Derek Cole explains when to replace carbon monoxide detectors: swap out any alarm older than five years, and replace after a house fire or when installing new gas appliances. Older detectors last 5-7 years; newer sealed-battery units often come with 10-year warranties. Position multiple alarms near sleeping areas and ground-level outlets since CO is heavier than air.
When should I replace my carbon monoxide alarm? Something very important, extremely important. If you have any gas-burning appliance at home, any gas-burning appliance in the home, for the home, you should have a carbon monoxide detector. Uh, furnace, gas furnace, gas water heater, gas stove, any propane or natural gas, any gas appliances in the home operate on gas, you need to have a carbon monoxide alarm. It's very important, a part of any home safety plan. It monitors the actual levels of the carbon monoxide in the home before it becomes too dangerous. So when should you replace those alarms? Well, probably if your alarm is over 5 years old, it needs to be replaced. Uh, the first thing to consider is really how old is the alarm. When you look at it, it should have a manufacturer date on it as to when it was done, when it was, when it was made, when it was manufactured. So Anything after 5 years, the older style, 5 to 7 years, was really when they kind of capped it. Today's alarms are— they can go for 10 years, but older alarms, 5 years to be safe. Some of the more expensive ones years ago were 7 years. So anywhere between 5 and 7 years is when it needs to happen. So that's something, again, you don't really think about until it becomes a problem. So go ahead and make sure you're good to go. Again, any gas-burning appliance, you need that protection in your house. Carbon monoxide is odorless, it's tasteless, You can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't feel it. Um, so you need that alarm in place so you're protected and you know when you have poisonous carbon monoxide coming into the home. It's something not to even mess around with because it can sneak up on you and before you know it, you got problems. You might be dizzy, you might be nauseous. Um, or you might be going to bed and this, uh, appliance or gas could be leaking in your house, and again, you don't know it unless you have a carbon monoxide alarm. So every, uh, 5 to 7 years is a good rule, um, but the newer ones today are 10 years. You just have a 10-year warranty with a sealed battery. You can get those pretty regularly. So 10 years on today's, if they— if you have that installed. Anything older is probably you're looking at 5 to 7, depending on what it is. If it's over 5, go ahead and change it. If it's over 5, go and change it. If you're not sure, go ahead and change it and be safe. You may change your home, so Anytime you make any kind of change in your home, whether adding a gas appliance to the house, adding a new appliance to the house, replacing existing appliances, appliances in the home, make sure you have a CO detector installed, carbon monoxide detector installed for that system. If you change out the wood heater and it's gas, you need one. If you change out the furnace and it's gas, you need one. Um, so again, any, any, any time you, you make those changes, make sure you have that updated as well. Uh, also, if you have multiple— you could have multiple carbon monoxide alarms if you're— if you have a house that has multiple levels. You need multiple alarms on those levels, right? And they should be located near sleeping quarters. That way, if it does go off in the middle of the night, in the middle of the night, you can hear it. You know what's going on. You know it's a problem. If it's gone off, there is a problem. This is either a problem with the alarm uh, itself, the sensor, or there is actually a carbon monoxide leak in the home and it's reaching a level of parts per million— is what it's measuring— is reaching that level where it finally triggers the alarm to go off. So when the alarm goes off, it's serious. It needs to be addressed. It needs to be looked at and see if it's a faulty alarm or if it's an actual leak in the home somewhere. So, uh, again, do not take those lightly. It's not a little chirping on the, uh, fire alarm that happens way up, you know, 3 AM in the morning. It chirps and you can't find it. It's not one of those. It's not gonna, you know, be that way. So if it goes off, there is a problem with the alarm. There's a problem whether there's carbon monoxide present. So take it very seriously. Um, you should also replace it anytime you have a fire in the house. If you have any kind of fire in the house, you need to replace the carbon monoxide alarm if you have one. You need to replace that alarm because even though the fire— it might not have been directly in the fire It might have been— if the fire in the house and it's in the house, it needs to be replaced. The sensors on those CO alarms are so sensitive that any kind of heat like that can damage those sensors. So if you have any— if you have had any kind of fire in the home, make sure you replace the CO alarm. The sensors are very sensitive. Again, uh, just kind of recap. So if you can't remember how old the alarm is and has been— you can't remember at all— it's best to get a new one. Uh, if it's been over 5 years, it's best to get a new one. Um, you know, some of the higher-end older ones went to 7 years,. But if you're not sure, get a new one. Again, today's alarms will actually go to 10 years in some occasions. Read that, make sure. But, um, that's when you, you should replace your alarm. If it's old, if you have multiple alarms, uh, if you had had any damage in your house like a fire in your house, it needs to be replaced. Anytime you replace the equipment, replace the alarm. Anytime you replace any equipment or appliances that are gas-fired, that use that as a method of heat, anytime you replace that equipment, go ahead and replace the alarm. It's just a good idea. Everything's on the same page, everything is on the same timetable. You, you know what's happening, you don't lose track. We installed a furnace here. We changed the carbon monoxide 2 years ago. No, change it with the furnace. Just go ahead and bite the bullet, change it with the furnace, change it with the water heater, whatever the appliance is. Go ahead and change that. So again, carbon monoxide, very serious. I'll leave you with this last tip. It's very important as to where you place it as well. I know you're talking about when you should replace it. But it's very important as to where you place it when you replace it or add it. Um, it should be in that wall socket on the ground at ground level. That wall socket that's up from the wall, what, a couple feet? Put it right there. Plug it in there if it's, uh, if it's battery powered and you don't have to plug it in. Sit it in that space. Um, sometimes you see these combination CO alarms and fire smoke detectors in the way up high. That is not— that is what you want for smoke, that is not what you want for a CO detector, that is not what you want for carbon monoxide alarm. You want that alarm to be close to the ground as possible, ground level, so it can send off the warning as soon as possible. You don't want it to delay. You don't want it to, to rise up that high for it to be a problem. You want to know as soon as you can if you have a problem. So a few tips, but mainly When should I replace my alarm? You got all that here. Uh, hopefully you can, uh, if you have any questions, please reach out. Hit me on the chat here, send me a message, hit me on social media at Derek M. Cole on every channel. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about it because it is, it's really about safety. A CO alarm is 100% about safety. Again, carbon dioxide, colorless, odorless, uh, you can't taste it, you can't feel it, you can't sense it. You want to be— you want something in place that can alarm you when you're reaching the levels of parts per million where it becomes a problem.
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