Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ultimate Guide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a potentially hazardous gas found in the home. Known as the “silent killer,” CO gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless and non-irritating, yet it can cause unconsciousness, brain damage or death. Because of this, more than 400 people die as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning each year, a larger fatality rate compared to any other kind of poisoning.

As the weather cools off, you insulate your home for the winter and count on heating appliances to keep warm. This is when the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is highest. Thankfully you can defend your family from a gas leak in several ways. One of the most efficient methods is to put in CO detectors in your home. Try this guide to better understand where carbon monoxide comes from and how to reap the benefits of your CO alarms.

What causes carbon monoxide in a house?

Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of something burned. Because of this, this gas is generated when a fuel source is ignited, including natural gas, propane, oil, charcoal, gasoline, woo, and more. Frequent causes of carbon monoxide in a house consist of:

Clogged clothes dryer vent

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

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

Do smoke detectors sense carbon monoxide?

No, smoke detectors do not detect carbon monoxide. In fact, they sound an alarm when they recognize a certain amount of smoke produced by a fire. Installing functional smoke detectors reduces the risk of dying in a house fire by about 55 percent.

Smoke detectors come in two main types—ionization detectors and photoelectric detectors. Ionization detection functions well with fast-growing fires that emit large flames, while photoelectric detection is more suited for smoldering, smoky fires. Some newer smoke detectors come with both forms of alarms in a single unit to increase the chance of responding to a fire, no matter 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 recognize whether it’s a smoke detector or a carbon monoxide alarm. The visual discrepancy is based on the brand and model you want. Here are some factors to remember:

Quality devices are visibly labeled. If not, try to find 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 older than 10 years, replace it right away.
Plug-in devices that draw power from an outlet are almost always carbon monoxide is supposed to be labeled saying as much.
Some alarms are two-in-one, offering protection against both smoke and carbon monoxide with a different indicator light for each. That being said, it can be hard to tell with no label on the front, so double checking the manufacturing details on the back is your best bet.

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

The number of CO alarms you need is dependent on your home’s size, the number of stories and bedroom arrangement. Consider these guidelines to ensure complete coverage:

Place carbon monoxide detectors near wherever people sleep: CO gas poisoning is most common at night when furnaces must run more often to keep your home heated. As a result, each bedroom should have a carbon monoxide detector installed around 15 feet of the door. If two bedroom doors are less than 30 feet apart, a single alarm is enough.
Put in detectors on each floor: Concentrated carbon monoxide gas can become trapped on a single floor of your home, so try to have at least one CO detector on every level.
Have detectors within 10 feet of the internal garage door: Many people unsafely leave their cars idling in the garage, producing dangerous carbon monoxide gas, even while the large garage door is fully open. A CO alarm immediately inside the door—and in the room over the garage—alerts you of increased carbon monoxide levels within your home.
Install detectors at the correct height: Carbon monoxide weighs about the same as air, but it’s frequently pushed up by the hot air produced by combustion appliances. Putting in detectors up against the ceiling is ideal 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: A few fuel-burning machines produce a small, harmless amount of carbon monoxide at startup. This breaks up quickly, but if a CO detector is positioned too close, it could give off false alarms.

Put in detectors away from high heat and humidity: Carbon monoxide detectors have specific tolerances for heat and humidity. To minimize false alarms, don’t install them in bathrooms, in harsh sunlight, next to air vents, or close to heat-generating appliances.

How do I test/troubleshoot a carbon monoxide detector?

Depending on the design, the manufacturer might encourage monthly tests and resetting to ensure proper functionality. Also, change out the batteries in battery-powered units twice a year. For hardwired units, replace the backup battery annually or when the alarm starts chirping, whichever happens first. Then, replace the CO detector outright after 10 years or according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

How to test your carbon monoxide alarm

It only takes a minute to test your CO alarm. Read the instruction manual for directions unique to your unit, knowing that testing practices this general procedure:

Press and hold the Test button. It may take 5 to 20 seconds for the alarm to go off.
Loud beeping signifies the detector is functioning correctly.
Release the Test button and wait for two fast beeps, a flash or both. If the device keeps beeping when you let go of the button, press and hold it again for five seconds to silence it.

Swap out the batteries if the unit won’t work as expected during the test. If replacement batteries don’t change anything, replace the detector immediately.

How to reset your carbon monoxide alarm

You’re only required to reset your unit when the alarm goes off, after a test or after replacing the batteries. Some models automatically reset themselves in under 10 minutes of these events, while other models need a manual reset. The instruction manual will note which function applies.

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 notice a beep or observe a flash, attempt the reset again or replace the batteries. If that doesn’t help either, troubleshoot your carbon monoxide alarm with support from the manufacturer, or install a new detector.

What should I do if a carbon monoxide alarm is triggered?

Follow these steps to safeguard your home and family:

Do not dismiss the alarm. You may not be able to detect hazardous levels of carbon monoxide until it’s too late, so anticipate the alarm is functioning correctly when it starts.
Evacuate all people and pets as soon as possible. If you can, open windows and doors on your way out to attempt to weaken the concentration of CO gas.
Call 911 or a local fire department and report that the carbon monoxide alarm has triggered.

Don’t assume it’s safe to reenter your home when the alarm stops beeping. Opening windows and doors can help air it out, but the source may still be generating carbon monoxide.
When emergency responders arrive, they will search your home, measure carbon monoxide levels, check for the source of the CO leak and establish if it’s safe to come back inside. Depending on the cause, you will sometimes need to request repair services to stop the problem from recurring.

Seek Support from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

With the proper precautions, there’s no need to be afraid of carbon monoxide inhalation in your home. In addition to installing CO alarms, it’s important to maintain your fuel-burning appliances, especially as winter starts.

The team at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is qualified to inspect, clean, diagnose and repair issues with furnaces, boilers, water heaters and other combustion appliances. We recognize which signs could mean a potential carbon monoxide leak— such as excessive 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.