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January 08, 2024

Where To Place Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Your St. Louis Residence

Residents must protect against various risks like burglary, flooding, and fire. But what about a danger that you are unable to smell or see? Carbon monoxide is different from other dangers because you may never know it’s there. Even so, implementing CO detectors can effectively safeguard your family and property. Explore more about this potentially lethal gas and where to place carbon monoxide detectors in your St. Louis residence.

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Known as the silent killer as of a result of its absence of odor, taste, or color, carbon monoxide is a common gas formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels. Any appliance that consumes fuels like an oven or furnace can create carbon monoxide. Even though you usually won’t have problems, complications can crop up when appliances are not regularly serviced or adequately vented. These mistakes could result in a proliferation of this dangerous gas in your interior. Heating appliances and generators are the most frequent causes for CO poisoning.

When subjected to minute levels of CO, you might experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue nausea, or vomiting. Prolonged exposure to high levels could result in cardiorespiratory failure, coma, and death.

Suggestions For Where To Place St. Louis Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If you don’t use a carbon monoxide detector in your home, buy one now. Preferably, you ought to use one on each floor of your home, and that includes basements. Here are a few recommendations on where to place carbon monoxide detectors in St. Louis:

  • Place them on each level, specifically in areas where you utilize fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, fireplaces, gas dryers, and water heaters.
  • Always have one within 10 feet of bedrooms. If you only install one CO detector, this is where it should go.
  • Position them at least 10 to 20 feet away from potential CO sources.
  • Avoid affixing them immediately above or next to fuel-consuming appliances, as a non-hazardous amount of carbon monoxide might be emitted when they turn on and set off a false alarm.
  • Fasten them to walls about five feet off the ground so they may measure air where occupants are breathing it.
  • Avoid installing them in dead-air places and next to windows or doors.
  • Put one in rooms above attached garages.

Test your CO detectors regularly and maintain them per manufacturer instructions. You will usually need to switch them out within five or six years. You should also ensure any fuel-utilizing appliances are in in proper working shape and sufficiently vented.