Make Sure Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors Are In Working Order

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Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire, but where there’s carbon monoxide, there are no visible signs of trouble. That’s why it’s imperative that your carbon monoxide detectors be in working order — all the time.

 

 

 

First, make sure your detectors are plugged in or connected to a power source. Then hit the test button to sound the alarm. If your detector is coupled with a smoke detector, also regularly check the batteries. After a few months, batteries lose their power.

Your carbon monoxide detectors must also be in the right places. You should have a detector on every level of your home, as well as in the basement and in any attached garage. Have an alarm no farther than 10 feet away from the adults’ bedroom so that it can be heard, and the family can be safely evacuated.

Stoves, dryers, gas furnaces, water heaters and space heaters all emit low levels of carbon monoxide that usually dissipate quickly. A CO detector that’s less than 15 feet away from any of these appliances will go off frequently. Once you become desensitized to the alarm, you might ignore it when there’s a real CO threat. Make sure you place any detector farther away from these appliances.

Carbon monoxide detectors can literally save lives; malfunctioning or nonexistent detectors cost lives. In fact, the International Association of Fire Chiefs says that about 500 people a year die from CO poisoning. Many people mistake the early signs of poisoning — dizziness, headache, fatigue and nausea — for the flu.

By this point, it is sometimes too late. Severe overexposure to carbon monoxide can result in loss of muscular coordination and mental capacity, vomiting, chest pain and unconsciousness.

Carbon monoxide detectors are designed to go off – and shrilly – before dangerous levels of CO infiltrate your home. It’s vital that they remain in working order, so if you’re in doubt about yours, call Apollo Home Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. We take pride in keeping Cincinnati-area homeowners safe and sound.

Image via Shutterstock.com

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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