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Carbon monoxide detector attached to wall of home
January 08, 2024

Where To Place Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Your Lafayette Residence

Residents must protect against numerous risks like fire, flooding, and burglary. But what about something that can’t be detected by human senses? Carbon monoxide creates a unique challenge as you might never know it’s there. Despite that, installing CO detectors can easily safeguard yourself and your household. Learn more about this dangerous gas and where to place carbon monoxide detectors in your Lafayette property.

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Called the silent killer due to its absence of color, taste, or odor, carbon monoxide is a readily found gas formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels. Any appliance that consumes fuels like an oven or furnace can produce carbon monoxide. While you normally won’t have a problem, issues can arise when appliances are not regularly maintained or properly vented. These oversights can result in a build-up of the potentially lethal gas in your home. Heating appliances and generators are commonly to blame for CO poisoning.

When in contact with minute levels of CO, you may experience fatigue, headaches, dizziness nausea, or vomiting. Prolonged exposure to higher levels may cause cardiorespiratory failure, coma, and death.

Recommendations On Where To Place Lafayette Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If you don’t use a carbon monoxide detector in your residence, buy one today. Preferably, you ought to install one on each level of your home, including basements. Here are a few tips on where to place carbon monoxide detectors in Lafayette:

  • Put them on each level, especially in places where you have fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, and gas dryers.
  • You ought to always have one no more than 10 feet away from sleeping areas. If you only install one CO detector, this is where to put it.
  • install them at least 10 to 20 feet from potential CO producing appliances.
  • Do not install them immediately above or beside fuel-utilizing appliances, as a non-threatening amount of carbon monoxide might be emitted when they start and prompt a false alarm.
  • Fasten them to walls approximately five feet above the floor so they will measure air where occupants are breathing it.
  • Avoid putting them beside windows or doors and in dead-air areas.
  • Place one in spaces above garages.

Test your CO detectors often and maintain them in accordance with manufacturer instructions. You will typically need to replace them every five to six years. You should also ensure any fuel-consuming appliances are in in good working order and have appropriate ventilation.