• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Levco Care

Levco Care

Home Care

  • Portal/Login
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors

July 11, 2011 by joe 1 Comment

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 24 seconds

The new 2009 IRC mandates wired together smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors be placed at the entry of each bedroom and outside the bedrooms in a common hall. This means that if one detector alarms then all of them alarm. When remodeling, there is a mandate to upgrade homes when a permit is pulled.

Thankfully there are times when it would be a hardship and/or too complicated or expensive to retrofit the entire home. In some cases battery operated devices are still allowed. Essentially, If there is a crawl space below or an attic above then you are able to go ahead and upgrade without too much difficulty.  At Levco this upgrade is discussed early in the project planning phase so as not to be a surprise to my clients.

Smoke

Smoke detectors

detect smoke by two basic types, photoelectric detectors and ionization detectors. Smoke is the precursor to fire which as we all know is deadly. There are all kinds of harmful ingredients in smoke and if working properly they detect and alarm loud enough to alert the occupants.

Theoretically folks will have early warning and use the time wisely to get out to fresh air and safety. Studies have shown that they are not always successful waking children so parents be warned.

 

CO Poisoning

Carbon Monoxide

CO is a byproduct of incomplete combustion that is not necessarily a precursor to fire and is odorless and invisible. It kills by working at the cellular level. Your oxygen carrying hemoglobin of the red blood cells prefer carbon monoxide to oxygen.  Once in your blood stream, your cells have no oxygen to use for cellular metabolism so you begin to suffocate at a cellular level. A faulty furnace or combustion chamber can cause it.

One neighbor of mine took the flu off the top of the furnace in the basement “to get the extra heat that was being wasted and escaping”. They survived thanks to having few windows that were not broken out. Common symptoms include headache and drowsiness. Severe long lasting neurological complications have resulted from moderate exposures.

 

Combination detector

Dual Acting Units

Levco has located several dual acting devices that work. They look good so I encourage everyone to update their devices to the dual acting ones. Both First Alert and Kidde make them and they are available through your favorite big box store. This one also talks telling you what to do.

Through my years in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) there has been too many saves from smoke detectors to count. Not to mention a reduced number of house fires. It was common place for us to check smoke detectors on medical calls and replace batteries or offer free devices for the needy.

I believe that mandatory implementation of this life saving device is long overdue. I was inadvertently exposed in the line of duty to Carbon Monoxide during a major incident many years ago under the Bay Bridge. I have cared for those who have suffered long term sequelae, such a sad unnecessary situation. I have had a detector installed in all of my rentals and in my own home for years. In fact that detector was my first indication of my furnace failure ten years ago.

What To Do About Garages?

On a side note, there is no requirement for a smoke detector in a garage which is the starting point for many house fires. In this case we are adding a heat detector that senses a rapid change in temperature to sound the alarm. I think we are one step ahead of the IRC code.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Related Posts

  • Roof replacement problemsRoof replacement problems
  • Water recirculating pump problemWater recirculating pump problem
  • Living in a Leaded Home
  • Is My House Toxic?Is My House Toxic?
  • What Does Hail Damage Do to a Roof?
  • Stairs 101

Filed Under: Architecture & Design, Plans, Process, Safe Practices, The Law, Understanding your home

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Detecting Carbon Monoxide says

    October 6, 2011 at 4:49 am

    Fantastic post, carbon monoxide is a horrible killer.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • ►Aged Home Upgrades (7)
  • ►Appliances (10)
  • ▼Architecture & Design (5)
    • Anatomy of a Roof
    • Engineering 101
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
    • Stairs 101
    • What is Molding
  • ►Basements (3)
  • ►Bathrooms (1)
  • ►Concrete (5)
  • ►Customer Service (3)
  • ►Deconstruction (1)
  • ►Doors (2)
  • ►Egress Windows (1)
  • ►Electrical (10)
  • ►Energy (7)
  • ►Engineering (2)
  • ►Environmental Awareness (2)
  • ►Excavation (1)
  • ►Finish Carpentry (2)
  • ►Fire Damage (1)
  • ►Fixing things (9)
  • ►Floors (3)
  • ►Framing (2)
  • ►Good Deals (1)
  • ►Green Remodeling (9)
  • ►Historic District Homes (3)
  • ►Home Evaluations (9)
  • ►HVAC (16)
  • ►Indoor Air Quality (9)
  • ►Insulation (5)
  • ►Insurance Work (3)
  • ►Interior Walls (2)
  • ►Lead Safe Work Practices (2)
  • ►Masonry (2)
  • ►Memoirs (3)
  • ►Moisture Protection (7)
  • ►News (2)
  • ▼Plans (2)
    • Building Code Updates
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
  • ►Plumbing (34)
  • ►Problem Solving (25)
  • ▼Process (4)
    • Building Code Updates
    • Can I Just Cancel My DIY Channels?
    • Engineering 101
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
  • ►Roofing (5)
  • ▼Safe Practices (9)
    • 9 Volt Battery Safety Alert
    • Building Code Updates
    • Dryer not working well solution
    • Electrical Cord Safety
    • How cold is it?
    • I Just Found Mold in my Home
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
    • Thermocouple with a button?
    • What is Asbestos
  • ►Siding (1)
  • ►Skylights & Solar Tubes (1)
  • ►Sound Proofing (1)
  • ►Terminology (1)
  • ▼The Law (4)
    • Building Code Updates
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
    • The Handy Man Craze Hits Boise
    • What is Asbestos
  • ►Trust (5)
  • ►Uncategorized (1)
  • ▼Understanding your home (88)
    • 9 Volt Battery Safety Alert
    • A Visit To The Crawl Space
    • Aging in Place & Universal Design
    • Anatomy of a Door
    • Anatomy of a Roof
    • Anatomy of a Window
    • Bats in the Belfry or Flies in the Chimney
    • Building Code Updates
    • Cabinet Care and Feeding
    • Can I Just Cancel My DIY Channels?
    • Diagnosing Concrete Problems
    • Dryer not working well solution
    • Duct Cleaning
    • Egress Windows
    • Engineering 101
    • Fall checklist of To-Do's
    • Filters and Your Home
    • Fireplaces In & Out
    • Fixing Concrete Fractures
    • Foundation Moisture Protection
    • French Door Repair
    • Frost Proof Faucets
    • Galvanic Corrosion
    • Gas Oven Failure Fixed
    • Hardwood Floors
    • Help My Roof is Popping
    • Hissing sound turns out to be serious
    • Hot Water Circulation Pumps
    • How Come My Water Pressure Is Low?
    • How Hard is Your Water?
    • Hydronic Heat
    • I can't turn the HOT water off
    • I Got up on the Wrong Side of the Bed
    • I Have a Cold Room
    • I Have Knob & Tube Wiring
    • I Have Water in My Basement, Now What?
    • I Just Found Mold in my Home
    • I Like Fixing Stuff
    • Indoor Air Cooling Season
    • Is My House Toxic?
    • Joist Hangers Use & Misuse
    • Laminate Countertops
    • Levco Does Moisture Inspections
    • Little Kiss, Big Hug & Window Handing
    • Little Tricks I Have Learned
    • Living in a Leaded Home
    • Maintenance required
    • Mislabeled Electrical Panel
    • My Floor Feels Like A Trampoline
    • My House is More Humid Than Normal
    • Natural Gas
    • New Great Use For A Home Inspection
    • Ode To An Old Appliance.
    • Prepare for Vacation
    • Radon and your home
    • Refrigerator Failure
    • Remodeling and Your Senses
    • Repairing a Chimney
    • Residential Foundation Repairs
    • Roof replacement problems
    • Settling Houses
    • Shower Tile Problems
    • Skylights & Solar Tubes
    • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors
    • Snookered by a hose
    • Sound Transmission Reduction
    • Spring Time Made it to Boise
    • Stairs 101
    • Stucco, Yesterday & Today
    • Sway Back Structure
    • Tell Me Where It Hurts
    • The Location of Things Matters
    • Thermocouple with a button?
    • Time to Replace Your Roof?
    • What are you getting for your money?
    • What Can't go Down the Toilet
    • What Does Hail Damage Do to a Roof?
    • What Does My Insurance Really Cover?
    • What Does R-Value Mean?
    • What is a Foundation Vent?
    • What is a Water Hammer
    • What is a Water Hammer
    • What is Asbestos
    • What is Molding
    • Where is My Heat Going?
    • Why Do An Energy Audit?
    • Your Copper Plumbing Pipes are Shot, NOT
    • Your Home's Thermal Envelope
  • ►Universal Design (1)
  • ►Warranty (1)
  • ►Water Awareness (12)
  • ►Weatherization (6)
  • ►Windows (5)

Footer

CLIENT LOGIN

Levco Care

114 E 35th St Boise, ID 83714

Email: Joe@LevcoCare.com
Phone: 208.639.1808

Copyright © 2020–2023 · LevcoCare.com · Site by: CrossCadence.com · Log in

  • 208.639.1808
  • joe@levcocare.com