Carbon Monoxide Testing
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas produced when fuels (such as wood, gasoline, heating oil, etc.) burn incompletely. Fireplaces, gas furnaces, gas stoves, charcoal grills, hot water heaters, gas ranges and other devices that use combustion are potential sources of CO.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
CO Detectors are devices that detect the presence of CO. An alarm sounds when CO is detected at dangerous levels. CO Detectors are located in every campus residence, including dormitories, apartments, and graduate college annexes. The CO detector installed in these buildings measures how much CO has accumulated and displays a digital readout of the concentration, in parts per million (ppm). It takes measurements every 2.5 minutes and sounds an alarm before the concentration of CO becomes high enough for adults to begin to experience symptoms. The alarm sounds when CO levels reach 100 ppm over 90 minutes, 200 ppm over 35 minutes or 400 ppm over 15 minutes.
If the Alarm Sounds
You are advised to treat all alarms as a real problem and evacuate immediately.
Testing of CO Detectors
During the course of their yearly inspections Housing Department staff change the batteries of detectors where required. In the meantime, if your detector makes a chirping noise this indicates that a battery change is needed. Please contact Facilties Customer Service to request a battery change.
Read More About It
You can read more about your carbon monoxide detector on the Housing Department Website. Information for dormitory and non-dormitory residents is available.