Carbon Monoxide Detector Proper Placement

Sjm9911 wrote:


You would belive anything that supported your argument, but you would still be wrong.

Nope.

HERE is what one CO detector manufacturer says..

"Carbon monoxide (CO) and combination alarms should be mounted in or near bedrooms and living areas, on a wall place six inches below the ceiling to six inches above the floor. If mounting on a ceiling, make sure it is at least six inches away from the wall. Because carbon monoxide is almost the same density as air, it will disperse evenly throughout the air in a room. Our units have been tested and will perform between 40 degrees and 100 degrees Fahrenheit."

But, they also mention..

"Do not place the unit in dead air spaces or next to a window or door.

CAUTION: Carbon monoxide alarms will only indicate the presence of carbon monoxide at the sensor. Carbon monoxide may be present in other areas of your home.
"

Which I HAVE seen since I heat with a wood burning furnace and I have multiple CO detectors with digital readout in various parts of my home..

There are times when the coals burn down low enough and outdoor temp is just right the stack cools down and starts a downdraft pushing CO into the living space.

It is not unusual to get different readings in each room (all CO detectors I have have been checked side by side to verify they read the same).

The air circulation can vary a lot between rooms and between different heights.

Anything below 6 inches and above 6 inches are essentially air dead zones where air currents tend to circulate at a slower rate.

Now contrast that to a LP gas detector which its sole function is to detect a flammable gas which is "heavier than air" and pools up at the lowest point..

Where do you think it should be mounted?

6 inches or higher up?

NOPE.

The ones I have seen are less than 1 inch off the floor..

Had to replace a LP gas detector for my Dad in his 5th wheel, had one heck of a time getting to the release on the bottom of the detector. A flat blade screw driver was almost to thick to get between the floor and the detector.

Not to mention combo CO/LP gas detectors may be in less of a ideal spot depending on your RV layout of sleeping areas.

Not to mention, early CO detectors had a far lower alarm threshold, the first ones I bought would alarm at 10 PPM rise in 15 minutes..

Newer detectors the alarm threshold has been raised to 30 PPM over 30 days exposure.. Which is why I like detectors with a digital readout..

Per HERE

"Home CO detector alarms are designed to not sound when exposed to 30 ppm (or less) of continuous carbon monoxide for 30 days in order to avoid nuisance sounding."

I suspect a lot of "false alarms" kept waking up fire chiefs to emergency calls in the middle of the night might have been at play?

Honestly, if you have anything more than zero reading on a CO detector, there IS something wrong with your home or RV that needs to be addressed pronto, not waiting 30 days.

By the way, HERE is the manual for my current CO detectors.

While they do not say exactly what height to place, they do state to not install in "dead air spaces" which happens to be near the floor and near the ceiling.. Seems to me that 4'-5' from the floor or ceiling gets you as far as possible from "dead air spaces"..