Ensuring your family’s safety

If you stay in one of the millions of homes which don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm fitted, your family could be at risk. Here’s how to keep them safe:

1. Potentially deadly carbon monoxide is created when a fuel isn’t burning correctly and is usually – although not exclusively – emitted from faulty gas boilers, fires and cookers.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, weakness and chest pain, so it can easily be confused with other illnesses, especially the flu.

Carbon monoxide has no colour, taste or smell, which makes spotting faulty appliances hard – unless, of course, you fit carbon monoxide alarms.

Wired-in alarms should be installed by an electrician, but most of us have battery-powered alarms. You can use either replaceable or sealed-for-life batteries, the latter usually lasting between seven and 10 years.

2. Make sure your alarm complies with EN 50291 (this should be on the box) and has a quality certification, such as the British Standards Kitemark.

The cheapest and simplest detectors only use a visual indicator – they change colour when detecting carbon monoxide, for example.

But audible alarms are much safer. Remember, they could save your life and would give you peace of mind during the night.

Linking your alarms (this can be done wirelessly – look for the Wi-Safe 2 logo) could also save your life because if one alarm goes off, they all will.

3. When you get a new carbon monoxide alarm, fit it according to the installation guide – it should be 1m to 3m from the fuel-burning appliance, for example.

Test the alarm straight away so you know that it works and what it sounds like, so you don’t confuse it with your home’s smoke alarms, and then remember to test it once a week.

4. A carbon monoxide alarm should be fitted on every floor of your home, ideally in all the bedrooms and in every room with a fuel-burning appliance or a flue, even if it’s concealed. Visit projectshout.com for more information on alarms and carbon monoxide in general.

5. Many fuel-burning appliances, such as boilers, should be serviced annually to ensure they are safe and working efficiently, something we often forget to do.

A boiler service, which includes safety checks, must be carried out by a Gas Safe Register engineer, or an OFTEC-registered one in the case of oil-fired boilers.