CHANGE THE BATTERY IN YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR

Carbon monoxide detectors are essential to protecting you and your family.

It’s time to spring ahead with the change to Daylight Savings Time!

Hope you enjoy that extra hour of light in the evenings. But that hour of sleep you lost when we sprung ahead may have made you sleepy enough to forget something.

That something is changing the battery in the carbon monoxide detector (or detectors) in your Tennessee or southern Kentucky home. This is a dangerous and potentially deadly mistake.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 430 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning. About 50,000 people end up in the emergency room and 4,000 are hospitalized. Carbon monoxide detectors are essential to protecting you and your family. You need to have carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home as well as outside all bedrooms.

How often does my carbon monoxide battery need to be changed?

You should change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors when you change the batteries in your smoke detectors as a rule of thumb. If your carbon monoxide detector is five years old or older, it should be replaced entirely.

Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?

When carbon monoxide builds up in your blood, it replaces oxygen in your red blood cells. Critical organs like your brain, heart and lungs don’t get the oxygen that they need to function from your blood, and that can cause permanent injury or death.

CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like, with the most common symptoms being:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Chest pain
• Confusion

Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen to anyone, but infants, the elderly, and people with respiratory conditions, anemia or chronic heart disease are especially vulnerable. People who are sleeping, or are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications, can die before ever feeling symptoms.

How does carbon monoxide build up in my home?

The most common ways carbon monoxide builds up in your home are:

• Appliances which are defective, improperly used, or incorrectly installed or maintained
• Vents blocked by obstructions such as bird nests, ice and snow
• People warming up their cars inside the garage
• People using their gas cooking range or oven for home heating
• People running propane portable backup generators inside the garage or enclosed space next to the house

Take carbon monoxide seriously. Think propane safety when using propane appliances.

Have questions about safety and propane? We’re here to help! Contact Advanced Propane for more information, today.