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How Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Help You Improve Your Home's Fire Prevention Plans

18 April 2016

Amaury Picard

There is nothing pleasant about fires at home; all they do is wreak havoc by destroying valuable properties and lives. However, with a proper fire prevention plan in place, you can kill the fire before it spreads and prevent destruction of your properties. One plan is investing in carbon monoxide detector, a device that reads the signs of danger from early on and relays an alarm regarding a possible fire. Smoke and flames are clear signs of fire, but it may not be possible to spot these signs if they are coming from a vacant area in your home, at least not until the fire has spread. And that is you should have an extra eye in the name of carbon monoxide detectors in these areas.

How They Work

Basically, carbon monoxide detectors operate by detecting carbon monoxide, which is a colorless and odorless gas that is generated by the burning of fossil fuels like kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, and wood.

Carbon monoxide detectors may vary in models, but they have some components that do the same task. The components include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), microchips, a test/reset button, and sensors. If you get an alarm from your one of your detectors, it may be hinting that there is a fire somewhere in your home. This occurs if the fire is burning a fossil fuel like oil or kerosene. The carbon monoxide produced when these products burn is detected by the sensors of the detectors, which in turn send a signal to other components of the devices so that they can produce an alarm.  

The detectors generate a beeping sound, which is often accompanied by flashing lights. The sound is a warning that there is a high level of carbon monoxide in the area. But not all sounds produced by the detectors are alarming. A chirping sound, for instance, indicates that the device is failing.

Carbon monoxide can also be produced by malfunctioning appliances in your home like your clothes dryer, oven, water heater, and furnace. So even if there is no fire, the detectors can help you detect the carbon monoxide gas produced by these appliances.

Placing The Detectors

The detectors can be placed in any room or area that is liable to catching fire in your house. These areas include bedrooms, the top of stairways, each floor of your home, the bottom of stairways that lead to the basement, and in hallways that are adjacent to the sleeping areas. If your hallway is more than 40 feet long, place the detectors at both ends. 

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