Carbon monoxide detectors now required in Alaska homes

Submitted by Rich Seifert
Phone: 474-7201
01/12/05

It used to be just death and taxes that were unavoidable. Now add to that, a carbon monoxide detector.

The Alaska Legislature passed a bill requiring that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in all dwelling units in Alaska. This of course puts some new demands on landlords and tenants, as well as homeowners.

A landlord is required at the time of occupancy to install both a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide detection device and it is the responsibility of the tenant to maintain it, such as replace the batteries, and to notify the landlord when replacement of the device is necessary.

The prices for different CO detectors range from $30 to $100 for the highest quality devices. Since many readers will now need to install carbon monoxide detectors, here are a few helpful hints on how you might choose the best detector for your home and where to install it.

The least expensive detectors are available in a range of prices from $30 to $50. There is a higher quality device, the CO-Experts brand, with better performance than the basic models. However most people will be satisfied with one that meets the Underwriter Laboratories specification and does an ample job of warning people against this very dangerous silent killer, carbon monoxide.

All detectors have a limited lifetime and should be replaced after 5 years. Some even have an indicator, which beeps with a special "signature" that indicates it is time to replace the CO detector.

If someone in your family is hard of hearing, there are detectors with a special light feature. During an alarm an indicator light flashes as the horn sounds. Although many alarms have a liquid crystal display (LCD), it’s easier to read a light-emitting diode device, an LED, in dim light.

Whichever type of alarm you choose to buy, buy the freshest one available. See if you can determine from the package the date of manufacture noted on the package. Look for, at minimum, the Underwriters Laboratories certification.

Where should a carbon monoxide detector be placed? Do you use gas appliances or are they all electric? Good mounting locations for carbon monoxide detectors include: near a gas or oil furnace, or between gas and oil furnace and sleeping areas.

Does your house include an attached garage? Even more important, is the garage a tuck-under, meaning that there’s living space, like a bedroom, over top of the garage? With a "tuck-under"? situation, you should definitely have a carbon monoxide detector. If you have a situation where you have an attached garage in one location or the garage is a tuck-under, and your sleeping areas are in places between you and your furnace, you may consider having more than one carbon monoxide detector for your home, just to be safe.

Another question about placement is where to place the carbon monoxide detector vertically in a room. Carbon monoxide is neutrally buoyant in air. It doesn’t tend, if it’s at the same temperature, to either rise or fall. But since it is usually the product of combustion, it is more likely to fill up the top of the room first because it is warmer than the room air. It’s a good idea to put a carbon monoxide detector at least at chest height so that it detects carbon monoxide high in the room where it is likely to be first.

If you use all electric appliances and you don’t have an attached garage you then may not need a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide is unburned fuel. If you are not using carbon fuels (oil, natural gas, propane, wood) in your house at all, then there’s no reason to suspect that you have a carbon monoxide problem.

Carbon monoxide detectors are generally available in Alaska. Some detectors are available by mail from sales outlets in the major communities if you live in the Bush. Anchorage has especially good sources of carbon monoxide detection devices, especially the high-end versions, which are highly recommended such as the CO-Experts model. These models are also available at some outlets in Fairbanks.

Contact Richard Seifert, UAF Cooperative Extension Service at (907) 474-7201.