Where Do I Place a Carbon Monoxide Detector?

There are several locations in your home where you should put carbon monoxide detectors. These locations include near sleeping areas and near attached garages. They should be placed 5 feet off the ground and away from any fuel-burning appliances, direct sunlight or heavy moisture.

As a general guideline, you should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home. It is strongly recommended that these devices be tested on a regular basis. Since most carbon monoxide deaths occur while a person is asleep, it is a good idea to place detectors inside or near bedrooms. This way, if a carbon monoxide outbreak occurs, a person who is asleep in the room will be more likely to wake up and escape the house in time.

Another great location for CO detectors is near attached garages. Car fumes serve as a direct source of carbon monoxide. If a build-up of carbon monoxide occurs in your garage, it can easily spread to the rest of the house. The gas will first pass through the rooms adjacent to the garage. With that in mind, having a carbon monoxide detector in a room next to your attached garage will assure that the people inside your house are alerted as quickly as possible to the presence of deadly gas.

There are also some locations inside a home that are not well-suited for carbon monoxide detectors. One such location is near any fuel-burning appliances. Placing a carbon monoxide detector near this type of appliance could result in false alarms. Carbon monoxide detectors should also not be placed in direct sunlight or in the path of flowing air. This is because direct sunlight and flowing air can prevent the detector from working properly. It is also unwise to place CO detectors in areas with heavy humidity or moisture, such as bathrooms. Continuous exposure to moisture can cause a CO detector to become less accurate over time.