Stokes fire company arrives at Mt. Tabor Avenue near Delaware Avenue on Saturday, September 8, 2012. Paul Goldfinger photo
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which can be fatal if inhaled in high enough concentrations. The gas can emanate from faulty furnaces, hot water heaters, and blocked chimneys among other possible causes.
New Jersey statutes require that CO detectors be placed during construction. The detectors can be battery powered or hard wired and they can last between 2-7 years. They are designed to sound an alarm before dangerous levels of CO develop.
In this instance, in the midst of the giant flea market, yard sales, gridlock and intermittent rains, a CO alarm sounded, and the Stokes fire company responded. The problem was a faulty CO detector. The firemen go to such calls with a diagnostic device that can measure CO levels.
CO detectors can be placed near the floor or higher. It is recommended that one be placed outside each bedroom. If you have any questions, you can call the OGFD. — Paul Goldfinger
About a week ago, our CO detector started to beep. It was an alert that something was wrong. It was not an alarm, so the alarm company did not call the fire department. A technician came out and replaced the unit, which is hard wired with a battery back-up.
If you press the test button on a CO detector, it only tells you that the unit has electrical power (battery or plug in or hardwire). You would need a test kit to see if your unit can detect low level CO. These units need to be replaced periodically. The instructions that come with your unit should tell when.
That’s funny. My CO detector also went off on Saturday morning. I wonder if something was in the air that day.