The only way to truly stay safe from carbon monoxide is to purchase and employ CO detectors. These alarms will make sure that you know when the levels of carbon monoxide become dangerous in your home. Here are some tips when installing and using CO detectors around your home.

Always purchase from a reliable hardware store, somewhere that you trust and can explain to you the reliability of their products. You want to get alarms with a backup function that will use batteries as a source of power if the electricity fails. Make sure that your alarms have been tested and have a sticker from a national testing factory.

Every single floor of your home should have a CO detector and it should be uncovered and towards the center of the floor. You should find detectors that will all sound at the same time regardless of which floor got set off first. This ensures that everyone in the home is alerted to the danger.

CO alarms should be tested once monthly to ensure they are performing at their peak. Any batteries will need to be replaced annually and should be tracked on a calendar so that you don’t forget. The alarms themselves should even be replaced every decade, some even sooner. You can determine this by the manual that accompanies the alarm when you purchase it.

Carbon monoxide can build up in your home if you are not regular about performing maintenance on certain appliances. Always have your gas, oil, and coal burning appliances serviced annually by professionals. This includes your chimney that will need to be inspected as well as professionally cleaned. Don’t operate gas burning appliances or generators in or around your home. Never run a car inside of a closed garage. By taking steps to avoid the build-up of carbon monoxide in your home, you lessen the chances of having to deal with this deadly hazard.