All you need are a few facts to know the answer to this question. For instance, did you know that carbon monoxide poisoning affects thousands of people each and every year? It leads to hundreds of illnesses and even death. If you want to protect your home and family from the possibility of this happening, then yes, you really need a carbon monoxide detector. With one, you won’t have to worry about the safety and well-being of your home’s occupants.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. In other words, you will not detect its presence without the right equipment in your home. People in your household could get sick without any explanation, and you’d never know what was really wrong—we don’t want it to get to this point! That’s why it’s vital that you have a carbon monoxide detector installed by a professional electrician in Spokane, WA.
What You Need to Know about Harmful CO
Depending on the area where you live, there are laws or regulations about where your carbon monoxide detectors are needed. Most jurisdictions state that homeowners need them within 10 feet of the rooms where people sleep. Others only require CO detectors in homes with gas appliances and/or attached garages.
No matter what the law states, however, it is always better to be safe than sorry and to have a carbon monoxide detector professionally installed. Generally speaking, this is a small investment that makes a huge difference for your family or anyone else in your home. Also, keep in mind that just like smoke alarms, CO detectors should be tested each month. This is done by holding down the button on the detector to make sure the batteries are still fresh (though, we recommend having your CO detectors hardwired into your electrical system) and that you’ll be able to hear the alarm from across the home (hardwiring connects all the detectors so if one goes off so do the others).
Assessing Your CO Risk
If you have gas appliances in your home such as a gas-powered furnace, stove, gas-powered fireplace, etc. then there is always a possibility of carbon monoxide leaks and exposure. Of course, today, gas-powered appliances are built to be extremely safe and durable so there is less of a risk, however that doesn’t mean you should trust that you’ll never have a problem.
CO is a byproduct of the fuel-burning process, and needs to vent safety to the outside of your home via a flue pipe, vent pipe, or chimney. So even if there’s nothing wrong with your gas-powered system, any sort of problem with the ventilation can create an issue. So too can a cracked heat exchanger or some other type of damage to your gas line.
Buying a New Gas-Powered Appliance: What You Should Know
When purchasing a new gas-powered appliance, it’s essential that you take the time to seek out a professional, with years of training and experience to install the system. Trusting a general handyman or trying this as a “do-it-yourself” project, although the cheaper option initially, could leave you with constant repair needs, potential system failures, poor appliance efficiency, and safety hazards.
ACI Northwest is here to help with your home comfort needs or concerns.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for helpful advice.