New CA law, you must have a CO Detector in your home!
Buyers and Sellers of homes in California need to be aware of the new law requiring the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors.
Carbon monoxide is a gas produced whenever any fuel, such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal, is burned. A person cannot see or smell carbon monoxide. However, at high levels carbon monoxide can kill a person in minutes. The California Legislature implemented the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 (Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 13260 et seq.). It requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in every “dwelling unit intended for human occupancy.”
Easy to install detector!
The Carbon Monoxide detector is a relatively inexpensive device similar to a smoke detector that signals detection of carbon monoxide in the air. Under the law, a carbon monoxide device is “designed to detect carbon monoxide and produce a distinct audible alarm.” It can be battery powered, a plug-in device with battery backup, or a device installed as recommended by Standard 720 of the National Fire Protection Association that is either wired into the alternating current power line of the dwelling unit with a secondary battery backup or connected to a system via a panel.
If the carbon monoxide device is combined with a smoke detector, it must emit an alarm or voice warning in a manner that clearly differentiates between a carbon monoxide alarm warning and a smoke detector warning.
The carbon monoxide device must have been tested and certified pursuant to the requirements of the American National standards Institute (ANSI) and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) as set forth in either ANSI/UL 2034 or ANSI/UL 2075, or successor standards, by a nationally recognized testing laboratory listed in the directory of approved testing laboratories established by the Building Materials Listing Program of the Fire Engineering Division of the Office of the State Fire Marshal of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal. Health & Safety Code § 13262.).
The following video explains where and how to install your detector:
