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

Where To Place Carbon Monoxide Detectors In Your Lexington Residence

Homeowners must protect against various risks like burglary, fire, and flooding. But what about a danger that you are unable to see or smell? Carbon monoxide creates unique challenges because you might never realize it’s there. Nevertheless, using CO detectors can easily safeguard your family and property. Find out more about this potentially lethal gas and where to place carbon monoxide detectors in your Lexington home.

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Known as the silent killer as of a result of its lack of color, taste, or odor, carbon monoxide is a readily found gas produced by an incomplete combustion of fuels. Any appliance that uses fuels like a furnace or fireplace can create carbon monoxide. Although you normally won’t have any trouble, complications can crop up when an appliance is not regularly serviced or adequately vented. These oversights can result in an accumulation of the potentially lethal gas in your interior. Generators and heating appliances are the most common culprits for CO poisoning.

When exposed to low amounts of CO, you could suffer from fatigue, headaches, dizziness nausea, or vomiting. Extended exposure to high concentrations may cause cardiorespiratory arrest, and even death.

Suggestions For Where To Place Lexington Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If you don’t own at least one carbon monoxide detector in your residence, purchase one today. Ideally, you should use one on every floor, and that includes basements. Browse these suggestions on where to place carbon monoxide detectors in Lexington:

  • Install them on each floor, particularly in areas where you have fuel-burning appliances, including furnaces, gas dryers, fireplaces, and water heaters.
  • You ought to always install one no more than 10 feet away from sleeping areas. If you only have one CO detector, this is where it should go.
  • install them at least 10 to 20 feet from potential CO sources.
  • Avoid placing them immediately above or beside fuel-burning appliances, as a non-hazardous amount of carbon monoxide might be discharged when they turn on and trigger a false alarm.
  • Secure them to walls about five feet from the ground so they can test air where people are breathing it.
  • Avoid installing them beside doors or windows and in dead-air areas.
  • Place one in areas above attached garages.

Check your CO detectors regularly and maintain them in accordance with manufacturer instructions. You will usually have to replace units every five to six years. You should also ensure any fuel-consuming appliances are in in proper working order and have appropriate ventilation.