Carbon Monoxide Detector Location – Top 10 Tips

Failed to install a carbon monoxide detector at the right place makes it useless. It will not sound at the beginning when it detects carbon monoxide at the lowest level its sensor can detect nor it gives your enough time to take action.

When carbon monoxide forms in your home, it is very important to act correctly. This means knowing exactly whether to go down or up the stairs. Otherwise, you will be exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Knowledge of the relationship between carbon monoxide and the weight of the air is very important. I see many people asking the following questions. Is carbon monoxide heavier than air? Is carbon monoxide lighter than air?

Some people misunderstand this information. As a result, they act incorrectly when deciding where to place the carbon monoxide detectors and where to install them in their home.

In the worst case, people go to the wrong place in the house when they hear the carbon monoxide detector beeping. They may walk down or upstairs to avoid exposure to carbon monoxide.

Is carbon monoxide heavier than air?

In its pure form, carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air. If we compare their molecular weights, carbon monoxide is 28 g/mol and air is 28.8 g/mol.
We can therefore say that carbon monoxide has almost the same density as air.

How to understand the weight of carbon monoxide in relation to air

Since carbon monoxide is formed by the partial combustion of carbon-containing compounds, the temperature will always be higher than the temperature of the surrounding air. Theoretically, hot air has a lower density than cold air.

Another fact about carbon monoxide production is that exhaust gases have a different composition of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water. This simply means that carbon monoxide can be found either in a gas mixture with a lower density or in a gas mixture with a higher density than air.

Given these two facts, we can conclude that carbon monoxide can rise or stay somewhere in your home.
Therefore, you will never find a sentence in the user manual of the carbon monoxide detector that mentions the level or height of the installation in the house. It only recommends that the carbon monoxide detector be installed on every floor of the home.

Where to put carbon monoxide detector?

According to (NFPA) the National Fire Protection Association recommendation, the carbon monoxide detector should be centrally located outside each part of the sleeping area near the bedrooms.

1. For extra protection against CO risks, it is also recommended to install a carbon detector in every bedroom and on every floor of your home.
2. It is also mandatory to install two detectors at each end of a bedroom corridor if it is more than 12 meters long.
3. The temperature of the carbon monoxide detector location should be between 4 and 38oC or 40 and 100 F.
4. Do not install in kitchens, garages, boiler rooms, or extremely dusty, dirty, or greasy areas.
5. Do not place in direct sunlight.
6. For added protection, install a detector at least 6 meters or 20 feet from a combustible heat source or a stove.
7. The detector should be installed at least 3 meters or 10 feet from a bathtub, shower, humidifier, sauna, dishwasher, steam room, laundry room, or other sources of high humidity.
8. Install it more than 1.5 meters or 5 feet from an appliance or cooking device.
9. Do not place the detector where it is covered by an obstruction.
10. Do not place the detector in a location where the air is turbulent and carbon monoxide cannot be detected by the sensor. Examples of such locations are ceiling fans, air conditioners, heaters, fresh air vents, and open windows.

You need to know where to place the carbon monoxide alarm correctly before installing it in your home. The correct location of the carbon monoxide alarm ensures maximum protection against the risks associated with carbon monoxide.

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