Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Last year, the State of Colorado passed legislation requiring the placement of carbon monoxide detectors in all homes offered for rent or for sale. Not every single home is required to have a detector, but most homes would meet the requirements. Mandatory placement of monoxide detectors is required if any of the following conditions are met: there is an attached garage on the property; there is a fireplace or some sort of wood-burning or gas burning type stove on the property; there are any gas-fired appliances in the kitchen, furnace, or hot water heater. If any of these conditions are true, then the owner of the property must install a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector within 15 feet of the entrance to the bedrooms. If a person elects to have an AC wired detector, that is okay, but it still must have a battery for times when the electricity may be out.

The purpose of this law is to protect the health and safety of the occupants of homes and rental properties so that there'll be no deaths caused by an invisible gas called carbon monoxide. Over the years there have been a number of people who have died because of poorly vented fireplaces, using kitchen appliances to heat homes, exhausted likes on water heaters that get plugged up on the top by a bird or a squirrel. The presence of the detector will set off a loud alarm warning the occupants of the dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

These detectors are easily purchased at the local hardware store or Home Depot type businesses. Anywhere between $20-$35 each is the going price depending on how fancy the unit is.