The bottom line: if you do not have carbon monoxide detectors in your house, you should get some right away. They provide you with protection from a dangerous, odorless gas that is otherwise unnoticeable. If it’s powered by fossil fuels such as natural gas, your heating equipment will emit carbon dioxide as it generates heat, so it’s especially important to get carbon monoxide detectors for your house before winter hits.

When you’re shopping for carbon monoxide detectors, it’s important to understand the differences between various models. For example, some can be plugged directly into the wall for their power source while others are battery powered. Wall models are simple to use and convenient. Just be sure that they have at least a battery back-up that will keep them activated if you have a power outage.

Units that run off batteries have more flexibility because you can put them wherever you like. You can be more discreet with the positioning and place them on shelves or tables. Make sure the model you choose has a loud warning that indicates when the batteries need to be changed or if the sensor has been damaged so that you’ll know to address the situation immediately.

Models also are available that operate as hybrid smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This reduces the number of devices you need in your home but they generally have to be hard-wired into your electrical system and mounted to the ceiling. It is also very important that you don’t get confused and assume that a unit that only serves one function works as both; read the product specifications carefully.

Once you have chosen your detector model, placement is crucial. Since they need to be able to wake you up in the middle of the night in case of an emergency, place them no more than 15 feet from bedroom doors. It is best to have at least one on each floor and even better if you have one near each sleeping area.

For more information about carbon monoxide detectors and their role in protecting your family, contact Crawford Servicestoday. We proudly serve the Greater Dallas area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about carbon monoxide detectors and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Crawford Services provides heating, air conditioning and plumbing services to all of North Texas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!