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Ask Dr. Sue
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
Dear Dr. Sue,
I had to replace and old smoke alarm last month, and I
spent some time looking at the carbon monoxide detectors
in the store at the same time. Does every house
need to have one of these? More than one?
I'm confused about them.
Dear Reader,
Some people feel that every home should be protected by
carbon monoxide detectors. Some people feel that
the technology isn't good enough yet to insist on one in
every home. (When tested, some alarms went off at
levels that weren't a danger, while others failed to go
off even at very high carbon monoxide levels.) I
feel that if you have gas burning appliances or burn
wood for heat, it's worth having a detector to act as an
extra layer of protection for your family. Your
first emphasis must be on prevention, however.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless
gas that is produced as a by-product when
carbon-containing fuels are burned. It can
therefore be released by unvented kerosene and gas space
heaters, furnaces, woodstoves, gas stoves, gas dryers,
fireplaces, water heaters, automobile exhaust, and
tobacco smoke. If too much carbon monoxide is
inhaled, it can cause decreased coordination, confusion,
nausea, and dizziness, and very high levels are fatal.
Approximately 1000 people die in the U.S. each year from
carbon monoxide poisoning, and thousands of others are
seen in emergency rooms but don't die. Some of these
people will suffer long-term effects on their brains and
nervous systems.
To protect your family from this poison:
-
Have your fuel-burning appliances
inspected by a professional every year, to be sure
they are
operating properly and also venting properly.
-
Don't idle your car in an attached
garage, even if the garage door is open. This
goes for lawn mower and leaf/snowblower engines,
weed-eaters, chain saws, and other small engines as
well.
-
Never use a gas oven to heat the
house, even briefly.
-
Never use a charcoal grill inside.
-
Don't sleep in any room with an
unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
-
Be sure to open the flue when you use
your fireplace. Get that chimney inspected
yearly for blockage.
Before you buy a carbon monoxide
detector, make sure that the one you're considering
meets the standard UL 2034 (this should be stated on the
package). There are two major types of detectors;
the battery-operated ones and the ones that operate on
your household current. Both types cost in the
neighborhood of $30-$50. The battery operated type
is much easier to install and can be placed anywhere it
is needed. The batteries must be replaced about
every 2 to 3 years at a cost of about $20 each time.
The type that is wired into your household current is
obviously harder to install. There must be a
pre-existing outlet near where you need the detector or
it will need to be installed by a professional. It
requires no maintenance at all over its service life
(about 5 to 10 years). The Consumer Product Safety
Commission recommends placing a detector on each floor
of your house. At a minimum, place one on each
sleeping floor with another one in the area of any gas
burning appliances (but not within five feet of them).
Place your detector high (near the ceiling).
If your detector goes off, first be sure that it the
carbon monoxide detector and not the smoke alarm you
hear. Secondly, ask everyone in the house if they
feel any symptoms. If ANYONE has headache, nausea
or dizziness, get everyone outside and seek medical
attention at once. If no one has any symptoms at
all, turn off any gas burning appliances or equipment,
open windows and doors and try to reset the alarm.
If it will not reset, or if it goes off again, call a
qualified heating and ventilating service contractor to
inspect your system for problems. Again, if anyone
develops symptoms at any time, seek medical care.
Do not sleep in your home until you have the problem
assessed. (Check with your local fire department,
at their non-emergency number. Often they will
come by and test the carbon monoxide level to see if
this is a true alarm.)
For more information, call the Environmental Protection
Agency's IAQ INFO Clearinghouse at
1-800-438-4318 or the Consumer Product Safety Commission
at 1-800-638-2772. You can also call the National
Security Council at 1-800-557-2366, or email them at
airqual@nsc.org.
 
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