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The CO detector goes off. Probably bad batteries, but let's get everyone outside just to be safe. Then you put brand new batteries in, and it still goes off. You have a carbon monoxide leak.

Again, you make sure everyone is out of the house, pets too (if you have the time).

Now, who do you call, and how do they normally proceed? 911 seems obvious, but in this scenario, no one was injured and so 911 might be overkill. Local fire department seems like a next-best alternative, but I live in a small town and I'm not sure if they would know what to do next.

Obviously, you need to find the source of the leak, and then call in the right contractor (furnace/heating system technician, etc.). But you can't call the right contractor until you know the cause of the leak. And if you can't even go inside your home, then how do you find the source of the leak?!?

So, who ya gonna call?

smeeb
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2 Answers2

11

The fire department is the appropriate place to call for a carbon monoxide situation. I would call their non-emergency number and ask them to come by at their convenience. If you are in a building with other occupants it's possible the situation is caused by something elsewhere.

FYI most carbon monoxide detectors have a limited life (~7 years). There should be an expiration date on the back. Older CO alarms were extremely sensitive, e.g. to a puff of cigarette smoke or a little bit of fumes from a gas stove. Modern ones have a time-delay function where they will wait a bit, depending on the level they detect.

Hank
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2

It should usually be fairly obvious what the cause is. By far the most common cause of CO is burning fuels - wood, coal, oil or gas. If you only have one fuel-burning appliance running at the time the CO detector goes off then the answer is simple:-

  • Open doors and windows
  • Turn the appliance off
  • Get everybody out of the area until the CO has dispersed.

Then call whoever would normally service that type of appliance.

Another option would be that something is on fire that shouldn't be. That would be one for the fire brigade.

Simon B
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