If you heat your home with a gas furnace or use other gas appliances at home, you must install carbon monoxide detectors.
You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, which is a potential byproduct of burning fossil fuels.
Your home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector to alert you of the presence of gas. Better: Install a CO detector on every floor of the house and inside every bedroom. Follow these safety guidelines:
- If you install only one carbon monoxide detector, put it near the bedrooms so it can alert your family to wake up in case levels of the gas reach an unhealthy level.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for where to place the detector on the wall. A rule of thumb: Place CO detectors close to the floor in areas where they will stay dust-free and where children and pets won’t bother them.
- Keep your detectors at least 15 feet away from a gas stove or oven, which may emit a small amount of carbon monoxide on startup.
- Detectors don’t operate properly in humid areas like the bathroom.
- Replace the batteries in your alarms at least once a year, and test them often.
- Properly maintain your gas appliances, including the furnace and stove. Same goes for devices that use gasoline.
- Know the warning signs of too much carbon monoxide in the house: Stuffy, stale air; condensation on windows; yellow burner flames on the stove; and fluttering or extinguishing pilot lights.
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