How to place combo smoke / CO detectors?

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richwaskowitz

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Shelby Twp. MI, near Detroit
Residential - If smoke detectors work best in the middle of the ceiling or at least up high on the wall and CO detectors work best down low, where do you put combination detectors????? If it were your home, what would you do?
 
richwaskowitz said:
Residential - If smoke detectors work best in the middle of the ceiling or at least up high on the wall and CO detectors work best down low, where do you put combination detectors????? If it were your home, what would you do?
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CO detectors work just fine on the ceiling.

Contrary to popular belief CO is not heavier than air, it has almost the same specific gravity as air and mixes readily with air.

Chris
 
richwaskowitz said:
. . . If it were your home, what would you do?
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The placement rules in my area are given by Minnesota State statute, and make for an interesting challenge. Smokes can be outside the bed doors, within 15 feet, and CO detectors, the same, except they are allowed to be no further away than 10 feet.

I like to use the combination units ( CO / smokes ) and I prefer ceiling. The smoke statute limits wall placement to the 6" wide band of wall starting 6" down from the ceiling.

I agree with Chris (Raider) that COs work just fine up high.
 
Well I'll be. I have read instructions which stated that CO detectors should be placed no more than half way up the wall so this comes as a bit of a surprise. On the ceiling (at least up near the ceiling, not closer to the floor) sounds like the answer I was looking for.

Thanks
 
Perfectly clear

Perfectly clear

This is what you get for reading the instructions:

1.
DETECTORS SHOULD BE PLACED HIGH IN THE ROOM. This is because of the buoyancy of gas. Carbon monoxide is lighter than air. When released into the atmosphere, it will rise and disperse to other spaces. A detector placed at a high point in a room is better equipped to discover gas early. Gas will always move up and away from the center. Spaces, such as corners will fill faster. Place detectors with this theory in mind. Units should not be lower than nose level.


2.
A carbon monoxide detector recognizes carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, tasteless and highly toxic gas. The correct height for a carbon monoxide detector is KNEE HEIGHT ON THE WALL This offers protection while sleeping, which is when you are most vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning.

3. Many of the detectors are able to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The reason being that, since carbon monoxide is a heavy gas, the detector should be placed BELOW BED HEIGHT where it will detect the gas before anyone is harmed by it.
 
richwaskowitz said:
3. Many of the detectors are able to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The reason being that, since carbon monoxide is a heavy gas, the detector should be placed BELOW BED HEIGHT where it will detect the gas before anyone is harmed by it.
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Specific Gravities....

AIR 1.000

CO 0.9667

I don't see how CO falls into a "heavy" gas category...
 
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