03/30/2026
Last night was a good reminder to test your CO and Smoke Alarms at least monthly!
Last evening, after our young kids showered and bathed and got in their Pajamas, I noticed a beeping I had not heard before. It had been going off for a few minutes before I finally figured out what it was. It was the Carbon Monoxide alarm. Not an alarm that usually gives a false indication, like a smoke detector when someone opens an oven.
CO alarms generally only go off when there’s a true issue in the house. With ours going off, we safely evacuated our home, pups included, and quickly called the non emergency line for the fire department. By then, the alarms had stopped going off.
Fact, that even though the alarms have stopped, it does not mean the issue is resolved, or the house is safe to return to! I requested the fire department to come out and check our home using their specialized air monitors. Upon entering, they recorded 60ppm (parts per million).
To give an idea of how high that is, around around 30ppm is when you should leave the area. 200ppm is when symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and fatigue can occur if exposed for a long enough duration.
A standard CO alarm built in to a smoke alarm registers around 70ppm, which is above acceptable limits!
After the fire department searched, the cause was determined and I personally shut off our gas to the home while I wait for the proper professional to diagnose and replace what is faulty.
And ambulance was requested by the fire department to give a check over our kids to ensure they had a clean bill of health. Everyone is OK!
This should serve as a reminder to all my family, friends and all followers to check your alarms, make sure they work. If they’re older than 10 years old, replace them! That’s not a gimmick. Those sensors do go bad over time.
If your alarm has ever been activated for an actual even, replace the alarms as well! Once the sensors have been saturated, they no longer work properly.
If you are in need of help testing or replacing, please reach out! I will gladly take the time to help save a life.