A Personal Story on the Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

Steps:

1. Ideally, a carbon monoxide detector should be installed on every level of the home. It’s especially important to place one near combustion appliances like a furnace, water heater, gas stove, or gas fireplace.
2. Ensure batteries are changed twice per year, even on models that are hardwired or plugged in to an outlet.
3. Replace the entire carbon monoxide detector every five years.

Pro Tip: As TOH plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey points out, it’s not just high concentrations that are dangerous: “That is the big deal about carbon monoxide, right? It’s not just the peak, it’s really the prolonged effects over time that’s dangerous.” Even low levels of CO can build to toxic levels in your blood because, as TOH has reported, carboxyhemoglobin bonds with oxygen 200 times stronger than regular hemoglobin, slowly suffocating cells before your brain ever registers the danger.

Placement Matters: When positioning your CO detectors, think low. Unlike smoke, carbon monoxide doesn’t rise, so detectors don’t need to sit high on the wall—plugging one into a standard wall outlet works well. Place them outside bedrooms, ideally within 10 feet of the door, and near any gas- or oil-burning equipment. Also consider hardwired models with battery backup: if one detector in the basement senses CO, it triggers every unit in the house, so an alarm in a far-off corner can still wake you on the second or third floor.