Posted: 10/9/2008 4:18:23 PM EDT
| Where do you mount them? High like smoke detectors, eye level or low to the ground? None of mine have locations in the operating instructions. |
|
With a specific gravity of 0.96716, CO is close enough to air that high or low shouldn't make that much difference. Smoke tends to be heated (being the unburned by-products of combustion and all  ) so it rises - thus the mounting instruction to put smokes higher.
|
|
Per NFPA 720: Placement: 5.1.1.1 - A carbon monoxide alarm or detector shall be centrally located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms. 5.1.1.2 - Each alarm or detector shall be located on the wall, ceiling, or other location as specified in the installation instructions that accompany the unit. 5.4.1.1 - All carbon monoxide alarms or detectors shall be installed in accordance with manufacturer’s installation instructions. |
|
I sell and install CO detectors that are hooked into home security systems, along with fire, low temp sensors, HVAC controls and standard security products. Macuro makes detectors for this, they are monitored for power and supervision. They detect CO levels aand set off an alarm before the level is dangerous. I mount them at pillow height in every sleeping area. CO mixes with air, therefore it makes sense to mount them at the height your head would be. I installed a system for an Architect in a new home. One winter, during a blizzard, he had 17 kids stranded at his house. At 3am, the CO detector went off, waking up the whole house. Birds had built a nest in the vent pipe of a gas fireplace. That is the only occasion that I have in 13 years of business that I know the CO detector saved lives. |
In the gas side of the utility business, have multiple CO saves each winter. As the economy tightens and people try to run an old cruddy furnace another year or or two fail to do maintainance the CO call increase. Last good one was 3 weeks ago, from 0PPM to 90PPM wholehouse in less then 5 minutes, at that point I red tagged the furnace and shut it down. The aldehydes reeked and you could smell those 30 seconds after the furnace fired up. |
I have only installed probably 2 dozen of these things though in 13 years. People are too cheap to spend $120 on something that will save lives. If the gas knocks you out, what the hell good is a CO detector that doesn't call a monitoring station or set off an alarm the neighbors will hear? People will spend a thousand dollars to protect their property, but not $120 to protect their lives. |