Carbon monoxide alarms beep or whine to alert you to the presence of potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas in your home. Many people who would never dream of going without a working smoke detector or fire alarm still don't use carbon monoxide alarms. But carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in North America, in part because you have no way of knowing that you're breathing this odorless and invisible toxic gas.

Carbon monoxide alarms have saved countless lives, and should be used in every home along with smoke alarms. The alarms will sound before the CO has built up to a level that makes people ill. Some of the earliest CO detectors often went off falsely and had problems in home use, but today's detectors are more accurate than ever.

What to Look for in Carbon Monoxide Alarms

You should only rely on an alarm that's UL listed. You'll find the UL rating on the package, indicating that it's been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratory. An alarm without this listing, or the appropriate listing for the country of sale, probably hasn't been extensively tested, and you shouldn't risk using it. Along with the UL listing, there should be a statement giving you the percentage of alarm accuracy.

Plug-in carbon monoxide alarms are the least likely to give a false alarm. They plug into any wall outlet and should have a 9-volt battery backup. You can also opt for a battery-operated version that's similar to a battery-operated smoke detector. Alarms with a digital display continually show the level of CO in your home, so at a glance you can feel secure. It's also a good idea to get a model that records the highest level reached at any time, so that you have a reading of the highest CO levels in the home in case someone does become ill.

Choose alarms with electrochemical sensors. These alarms are less likely to give false readings, because they stand up to temperature and humidity changes better that other types of sensors. They also can distinguish between CO and certain chemicals that can cause false alarms in other models. And if you can find one, choose an alarm that warns you when it needs to be replaced. It can be helpful, especially if you have children or the elderly in the home, to choose a more expensive model with a voice warning system. The unit will still beep, but the voice warning offers additional security.

No matter which kind of carbon monoxide alarms you choose, you should place them similarly to smoke alarms, with at least one on each level and near bedrooms. Change the batteries twice a year to make sure the batteries never go dead. Get in the habit of changing your smoke and carbon monoxide detector alarm batteries with your clocks in the spring and fall for daylight savings time.

About 10,000 people are treated for CO poisoning each year, and about 2,000 more die. But you can easily avoid this hazard by purchasing quality carbon monoxide alarms.

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