Keeping your family and your home safe isn’t all fancy home security systems and home automation devices. Fire and carbon monoxide detectors are a crucial part of any home’s safety and security system as carbon monoxide is one of the leading methods for accidental poisoning in the home. Each year, as many as 50,000 people visit the ER with CO poisoning according to the Center for Disease Control.
So how can you keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning? By properly installing carbon monoxide detectors around your home. Here’s how!
1. Have a Carbon Monoxide Detector on Each Level of Your Home
If you live in a multi-story home, you should have carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of the building. As a toxic gas, it is possible that CO builds up around one floor without making its way up to the next floor.
2. Place Carbon Monoxide Detectors Near Bedrooms Where They Can Wake You Up
In the event the carbon monoxide levels in your home reach a critical level in the middle of the night, you want to place your carbon monoxide detectors somewhere they will wake up every member of your household. A tragic reality of CO poisoning, and even house fires, is that they are more lethal at night when people do not wake up in time to escape. Placing a carbon monoxide detector near each room will increase the likelihood that people hear the alarm.
3. Place Detectors a Few Feet Below the Ceiling
Unlike smoke, which rises to the top of a room, CO does not necessarily rise to the top. Because of this, you may want to place detectors a few feet below the ceiling so that it may detect CO gases early.
4. Place a Carbon Monoxide Detector Near Doors Leading to the Garage
Starting an engine in the garage can cause CO to build up. Because of this, it’s a smart idea to place detectors close to doors and entryways that lead into the garage to alert you that too much CO has built up in the garage.
5. Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors Regularly
Most carbon monoxide detectors are battery powered which means that you’ll need to test them regularly to ensure that everything is working properly. It’s recommended to test your carbon monoxide detectors every 90 days or so when you check your fire alarms and swap out air filters.
