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Written by: CaronElectric | July 15, 2009 4:45 AM in Other | 959 views | Tags: safety , electric , electrical , fire , carbon monoxide , MA , regulations , code , prevention , UL
For anyone unfamiliar with Carbon Monoxide it is Poisonous gas which is Odorless, Colorless, and Tasteless. That is why it is so important to assure your protecting your home or business from this harmful gas.
Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:
Flu like symptoms including: headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, fainting. At higher levels CO exposure could result in unconsciousness, or death.
This information is relevant to Massachusetts residents and businesses
As of 11/4/2005, at the time Governor Romney signed “Nicole’s Law”, named after 7-year old Nicole Garofalo who died on January 28, 2005 when her Plymouth, MA home was filled with deadly amounts of carbon monoxide on January 24. The furnace vents had been blocked by snow during a power outage.
The new regulations require carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home and within ten feet of each sleeping area and in habitable portions of basements and attics. The alarm you use must be approved by an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL)
The CO detectors may be: Battery operated with battery monitoring; or Plug-ins with battery back-up; or Hard-wired with battery backup; or Low voltage system; or Wireless, or Qualified combination (smoke/carbon monoxide alarm). To assure compliance you can always check with your local Fire Department or Inspector before installing. Caron Electric always recommends having a licensed/qualified installer do the work.
On September 6, 2006, the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations passed additional regulations requiring carbon monoxide alarms in transient residential buildings such as hotels and motels, institutional buildings such as hospitals, nursing homes and jails, and day care centers and after school programs. The Legislature has given owners of these buildings and those owned by the Commonwealth and local housing authorities until January 1, 2008 to complete installation.
Landlords must inspect, maintain, and replace, if necessary, required CO alarms annually and at the beginning of any rental period. Tenants should report any problems with detectors to the landlord immediately and learn to recognize the difference between the smoke alarm and the carbon monoxide detector. Fire departments are currently required to inspect smoke alarms when one-five unit homes are being sold and transferred
For residential homes the following will help with the protection of your family:
Some other helpful tips to keep CO levels down at your home or business:
1) have a yearly inspection of your heating/cooling equipment
2) Check vent pipes, flues, and chimneys for leaks or blockage
3) Un-vented kerosene heaters are illegal in MA
4) Never use a charcoal grill indoors
5) Never use your gas oven to supplement heat for the home
6) Never leave a vehicle running indoors/garage even with the garage door open , the fumes build up quickly
7) Do not use gas powered engines i.e. generators, chainsaws, blowers, weed trimmers, mowers or snow blowers indoors or near doors or windows
At Caron Electric we understand the importance of safety and hope this article has been helpful to better understand the reason for CO detectors.
