Carbon Monoxide Detectors
The responsible flipper will make sure that carbon monoxide detectors are
properly placed throughout a dwelling unit as required by local building
departments. Here are tips to help you in this important activity:
SOURCE
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Save Lives
CPSC Document #5010
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that consumers
purchase and install carbon monoxide detectors with labels showing they meet the
requirements of the new Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) voluntary standard
(UL 2034). The UL standard, published in April 1992, requires detectors to sound
an alarm when exposure to carbon monoxide reaches potentially hazardous levels
over a period of time. Detectors that meet the requirements of UL 2034 provide a
greater safety margin than previously-manufactured detectors.
About 200 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with
home fuel-burning heating equipment. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless
gas that is produced when any fuel is incompletely burned. Symptoms of carbon
monoxide poisoning are similar to flu-like illnesses and include dizziness,
fatigue, headaches, nausea, and irregular breathing. Carbon monoxide can leak
from faulty furnaces or fuel-fired heaters or can be trapped inside by a blocked
chimney or flue. Burning charcoal inside the house or running an automobile
engine in an attached garage also will produce carbon monoxide in the home.
The first line of defense against carbon monoxide is to make sure that all
fuel-burning appliances operate properly. Consumers should have their home
heating systems (including chimneys and flues) inspected each year for proper
operations and leakage. Inspectors should check all heating appliances and their
electrical and mechanical components, thermostat controls and automatic safety
devices.
Properly working carbon monoxide detectors can provide an early warning to
consumers before the deadly gas builds up to a dangerous level. Exposure to a
low concentration over several hours can be as dangerous as exposure to high
carbon monoxide levels for a few minutes - the new detectors will detect both
conditions. Most of the devices cost under $100. Each home should have at least
one carbon monoxide detector in the area outside individual bedrooms. CPSC
believes that carbon monoxide detectors are as important to home safety as smoke
detectors are.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers
CPSC Document #466
- What is carbon monoxide (CO) and how is it produced in the home?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is
produced by the incomplete burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels.
Appliances fueled with natural gas, liquified petroleum (LP gas), oil,
kerosene, coal, or wood may produce CO. Burning charcoal produces CO.
Running cars produce CO.
- How many people are unintentionally poisoned by CO?
Every year, over 200 people in the United States die from CO produced by
fuel-burning appliances (furnaces, ranges, water heaters, room heaters).
Others die from CO produced while burning charcoal inside a home, garage,
vehicle or tent. Still others die from CO produced by cars left running in
attached garages. Several thousand people go to hospital emergency rooms
for treatment for CO poisoning.
- What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
The initial symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without
the fever). They include:
 | Headache
| Fatigue
| Shortness of breath
| Nausea
| Dizziness |
| | | |
Many people with CO poisoning mistake their symptoms for the flu or are
misdiagnosed by physicians, which sometimes results in tragic deaths.
- What should you do to prevent CO poisoning?
| Make sure appliances are installed according to manufacturer's
instructions and local building codes. Most appliances should be
installed by professionals. Have the heating system (including chimneys
and vents) inspected and serviced annually. The inspector should also
check chimneys and flues for blockages, corrosion, partial and complete
disconnections, and loose connections.
| Install a CO detector/alarm that meets the requirements of the current
UL standard 2034 or the requirements of the IAS 6-96 standard. A carbon
monoxide detector/alarm can provide added protection, but is no
substitute for proper use and upkeep of appliances that can produce CO.
Install a CO detector/alarm in the hallway near every separate sleeping
area of the home. Make sure the detector cannot be covered up by
furniture or draperies.
| Never burn charcoal inside a home, garage, vehicle, or tent.
| Never use portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside a home,
garage, vehicle, or tent.
| Never leave a car running in an attached garage, even with the garage
door open.
| Never service fuel-burning appliances without proper knowledge,
skills, and tools. Always refer to the owner's manual when performing
minor adjustments or servicing fuel-burning appliances.
| Never use gas appliances such as ranges, ovens, or clothes dryers for
heating your home.
| Never operate unvented fuel-burning appliances in any room with closed
doors or windows or in any room where people are sleeping.
| Do not use gasoline-powered tools and engines indoors. If use is
unavoidable, ensure that adequate ventilation is available and whenever
possible place engine unit to exhaust outdoors. |
| | | | | | | |
- What CO level is dangerous to your health?
The health effects of CO depend on the level of CO and length of exposure,
as well as each individual's health condition. The concentration of CO is
measured in parts per million (ppm). Health effects from exposure to CO
levels of approximately 1 to 70 ppm are uncertain, but most people will
not experience any symptoms. Some heart patients might experience an
increase in chest pain. As CO levels increase and remain above 70 ppm,
symptoms may become more noticeable (headache, fatigue, nausea). As CO
levels increase above 150 to 200 ppm, disorientation, unconsciousness, and
death are possible.
- What should you do if you are experiencing symptoms of CO poisoning?
If you think you are experiencing any of the symptoms of CO poisoning, get
fresh air immediately. Open windows and doors for more ventilation, turn
off any combustion appliances, and leave the house. Call your fire
department and report your symptoms. You could lose consciousness and die
if you do nothing. It is also important to contact a doctor immediately
for a proper diagnosis. Tell your doctor that you suspect CO poisoning is
causing your problems. Prompt medical attention is important if you are
experiencing any symptoms of CO poisoning when you are operating
fuel-burning appliances. Before turning your fuel-burning appliances back
on, make sure a qualified serviceperson checks them for malfunction.
- What has changed in CO detectors/alarms recently?
CO detectors/alarms always have been and still are designed to alarm
before potentially life-threatening levels of CO are reached. The UL
standard 2034 (1998 revision) has stricter requirements that the
detector/alarm must meet before it can sound. As a result, the possibility
of nuisance alarms is decreased.
- How should I install a CO Alarm?
CO alarms should be installed according to the manufacturer's
instructions. CPSC recommends that one CO alarm be installed in the
hallway outside the bedrooms in each separate sleeping area of the home.
CO alarms may be installed into a plug-in receptacle or high on the wall
because CO from any source will be well-mixed with the air in the house.
Make sure furniture or draperies cannot cover up the alarm.
- What should you do when the CO detector/alarm sounds?
Never ignore an alarming CO detector/alarm. If the detector/alarm sounds:
Operate the reset button. Call your emergency services (fire department or
911). Immediately move to fresh air -- outdoors or by an open door/window.
- How should a consumer test a CO detector/alarm to make sure it is
working?
Consumers should follow the manufacturer's instructions. Using a test
button, some detectors/alarms test whether the circuitry as well as the
sensor which senses CO is working, while the test button on other
detectors only tests whether the circuitry is working. For those units
which test the circuitry only, some manufacturers sell separate test kits
to help the consumer test the CO sensor inside the alarm.
- What is the role of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
in preventing CO poisoning?
CPSC worked closely with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to help develop
the safety standard (UL 2034) for CO detectors/alarms. CPSC helps promote
carbon monoxide safety awareness to raise awareness of CO hazards and the
need for regular maintenance of fuel-burning appliances. CPSC recommends
that every home have a CO detector/alarm that meets the requirements of
the most recent UL standard 2034 or the IAS 6-96 standard in the hallway
near every separate sleeping area. CPSC also works with industry to
develop voluntary and mandatory standards for fuel-burning appliances.
- Do some cities require that CO detectors/alarms be installed?
On September 15, 1993, Chicago, Illinois became one of the first cities in
the nation to adopt an ordinance requiring, effective October 1, 1994, the
installation of CO detectors/alarms in all new single-family homes and in
existing single-family residences that have new oil or gas furnaces.
Several other cities also require CO detectors/alarms in apartment
buildings and single-family dwellings.
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