The importance of carbon monoxide alarm
When should you get carbon monoxide (CO) detectors for your home? Does every home need one? What kind of appliances can cause carbon monoxide poisoning?
The short answer to all of these questions is: When you are burning any type of liquid or solid fuel for heating, cooking, or other uses, you should have CO detectors installed in your home. And because cars and other gas-powered equipment create carbon monoxide, virtually every home should have a CO detector, even if there are no fuel-burning appliances in the house.
About Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a gas that is present in the air, but it's the presence of high levels-such as those emitted by burning fuel-that can make this gas deadly. Carbon monoxide is a pollutant formed by the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas, propane, wood, coal, and gasoline, among others. All combustion appliances and equipment around the home produce CO gas, no matter how energy-efficient they are.
CO is measured in parts per million, or ppm. Symptoms of CO exposure worsen with longer and higher exposure:
1. 0.5 to 5 ppm: Normal level of CO for homes with combustion appliances.
2. Below 70 ppm: Exposure for 6 to 8 hours can lead to symptoms including headaches and dizziness. People with heart conditions may feel additional symptoms, such as chest pain.
3. 100 ppm: Exposure for two hours or more can cause a headache, fatigue, and nausea.
4. 150 to 200 ppm: Long-term exposure can lead to death.
Types of Fuel-Burning Appliances
Fuel-burning appliances that are properly tested, installed, and maintained are generally safe to use, but in the event of a clogged exhaust vent or any part of the appliance failing, hazardous levels of carbon monoxide can be released into the home. Many CO home hazards have occurred simply from animals' nests or heavy snowfall blocking appliance vents or chimneys. Common types of combustion appliances used in homes include:
1. Wood-burning appliances, including wood stoves, heat stoves, fireplaces, wood-pellet stoves, and box or parlor stoves
2. Oil, propane, or natural gas appliances, including boilers, furnaces, cooktops and ranges, some refrigerators, hot water heaters, space heaters, and fireplaces or hearth products
3. Gas or diesel fuel equipment, such as generators (these should always be used outdoors)
4. Bio, agricultural, or other fuel-burning types of heating stoves
How Many CO Detectors Do I Need?
Recommendations for CO detectors are similar to those for smoke alarms. As a minimum, each home should have one CO detector on each floor, one in or just outside each sleeping area, and one in the basement. In homes where multiple bedrooms adjoin a common hallway, a single detector in the hallway can provide protection for all of the rooms. However, if the home has forced-air heat (with a conventional gas or propane furnace), carbon monoxide leaking in the furnace system can reach each room individually. Therefore, it's safest to include a separate CO detector in each bedroom or other sleeping areas.
If other areas of the home, such as an attic or closed-in porch or sunroom, have combustion appliances or are used as sleeping areas, each of those spaces should have a CO detector. The same is true for a garage or outbuilding (greenhouse, garden shed, etc.) with a non-electric heater.
