It’s important to install carbon-monoxide (CO) detectors to protect yourself from CO dangers, but once you have them, if you don’t install them in the right places, they can’t protect you from accidental poisoning as well as they should.

CO detectors are essential for your protection, because carbon monoxide has no color, smell or taste. So having detectors in your home is the only way to know if you have a problem. And CO acts swiftly, leading to debilitating illness or death in as little as one hour. Carbon-monoxide detectors are available in battery-operated and hard-wired models, but make sure you select a device that detects low and high levels of CO, as both functions are important.

For maximum safety, install a detector:

• Near bedrooms. In order to be alerted to dangerous levels of CO while you’re sleeping, it’s best to install a detector near bedrooms. If you have bedrooms on a second floor or ranch-style home, or you have bedrooms at opposite ends of the home, install a detector so that you have one located within 10 to 15 of each bedroom.
• Near gas-burning equipment in your home. If your home has a gas-powered furnace or boiler, you’ll want to install a detector near the equipment so that the device will alert you to a problem. However, because these systems naturally produce CO during the initial combustion process, they might emit minute amounts of CO, so don’t install a detector closer than five feet from the equipment.
• Near gas-burning equipment in a garage. It’s common for homeowners to store other fuel-burning equipment in a garage, like a gas barbecue or lawn mower, so use a detector in this space, and keep it at least five feet away from the equipment.

Carbon monoxide rises with air, because they both weigh about the same, so don’t install detectors at a low level. Five feet above floors is sufficient.

Do you have carbon-monoxide detectors installed in your Georgia home? Are they installed in the right locations? For help with protecting yourself and your family, give the experts at Powers Heating & Aira call today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about carbon monoxide detectors and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Powers Heating & Air serves Peachtree, GA and the surrounding areas.  Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!     

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