Carbon monoxide detectors are legally required in every home; simply put, they save lives. Each year, there are heartbreaking stories of tragedies from CO poisoning and even some frightening situations right here in Steamboat. We encourage everyone to take this threat seriously and to have working detectors throughout your home; you never expect to need one until you actually do.

Colorado law requires homeowners to install detectors within 15 feet of bedrooms in every home that is heated with fossil fuel, has a fuel-fired appliance, fireplace, or has an attached garage. Carbon monoxide, an odorless and invisible gas, can be released by a variety of sources within a home such as boilers, kitchen appliances, central heating systems and running vehicles. Like many other important home devices, CO detectors are not created equal and a little research goes a long way. Because CO is a gas heavier than air, it sinks in your home, building from the bottom up. A CO detector must be installed low to the ground, below the level of the beds in your home. Smoke is lighter than air and therefore rises, which is why a smoke detector is installed on the ceiling. For these reasons, avoid purchasing a “combination smoke and CO detector”.

A staggering statistic from the Carbon Monoxide Safety Association claims carbon monoxide as the leading cause of more than 15,000 accidental poisoning deaths in the United States each year and another 10,000 injuries. Please avoid any close calls, buy new detectors, and test them often.