Make Sure You’re Testing the Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Your Ohio Home

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You’ve wisely paid attention to recent warnings about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. You make sure that fuel-burning devices such as the furnace and water heater are professionally maintained every year, and you’ve installed a CO detector on each level of the home. You may not realize that regularly testing carbon monoxide detectors is necessary as well if you want to keep everyone in the household safe from this silent killer.

Why Testing Carbon Monoxide Detectors Matters

Without the warning sound from a properly-functioning CO alarm, a carbon monoxide leak is undetectable. You can’t smell, taste or see this lethal gas in the air. Now that you’ve taken other precautions, testing your CO detectors on a regular basis is vital to ensure they’re working properly and capable of alerting you to rising gas levels.

Make CO Testing Part of Routine Maintenance

Maintaining and testing carbon monoxide detectors properly isn’t a time-consuming or difficult task. The exact process and recommended frequency for testing can differ between CO detector manufacturers, so it’s best to check the owner’s manual for specific instructions on each device you own. As a general maintenance guideline:

  • Test the functionality of all plug-in and battery-operated CO detectors in the home every month. Find the “test” button and hold it down for several seconds. If the device is working properly, it will emit a beeping sound.
  • If a detector is silent, put in fresh batteries and test it again. If it still doesn’t beep, replace the unit immediately.
  • Install new batteries in your home’s CO alarms every six months. So you don’t forget, do so when you change the clocks for daylight savings time each spring and fall.
  • Age is a contributing factor in CO detector reliability, so it’s wise to invest in new devices every few years. Many of today’s new models have a built-in alert function to notify you when replacement is necessary.

Contact us today at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing to learn more about the importance of testing carbon monoxide detectors in your greater Cincinnati area home.

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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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