Should You Put A Carbon Monoxide Detector In Your Garage?

You’ve probably never considered how important a carbon monoxide detector is for your home. You might have regarded a smoke detector as a necessity but never saw the need for a carbon monoxide detector. However, because carbon monoxide is a silent killer in many houses, you should consider installing a carbon monoxide detector. Of all the places you can install one, your garage should be top of the list.

You should install a carbon monoxide detector in your garage, especially since this gas is produced by your car. Since most garages have poor ventilation, you are at a higher risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. When carbon monoxide levels approach dangerous levels, you will be notified.

One of the best things you can do for your safety is to install a carbon monoxide detector in your house. If you’re still not convinced, keep reading to learn why you need a carbon monoxide detector. We’ll explain why it’s a requirement, the perks, and our Amazon best-buy recommendations.

Do You Need a Carbon Monoxide Detector In The Garage? 

Smoke and carbon monoxide detector with a central LED

A carbon monoxide detector is an excellent idea because your car is the primary source of carbon monoxide in your home. Unfortunately, you may not notice carbon monoxide poisoning until it’s too late. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas.

Your garage may also house a variety of different tools and equipment. Carbon monoxide is produced in your home by appliances such as charcoal grills, gasoline and diesel generators, gas and kerosene heaters, and cleaning chemicals and paints.

These tools and equipment produce carbon monoxide, harmful to pets and humans. Also, there is a possibility that you normally start your car in the garage and let it run for a few minutes before driving off. Most times, the garage door is closed.

When you go home in the evening, you usually leave the car running while closing your garage. What you may not realize is that the carbon monoxide in your car’s exhaust contains pollutants that accumulate over time.

You should install carbon monoxide detectors ten feet from the door of your garage. Once you install a carbon monoxide detector in your garage, you can easily detect when the levels of carbon monoxide have become unsafe. The detector is pretty simple to set up.

Is It Required To Have a Carbon Monoxide Detector In Your Garage?

Carbon monoxide has been considered a silent killer in many parts of the world. Its odorless nature has made it almost impossible to detect. Most states, therefore, have required residential homes to install carbon monoxide detectors.

The best place to install your carbon monoxide detector is in the garage. The reason for that is that the garage is where carbon monoxide accumulates. Preventing a buildup is crucial, so installing a carbon monoxide detector will alert you.

Remember this is where you normally park your car. You also store your tools like lawnmowers, tractors, and boilers. If the state you are in does not require you to install a carbon monoxide detector, it’s still a good idea to install one.

What Are The Benefits of Having a Carbon Monoxide Detector In Your Garage?

Carbon Monoxide Detector

A carbon monoxide detector tops the list among the detectors to have around your home. While it is advisable to have carbon monoxide detectors in several places around your home, it is critical to have one in your garage.

Let us have a look at some of the benefits of having a carbon monoxide detector in your garage.

  • It can save your life.

Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is a gas that can’t be seen, tasted, or smelled. When inhaled, it can lead to death. Detecting the gas is very hard. Fuel-burning appliances produce carbon monoxide, and your car is one of them. Your garage most likely does not have enough airflow and is poorly ventilated.

When carbon monoxide is released in a poorly ventilated garage, there are chances that the buildup will be very poisonous. Slowly the gas could affect you and your family. The carbon monoxide detector will help you detect the gas early on and save your life.

  • It can save your pets or livestock.

When carbon monoxide starts building up in your garage, it will slowly spread to the rest of your property. This will especially happen if the garage is attached to your home.

While carbon monoxide will not negatively affect your plants, the same cannot be said for your animals. Carbon monoxide is very toxic for your pets, and, unfortunately, it can sometimes kill them much quicker than you.

  • It can save your property.

You must note that carbon monoxide is a flammable gas and is considered a fire hazard. When carbon monoxide builds up in your garage without detection, it will spread to the rest of your property.

Should you or anyone in your family decide to light up something, it may cause a fire. It will be effortless to monitor the carbon monoxide levels and take immediate action with a carbon monoxide detector.

  • It will save you from a host of other side effects.

When you inhale carbon monoxide, you experience a variety of negative consequences. It can induce dizziness, headaches, vision loss, mental problems, and breathing difficulties.

Carbon monoxide exposure during pregnancy can alter your baby’s weight. Inhaling carbon monoxide to dangerous levels can harm the nervous system and the heart.

What Are The Best Carbon Monoxide Detectors?

The quality of your carbon monoxide detector, like any other electrical gadget you buy, is quite essential. You don’t want to buy a detector to discover later that it has flaws and is consequently useless.

The display and the power source are the two most important aspects to consider when purchasing a carbon monoxide detector.

Power source

Carbon monoxide detectors are classified into three types:

  • Battery-operated units: A battery-operated unit can be very beneficial to you. The battery-operated unit will still operate even if your home experiences a power outage. First Alert CO710 (on Amazon) is one such unit that you can find on Amazon.
  • Hard-wired units: These have electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors that can detect various levels of carbon monoxide. They also connect multiple alarms. Unfortunately, the system won’t work in case of a power outage. Here is a link to one on Amazon First Alert BRK CO511 (on Amazon).

Display

The concentration of carbon monoxide per area should be visible on your carbon monoxide display, and some can even show you the current level. You will be able to know the level of the threat if you have a record of your carbon monoxide levels.

Summary

One of the most important devices you can install in your home is a carbon monoxide detector. It will save not just your life but the lives of your family and pets as well. It can also protect your property to a significant extent.

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