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Carbon Monoxide Detector Safety

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most deadly gasses to which we are so often exposed. This is an odorless and tasteless gas that is undetectable except by a detector.

 Carbon monoxide poisoning does does have a few symptoms, but most people might not recognize and act on these appropriately until it is too late. Each year there are about 170 people who die from CO poisoning from malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances, from generators, or from using a barbeque in either closed or poorly ventilated areas. Sometimes this is from cooking indoors, or using the fire for heat.

The most obvious symptom of CO poisoning is the bright red color of the person's lips and mucous membranes (inside edges of the eyelids, tongue, gums, etc.) Paradoxically, this looks as far from suffocation as one could imagine. Most people would expect a person who is suffocating to look bluish or grayish. But because the CO bumps and replaces oxygen from it's functional place in the blood, it becomes the great deceiver. It binds tenaciously to the blood cells, and prevents oxygen from getting to the cells. It requires urgent medical attention to get the CO to leave the body. Headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness can be early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, all easily mistakable for the flu, and usually doesn't seem serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention.

So, you can see how this danger can sneak up on people, making them drowsy, putting them to sleep. No one would be inclined to disturb them, and nothing would signal that anything was wrong. The CO detector is one of the most important detectors in your motor home.

Placement of the Detectors

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends locating your CO detector in your bedroom and anywhere someone might be sleeping. In an RV, this could be just about anywhere since most seating converts to beds. They should be mounted about five feet from the floor, as CO will tend to rise in warm air.

Here's the rub. CPSC suggests NOT putting them within 15 feet of heating or cooking appliances, or near bathrooms or other high humidity areas, nor directly beside fuel burning appliances.

So, how big is your RV? Where is 15 feet from any appliance, or bathroom? Probably somewhere outside the RV for most of us. CPSC's warning about the fuel burning appliances stated that some of these give off a little CO when they start up, which means they could cause some false alarms. So, the sleeping areas would be the most logical, but remember that some sleeping areas are in CPSC's "forbidden" zones.

Replacement of Carbon Monoxide Detectors

It's annoying to hear a good alarm going off because it was too near an appliance, to be sure. But a failed one won't give you a second chance. Replace your carbon monoxide detectors every five years, and don't skimp for a cheap one. A false alarm from a cheap one will only discourage you from using them at all, because relocating it won't solve the problem. Make sure you check the UL rating on any detector your purchase. And always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for testing, cleaning, battery changes and replacement.

Should your alarm go off, hope-but don't believe-that it's a false alarm. There's no way to be sure with carbon monoxide. Call for help, and leave doors and windows open, to vent your RV. Shut off any generators, and move any charcoal pits away if possible. Stay upwind of all of these, and don't refuse medical assistance.

Stay safe so that you can enjoy a trouble-free RV life.