Carbon monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths the in United States. It also sends more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms every year.
One of the reasons carbon monoxide is so dangerous is because it's colorless and odorless, making it almost impossible to detect—unless you have a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide detectors are a must-have for your home. Knowing how to install them and where to place them can help ensure you get the most accurate and timely warning.
Carbon monoxide detectors are a must-have for your home. Knowing how to install them and where to place them can help ensure you get the most accurate and timely warning.
How to install carbon monoxide detectors
The first step in carbon monoxide safety is making sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Unlike smoke detectors, CO detectors aren’t required by law, unless you live in one of these 26 states where all homes must have working CO alarms.
Even if it’s not required by law, it’s perhaps the easiest and most effective way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. If your home doesn’t have carbon monoxide detectors, you can purchase them from any hardware store and install them yourself.
At minimum, you’ll need a CO detector for every level of your home, including the basement, in order to detect carbon monoxide levels throughout the house. There are several different types of CO alarms on the market, so how you install them depends on the type you get.
Hard-wired
Hard-wired carbon monoxide detectors are integrated into your home’s existing wiring system, similar to a smoke detector. One of the main benefits of hard-wired CO detectors is they are linked to each other, so when one alarm goes off, they all sound. The downside is the installation can be time-consuming unless you get them professionally installed.
Battery-powered
Battery-powered CO alarms are simple to install. They can even be placed on a ledge or moved throughout the house. You can also get battery-powered CO detectors, like the Vivint CO Detector, that integrate with each other and your smart home system. One potential downside is the batteries will need to be replaced over time. You will also need to remember to check the batteries every six months.
Plug-in
A plug-in CO detector uses an AC adapter to plug into any outlet. Installation is simple, but the obvious downside to this type is the limitations for placement. Additionally, this type of detector requires battery backups in case the power goes out, so you will still need to check and change batteries.