Carbon Monoxide Detectors are Important for Your Home Safety

A carbon monoxide detector is an extremely important device to have in your home. If you don't have one, this is the perfect time to buy one. We're going to look at the importance of this device and the tips to consider when buying one. If you already have one, we've also got you covered with maintenance tips.

Why Do You Need a Detector?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that you cannot smell, see or taste. It is a combustion byproduct, produced by common household appliances like furnaces, gas water heaters and fireplaces. Depending on the concentration level, exposure to carbon monoxide can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, convulsions, unconsciousness and even death.A carbon monoxide detector protects you by sounding an alarm after detecting a certain amount of the gas in the air. You can then respond appropriately by turning off appliances, ventilating the area or evacuating occupants.

What Types are Available?

There are three types of detectors available: hard-wired, plug-in and battery-operated. Hard-wired detectors are wired to your household's electrical circuit and are connected to other detectors. Plug-in detectors can be plugged into any electrical outlets. Battery-operated rely on batteries to operate and are not affected by power outages. For that reason, it is advisable to include a battery backup with plug-in and hard-wired detectors.

What Tips Should You Consider When Buying a Detector?

When shopping for a new detector, make sure you do the following:

• Check the town or county regulations on alarms and placement.

• Check whether the detector is UL listed. Only purchase one that is listed.

• Check the detector's date of manufacture. This is to help you know the right time to replace it, which is after five years.

How Should You Maintain a Detector?

Perform the following maintenance tasks:

• Check your unit's battery life. Replace old batteries.

• Test your detectors to ensure they're working properly.

• Replace detectors that are five years or older.

Make sure you include maintaining your carbon monoxide detector in your fall home maintenance checklist. For more information, contact Air Assurance. We serve the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Aysezgicmeli/Shutterstock”

How Can You Make Your Home a Healthier Environment?

The agricultural production and manufacturing around Broken Arrow can make maintaining a healthy home environment difficult at times, but there's still plenty you can do to keep your home clean.

Keep the Contaminants Out

Because chemicals such as paint, pesticides and harsh cleaners give off harmful fumes, these products should be stored outside your home. Choosing paint, carpeting and other household materials labeled low-VOC can also reduce chemical fumes in your home.High humidity encourages the spread of dust mites, mold and bacteria. Aim to keep your indoor humidity level between 40 and 50 percent. Run your exhaust fans after showering or cooking, and repair leaks in your plumbing, roof or basement. Regularly disinfecting your sponges, mops and other cleaning supplies also cuts down on the bacteria and mold spores floating around your home.Using an HVAC air filter with a MERV rating between 5 and 10 and replacing it on schedule will reduce the level of dust, pollen, mold spores and pet dander in your air.

Good ventilation helps remove contaminants from your air and controls your humidity, doing double duty to support a healthy home environment. If you live in a modern airtight home or an older one that's been air sealed for energy efficiency, you'll benefit from a whole-house ventilation system.

Stay on Top of Health Risks

Any fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas stove or fireplace, can release carbon monoxide. Even trace amounts can cause headaches and fatigue. To protect your health, install CO detectors on every floor and within 15 feet of every sleeping area.Around one in 16 homes has a dangerously high level of radon, a natural yet cancer-causing gas that enters through the foundation or water lines. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality's Radon Program offers test kits for this gas.Investing in professional air quality testing is another way to find out what harmful contaminants are in your home's air so you can take steps toward getting rid of them.

For more information on maintaining a healthy home environment, contact Air Assurance. We've been serving Broken Arrow since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “design36/Shutterstock”

The Importance of Testing Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors Regularly

While installing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors should be a requirement in any house, don't decide that's enough. Carbon monoxide detectors must be tested regularly to make sure they're still operational. 

The Danger of Carbon Monoxide

With enough exposure, this invisible, odorless gas can kill you. It can do its deadly work through gradual exposure over time or through a sudden, substantial buildup in a small, poorly ventilated room. An average of 170 Americans die each year of accidental residential CO exposure. Defective combustion heating equipment is the usual suspect, though other potential causes can occur any time of year.

Testing CO Monitors

Not all carbon monoxide detectors are the same, and different models will have different installation recommendations and testing procedures. However, most models call for monthly testing to make sure the battery is working and the device is otherwise operational. In most cases, experts suggest changing the batteries of battery-operated models every six months–perhaps when the clocks change in the early spring and late fall. Remember, too, that even models hardwired into your home's electrical system have battery backups.

The testing process for most carbon monoxide detectors is simple: Press the "test" button down two or three seconds, and when the alarm beep sounds, release the button. That's it. If you don't hear the beep, replace the batteries and test again. If you still don't hear it, take the detector back for a refund and try a different brand. The hassle isn't worth your family's health or lives.

CO Preventative Care

Carbon monoxide detectors are your safety net, but the best outcome, of course, is to avoid CO buildup in the first place. Schedule annual preventative maintenance on all combustion appliances to make sure they're burning their fuel and exhausting combustion gases such as CO efficiently and safely. Don't idle cars in the attached garage, and don't use combustion cooking devices inside the house, in a garage or next to open windows.

For more advice on carbon monoxide detectors, please contact us today at Air Assurance. We serve the greater Tulsa metro area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Grzegorz Petrykowski/Shutterstock”