does a carbon monoxide detector detect natural gas

Requires carbon monoxide detectors in certain community care facilities, residential care facilities, and all residential care facilities for the elderly. Provides that such devices must have an alarm and be installed and maintained according to manufacturers' recommendations includes rentals. Requires that carbon monoxide detection devices shall be installed and maintained in all qualifying dwelling units in the state. Many states also enforce statutes, regulations or code requirements relating to carbon monoxide detectors in schools, lodging facilities, elder care facilities and daycares.

Several states leave fire and/or building codes to local jurisdictions. Others have adopted the International Residential Code, including Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and Wyoming. Several states regulate carbon monoxide detectors in private dwellings through methods such as regulatory rule-making or inclusion in a state building or fire code. Others require the device be installed only upon the sale or renovation of the property or unit. Many require installation for multifamily dwellings, while some limit the installation requirement to buildings with fossil fuel-burning devices. States vary in their requirements for carbon monoxide detector installation in homes. These requirements may come from statute, regulation or code requirement. Most states have adopted requirements mandating the use of carbon monoxide detectors. People and animals in these spaces are vulnerable to illness and even death from elevated exposure. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. die from it.Ĭarbon monoxide is found in fumes produced by furnaces, kerosene heaters, vehicles running in garages, stoves, lanterns, gas ranges, portable generators, or by burning charcoal and wood. According to the CDC, over 100,000 people seek emergency treatment for accidental CO poisoning each year, and more than 420 people in the U.S. IntroductionĬarbon monoxide, or CO, poisoning is the second most common cause of non-medicinal poisoning death. If you are a homeowner, landlord or tenant with questions about carbon monoxide detector requirements in your area, please contact your state or local housing department. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more great HVAC information.Note: The information on this page is for reference by state legislators and legislative staff and may not be reflective of all requirements. If you are ready to add an extra level of protection to your Steger, IL or Crown Point, IN home, call Merts Heating & Cooling to learn more about natural gas detectors. That’s why you likely already have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The safety of you and your family is always the top priority. Much like carbon monoxide detectors, most natural gas detectors are either battery powered or plug into an outlet but are equipped with a battery backup to provide safety during power outages. Being able to smell natural gas is good, but what if the gas leak occurs in the basement? By the time you smell the gas on the 2nd floor the concentration of gas in the basement may have reached dangerous levels. What a gas detector does is provide an early warning of a dangerous situation. Because of the danger involved, gas suppliers are required by law to add an element that gives the gas it’s rotten egg odor. When it comes out of the ground natural gas is just like carbon monoxide, odorless and tasteless. Luckily, there are safety precautions to prevent that. What many don’t realize is that, in higher concentrations, natural gas can also suffocate you just as carbon monoxide does. It is naturally flammable and explosive which is the chief danger. Unlike carbon monoxide, natural gas is a fuel, not a byproduct of burning the fuel. The more appliances you have, the greater the risk of a gas leak. This includes fireplaces, stoves & ovens, clothes dryers, and water heaters.

Merts recommends gas detectors in all homes but especially in homes with multiple gas appliances. Some people are under the impression a CO detector will also detect natural gas, but that’s simply not the case. Merts Heating & Air Conditioning urges you to consider a third safety device to detect natural gas leaks. Carbon monoxide detectors should be located lower on a wall while smoke detectors work best on the ceiling. Please note that many smoke alarms include CO detectors, but that’s not always the best solution. Both can save your life by giving you advance warning of potentially deadly situations. There are two types of detectors you should always have in your Illinois or Northwest Indiana home: Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.

Does a carbon monoxide detector detect natural gas