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Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Does anyone have any suggestions of where is the best place to install a carbon monoxide detector inside a 2 story single family house?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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The best place is approximately waist height in a downstairs area. CO is heavier than air, so it will fill up the house from the bottom up. By the time you get detectable levels at waist height downstairs, it's enough to worry about.
I'd locate the detector in an open area between the garage and the stairs to the 2nd floor, as the garage is the most likely CO source unless you have an unvented propane heater or something similar.
More than one detector is better, as Jim says.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts have "Nicole's Law, which mandates residential dwellings using any type of fossil fuels (propane, natural gas, coal, oil, wood and wood pellets) and homes with attached garages to have CO detectors on every living level. They must be located within 10 feet of the bedrooms.
If there is any living space in a basement, such as a family room, home office, home gym, etc. a CO detector is required on that living level.
The only exception is an "all electric home" without any fossil fueled appliance and without an attached garage.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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While it isn't law here, but I agree with Gonz and Jim, can't go wrong with a detector on each level.
I would also recommend a detector that plugs into an outlet and has a digital readout, battery backup. At least those will show a level of CO it detected and can be a comparison for the FD or utility to compare readings.
Another important note is be aware of when the mfg date is, the sensors do fade over time and most detectors have an age limit to them, something like 7 years, before having to replace one.
To add to Ben's post, I have been on several CO calls where the highest levels were in the bedrooms, vs living areas. A common factor is extended use of natural gas stoves etc and poor ventilation. So that is another common cause for a CO detector activation along with the car in the garage. Despite the garage door being open, CO can accumulate fast inside. We see both of these a lot, especially as it gets colder.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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CO has a weight of 0.98 or 0.97 depending on the source. Air is 1. CO weighs less or almost the same as air. CO will pretty much disperese evenly throughout a structure. Locating the detectors in living areas and definitely near sleeping areas are the best spots.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Ralph,
The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
There are many on the market. We have the GasAlert Extreme by BW technologies. A very simple single gas monitor. I think it sells for around $260. Has a very strong clip so it stays secure and is pretty rugged.
BTW, you might be surprised how much CO you can get in the patient compartment of the truck.
Disclaimer: I am not endorsing this particular product or any others.
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You are correct. What I intended to say is that cold CO tends to sink, as it is usually colder than the heated air in the house when it enters from a garage. We've found that we tend to monitor higher concentrations of CO from waist level down on our CO calls. That level includes beds, couches, and chairs.
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When monitoring a space, a slow methodical routine needs to be followed. All areas and all heights need to be metered.
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Not only are there small single gas meters on the market, you should look at the Rad-57 technology. We have two of these units in service to measure carboxyhemoglobin. Now, we also have the same technology in our Life-Pak 15. Several departments in our area have these now. We have also been called mutual aid for that detector to incidents. A great tool.
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I agree - we monitor the entire space, and we do it methodically.
However, if we get any kind of a hit, we don't wait until we monitor the entire space to start ventilation.
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We have a RAD 57 as well. It's a great tool for firefighter rehab, and it's a lot less bulky than the cardiac monitor.
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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For homeowners who use FHA-Forced Hot Air you had better have a CO detector in the sleeping rooms. Otherwise that CO alarm on the first floor will likely not wake you upstairs.
I suggest you have one in the basement, one in the first floor and one in the bedrooms. They are there to wake you up like an alarm clock but obviously to a hazardous situation. Most often times during non-sleeping hours people identify the sudden onset of serious headache, N&V. etc.
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Permalink Reply by Anita King on
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We have one on each level of our home. The one we just replaced ( they have a limited life) recommended installation 20 inches from the floor. We have one downstairs in the den where we spend a lot of our time and one upstairs between the bedrooms.
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