I have a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of my house. I was looking at one next to my bedroom door the other day and got curious about it. Avista’s website has a very informative video about carbon monoxide that explains the symptoms of CO poisoning and what to do if there is a dangerous level of CO in your home.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and is toxic to humans and animals. Symptoms to recognize are similar to the flu:
If you experience any of these symptoms, get out of the house, seek medical attention and call Avista.
But if you don’t want to wait until you have symptoms to find out if there is carbon monoxide in your house, get a CO detector: these are required by law in Washington state in residential dwellings.
You can find these in any hardware store or online and will run you anywhere from $15 to $99. You should place one outside of sleeping areas and have one on every floor. If you have an attached garage, you should have one near the door. The installation manual included with your detector will have more information about where to place them.
Now that I’ve learned more about my CO detector, I feel much safer at night.
Lisa, an Avista customer, bought her 1910 house because she loved the old-world character, some of which doesn’t make her house very energy efficient. Lisa is sharing her experience on taking some simple do-it-yourself improvements to inspire others to do the same. You’ll find her stories right here every Tuesday.