all-electric homes should install carbon monoxide detectors because CO can seep into the house from an attached garage or if a backup generator is used too close to your living quarters during a power outage.
Carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every level of your house so all family members can hear the detectors and be alerted to the emergency. You should also have carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom, sleeping area, and common room for extra safety while you and your family are sleeping.
A person can be poisoned from CO over a long period of time or over a shorter period of time by an excessive amount of exposure to CO. Despite many state and local laws, only 27% of homes in America have CO alarms, according to the Hardware/Homecenter Research Industry.
You should also place a detector in any room situated directly above your garage. The specific gravity of Carbon Monoxide is 0.9657 (with normal air being 1.0), this means that it will float up towards the ceiling because it is lighter than regular air.
If you have a carbon monoxide detector chirping and then it stops, it's important to take the situation seriously, even if the alarm is no longer sounding. Even if the alarm has stopped, get everyone out of the home to a place with fresh air.
Install a CO detector within 15' of any room used for sleeping in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Do not install a CO detector near your kitchen or garage or in a room with a furnace. If your CO detector goes off and you feel ill, leave the house and call 911 or the local fire department.
CO detectors are very sensitive and designed to alert occupants before CO reaches dangerous levels. If your detectors go off, call 911 and evacuate the home. Be sure to notify them if anyone in the house is experiencing flu-like symptoms.
You can perform a crisis test by lighting a candle, incense stick, or other material for burning. Once this material burns a steady smoke stream, hold it about 12 to 18 inches below the smoke detector unit.
According to carbon monoxide experts, carbon monoxide alarms should be located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and each alarm should be installed on the wall, ceiling or other location as specified by the alarm's instruction manual.
What is an acceptable level of carbon monoxide? For indoor settings, the acceptable level of carbon monoxide is stated by WHO which recommends 9-10ppm for no more than 8 hours. 25-35ppm for no more than 1 hour and 90-100 ppm for no more than 15 minutes.