Plug Carbon Monoxide Detector Battery Backup

My husband and I bought an older house shortly after we were married. We intended to fix it up. But it was a bigger project than we envisioned.

With so many needed repairs, we somehow forgot about installing a good carbon monoxide detector. This could have been a deadly mistake.

One night, just weeks after bringing our second baby home from the hospital, my husband noticed the gas boiler was acting up. He thought it was smoking.

We rushed the children out of the house and called the fire department. Something was definitely wrong with the boiler. Our basement also contained an unhealthy amount of carbon monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide Danger Levels

Each year, more than 400 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Also, another 21,000 visit emergency rooms for symptoms related to exposure to this odorless and colorless gas.

Carbon monoxide is produced by burning fuel, from furnaces, fireplaces, gas stoves and other devices. Because we often don’t know when we are being poisoned, as the symptoms are vague and may resemble the flu, we may not realize when a dangerous level of this gas is present in our homes.

The CDC recommends that everyone have a battery-operated or battery backup carbon monoxide detector in their home. Batteries should be changed periodically. One easy way to remember is to change them when clocks are set forward and backward.