Where is the best place to put a carbon monoxide detector?

Carbon monoxide poisoning kills thousands of people and is easily preventable! Maybe you’re moving into a new home, or you’ve gone through our review of the best carbon monoxide detectors and bought yourself a new unit. The next logical question is where is the best place to put a carbon monoxide detector? You want to find a place that will make sure the carbon monoxide detector is most effective, will keep you and your family safe, and won’t add an eyesore to your room.

Install carbon monoxide detectors in locations where you spend the most time

Ideally, you must have CO detectors placed in your home just like the number of smoke alarms you have installed. You must place a carbon monoxide detector in every major area of your house including the kitchen, dining/living room, office, and bedrooms. If you are living in a multi-story home, see to it that you place at least a carbon monoxide detector on every level.

Since people are most vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning effects while sleeping, it is crucial to place alarms near the bedrooms of your family. If you have one carbon monoxide alarm, place this as close to the sleeping area of everybody if possible. If you have elderly family members or children living with you, give extra protection near their rooms since they’re the most at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Install alarms in the highest risk areas

You’ll want to place carbon monoxide alarms near any sort of appliance that can leak or generate carbon monoxide. If your furnace is at the basement, see to it that you place a carbon monoxide detector there. If you have gas clothes dryers you should consider putting alarms in your laundry room. You should also place one in the garage if you always park your cars there. Wherever you have solid fuel-fired appliance, anything that might produce carbon monoxide must have a carbon monoxide detector

Avoid installing carbon monoxide detectors on the ceiling

Smoke and heat rise. This is the reason why people should place importance on installing smoke alarms on the ceiling or wall. However, carbon monoxide mixes with the air. Because it does not rise, it’s preferable to install carbon monoxide detectors or alarms at knee level, which is the right height of a sleeping person’s mouth and nose. For this reason, a carbon monoxide alarm with a single function is highly recommended. If you’re installing a dual smoke and carbon monoxide detector, place this on the ceiling so it may detect smoke. But we also recommend purchasing an additional single-function CO detector to place in your home and ensure you’re covered.

Find a place to avoid tampering

If you have pets or kids that could tamper with detectors, you can move these up to chest height. You may also place them in an area that is hard to reach where curious hands or overzealous tails would have a hard time reaching.

Keep the sensors unblocked

Keep in mind that a carbon monoxide detector must not be blocked by curtains, furniture or some objects because restricted airflow may affect its function.

Maintain your carbon monoxide alarms

Your carbon monoxide alarms are generally low maintenance, but they will need some attention. Thankfully when there’s an issue they’ll usually tell you! When they need attention they will chirp, when a carbon monoxide detector beeps it could mean a few things. First and foremost check the power supply. Your detector might be wired directly into the electrical system of your house, but most detectors have a battery that serves as a backup. These batteries will need to be replaced, in our home maintenance checklist we suggest checking the batteries quartly.

Another thing worth noting is your carbon monoxide detectors don’t last forever. The sensors used to detect carbon monoxide gas get less sensitive over time and can lose their effectiveness. Most detectors last 5 to 7 years, we recommend replacing anything older than 5 years old to ensure your family is protected in case of a carbon monoxide leak.