Tips For Installing Carbon Monoxide Detectors Throughout Your Home
Does your home have a heating system where the fuel is burned within your home? If so, you'll need to have carbon monoxide detectors to keep your family safe. Carbon monoxide will form when the carbon combustion process does not finish, and the gas then flows into the home. Breathing in carbon monoxide can be fatal, which is where a carbon monoxide detector comes into play. They will alert you if this odorless and invisible gas is within the air, so you can get your family out of the home and to safety. These are a few tips for placing detectors throughout your home.
Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors On Ceilings Or Walls
It is known that smoke will rise to the ceiling, which is why it is common to install a smoke detector on a ceiling where the smoke will first start to collect. However, carbon monoxide behaves differently than smoke. It has the same weight as air, so the carbon monoxide won't rise towards the top of a ceiling or fall to the ground. That is why it is safe to install detectors on either the wall or ceiling, since it will be just as effective.
Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors On Each Floor With Fuel Burning Appliances
Now that you are aware of how carbon monoxide won't rise to the top of the room, you can better understand what floors to physically place the detectors on. It is ideal to place a detector on each floor that uses a fuel burning appliance. If you have a dryer powered by gas on the second floor, then install a detector near the laundry room. If the furnace is in the basement, install a detector in the basement.
Even if you do not have fuel burning appliances on the same floor as the bedrooms, you should place a detector near your bedrooms too. You may not wake up from a detector that goes off two floors below you, and having a detector near your bedrooms can give you peace of mind that everyone is safe.
Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Hallways
Each detector should be installed in a place that has flowing air. If you place a detector in a room with a closed door, like a bedroom, the carbon monoxide may not reach it. Hallways are an ideal place to install the detectors, since it has a clear path to any appliance that is burning fuel.