The Importance of Installing a Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Installing a carbon monoxide alarm is very important for all homeowners these days. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be very dangerous, and even deadly if too much of the gas has inhaled.

You can prevent your family from the dangers of this harmful gas by installing one or more systems in various areas of your home. Regulations have been put into place thanks to several emergencies over the years involving this deadly gas.

Both homeowners and those renting property should be fully aware of the harmful effects that carbon monoxide can have on them; they should also learn more about the advantages of having a carbon monoxide alarm installed in their home.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colourless gas that is created when various fuels such as petrol, wood, charcoal and coal, as well as natural gas and propane fuels, are burned incompletely.

A number of products or pieces of equipment end up producing carbon monoxide.

It is important that you understand the best place to install your alarm. The best place to install a carbon monoxide alarm is nearby or inside of each sleeping area in your home. It is usually recommended that they are installed in each bedroom, and for additional protection there should also be one placed at least 15 to 20 feet away from your home’s furnace or fuel burning source.

You should also install a carbon monoxide alarm at least ten feet away from any main source of humidity in the home, such as a bathroom with a shower inside. Two-storey homes should have at least one installed on each level of the home.

If your house has a basement or cellar, it is recommended that the detector should be placed at the very top of the basement or cellar stairs.

If you are only installing one alarm in your home, it has been suggested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that you always install it near a sleeping area in your home so that it is audible enough to wake you up.

Adding additional detectors to each level of your home, as well as in each bedroom, can provide you with extra security against harmful carbon monoxide poisoning. If you have fuel burning appliances in your home, you need to remember that you should never install an alarm directly above the unit because these appliances will typically emit a small amount of carbon monoxide upon start up.

Installation location recommendations for your system may differ depending on the manufacturer; the manufacturer’s recommendations may be different due to the various amounts of research each individual company has conducted.

Therefore it is very important that you go by what the installation manual says for each carbon monoxide alarm that you have purchased before you install it.

It is also important that you remember that these alarms do not serve as smoke detectors. However, there are some alarm systems available that work as dual system alarms which can detect both smoke and carbon monoxide at the same time.

Ideally all homeowners should have a working carbon monoxide alarm installed in their home. However, not all do. This article highlights the importance of having a carbon monoxide alarm installed in the home.

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