Carbon Monoxide Detector – Smoke Alarm
Posted by easy eco blog
Carbon monoxide detectors are required to be installed within California single-family homes by July 1, 2011. 35 states have similar laws.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a odorless and invisible but can poison you quickly. Homes needed to be guarded against this deadly gas. CO can leak from fuel burning appliances, wood stoves, cars, fireplaces, leaking chimneys, heaters, etc. Carbon monoxide poisoning is more common during the winter season, when heaters are in use. Carbon Monoxide detectors must be installed outside every bedroom, on every level, and in basements.
Carbon Monoxide alarms should not be placed in garages, kitchens, too close to fuel-burning appliances, or very humid rooms.
Carbon Monoxide detectors have gotten more advanced. New models like this Kidde unit have a digital display showing level of carbon monoxide the unit is sensing. Peak level memory displays the highest CO concentration measured since the last reset. This information is useful to rescue personnel treating victims. Advanced Carbon Monoxide detectors may have end-of-life warning alerts, digital displays, special lights for the hearing-impaired, or maybe interconnected throughout the whole house.
Smoke Alarms should have a combination of both ionization and photoelectric sensors. Ionization alarms alone are too easily triggered with steam from showers for smoke from a stove. These combo units do not cost much more. Nearly 3,000 people die in home fires. A working smoke alarm can help lower this number.
Smoke Detector Battery change schedule
Be sure to change the battery whenever daylight savings time rolls around. Use a fresh set of batteries when you change them out. There have been far too many fires where batteries in smoke detectors were dead. This is unnecessary and results in a tragic ending. Almost 20% of American homes have at least 1 smoke alarm that does not work.
Related posts:
- Efficiently Reducing your Greenhouse Gas Carbon Emission
- Winter Season Home Preparation Tips
- Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency – Wood Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts
- Fall Energy Saving Tips and Fall Preparation
- Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency – Air Conditioning, HVAC
- Repairing Broken Electronics is Green
- Eco Button Green Computer Energy Saver
- MIRA-Cool Free Air Cooler Ads
Filed under: Easy, Effort, Electronics, Health, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Money, Shopping | Tags: Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Carbon Monoxide Detector, Smoke alarm
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.
2 Responses to “Carbon Monoxide Detector – Smoke Alarm”
Leave a Reply
Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Having a co alarm is a deffinate must – everyone should agree !!
wether or not it has a digital display or not they all have life critical components in them – the sensors.
everyone thinks that by pressing the test button on a co alarm no matter what kind – tests the unit.
it doesnt !! the test button only tests the power to the buzzer – it does not test the sensors capabilitis to sense co.
if for example the sensor could not test co and you pressed the button and the alarm sounded you would think you were being protected when in fact you were not.
there is only ONE way to test the alarms to fully check them and make sure they are able to sense co and then go into alarm mode is with an external source of co gas.
you can not safely create co gas in the home to do this but there is a kit on the market to use – detectagas. its safe and reliable – just have a look at it on the web and see for yourself.
Anyone who is CO Aware and has taken the steps to install a co alarm should be aware that they need testing with a source of external co gas – read the USA standard nfpa 720.
October 20th, 2009 at 12:03 am
[...] sure to place carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near the stoves to ensure [...]