In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains how to choose a carbon monoxide detector.
Choosing a carbon monoxide detector
- Simplest, most affordable carbon-monoxide detector plugs into an electrical outlet.
- Battery-powered plug-in models continue to operate during power outages.
- Combination units detect smoke and carbon monoxide, and are hard-wired into the home’s electrical system.
- Unlike smoke detectors, which must be ceiling-mounted, carbon-monoxide detectors can be mounted to a baseboard or set on a bookshelf.
- Digital models constantly display the carbon monoxide levels in the room.
- Recommendation is to place one carbon-monoxide detector on every floor in the home; minimal requirement is one detector outside of every bedroom.