Hey everyone, welcome back to My Weird Prompts. It is February fifteenth, two thousand twenty-six, and we are coming to you from a chilly but beautiful Jerusalem. I am Corn, and I am joined as always by my brother, the man who knows the technical specifications of every appliance in our apartment.
Herman Poppleberry, at your service. It is good to be here, Corn. I have been looking forward to this one because it is a topic that is literally a matter of life and death, but one that people often treat as an afterthought in their smart home setup. We spend hundreds of dollars on smart lighting and high-end speakers, but the most important sensor in the house is often the cheapest one we own.
It really is. Our housemate Daniel sent us a prompt about this earlier today. He has been diving deep into Home Assistant lately, as we all know from the occasional shouting coming from his room when a script does not run or a Zigbee bulb drops off the network. But he raised some excellent questions about carbon monoxide sensors. It is one of those things where you buy it, stick it on a wall, and then forget about it for five years. But should we be forgetting about it?
Definitely not. Carbon monoxide is often called the silent killer for a reason. You cannot see it, you cannot smell it, and you cannot taste it. It is non-irritating, so it does not even make you cough. By the time you realize something is wrong without a sensor, it is often too late. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hundreds of people die every year from accidental, non-fire related carbon monoxide poisoning, and thousands more are hospitalized. So, I am glad Daniel brought this up. It is a perfect example of where smart technology can move from being a convenience to being a critical safety layer.
Right, and I think we should start with the basics of what we are actually fighting here. Daniel asked about sources of carbon monoxide besides just gas stoves. I think most people associate it with that blue flame in the kitchen, but the reality is much broader, right?
Exactly. To understand the sources, you have to understand the chemistry. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. In a perfect world, when you burn a hydrocarbon like natural gas, propane, or wood with enough oxygen, you get carbon dioxide and water vapor. But we do not live in a perfect world. If there is not enough oxygen or if the flame is not burning efficiently, the carbon atoms only bond with one oxygen atom instead of two, and you get carbon monoxide.
So, any fuel-burning appliance is a suspect.
Every single one. In a typical home, the big ones are your furnace or boiler, your water heater, and yes, the gas stove. But there are others people forget about. Gas clothes dryers are a source. Wood-burning fireplaces or pellet stoves are huge ones. Even those decorative gas logs can be a risk if they are not vented properly or if the chimney is blocked. And since it is February, we should talk about snow. If you have a high-efficiency furnace that vents out the side of your house, a heavy snowdrift can block that vent, forcing the exhaust back into your home.
What about things outside the main living area? I know a lot of people use space heaters or even portable generators during power outages, especially in the winter months.
That is actually where a lot of the tragedies happen. Using a charcoal grill or a portable camping stove inside a house or a garage is incredibly dangerous. And portable generators are one of the leading causes of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. People put them in the garage with the door cracked, thinking that is enough ventilation, but the wind can blow those fumes right back into the house. Even an attached garage with a car idling for a few minutes can send dangerous levels of carbon monoxide through the door or through the ventilation system into the living space. In fact, modern cars are much cleaner than they used to be, but they still produce enough carbon monoxide to be lethal in an enclosed space very quickly.
That is an interesting point for apartment dwellers like us here in Jerusalem. Even if you are careful, you are often sharing walls or ventilation with other people.
Precisely. In an apartment complex, you might be totally electric, but your neighbor downstairs might have an old gas water heater that is leaking. Carbon monoxide is a gas that behaves a lot like air. It does not just stay in the room where it is produced. It can travel through floorboards, through pipe chases, and through air ducts. So, your safety is sometimes dependent on the maintenance of appliances you do not even own. There was a famous case on Reddit years ago where a user thought their landlord was leaving sticky notes in their apartment, but it turned out they were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and writing the notes themselves without remembering it. It affects your memory and cognitive function before it kills you.
That is terrifying. It is like a real-life ghost story. Which leads perfectly into Daniel's next question about placement. If you are in an apartment or a small home and you only have one sensor, where is the absolute best place to put it? I remember we touched on this in an earlier episode, but I think people get confused about the height. Some people say the ceiling like a smoke detector, others say near the floor because they think the gas is heavy.
This is one of the most common misconceptions in home safety. Carbon monoxide is actually slightly lighter than air. Its molar mass is about twenty-eight point zero one, while the average molar mass of air is about twenty-eight point nine seven. But for all practical purposes, it is considered neutral. It does not sink to the floor like propane, and it does not shoot to the ceiling like hot smoke. It mixes very evenly with the air in the room due to thermal currents and general air movement.
So the height does not actually matter for the chemistry of the sensor?
Not really. The manufacturers usually recommend putting it about five feet off the floor, which is roughly eye level. This is not because the gas is at that height, but because it makes it easy to see the display and hear the alarm. But the most important factor is not the height, it is the proximity to where you sleep. The National Fire Protection Association, or N F P A, recommends a sensor on every level of the home and specifically outside each sleeping area.
Why the bedroom?
Because that is when you are most vulnerable. If carbon monoxide builds up while you are awake, you might notice a headache, nausea, or dizziness and realize something is wrong. But if you are asleep, you will just drift deeper into unconsciousness. The goal of a single sensor is to wake you up before the levels become incapacitating. So, the rule of thumb is in the hallway right outside the sleeping areas. You want the alarm to be loud enough to penetrate through a closed bedroom door. If you have a large house with bedrooms in different wings, you really need a sensor for each area.
That makes sense. But what about putting it near the source? Like, shouldn't I have one right next to the gas stove if that is what I am worried about?
Actually, you want to avoid putting it too close to a fuel-burning appliance. Most experts recommend at least fifteen to twenty feet of distance. If you put it right next to a stove or a furnace, you might get what we call nuisance alarms. A tiny, harmless puff of carbon monoxide when you first light the burner could trigger a high-sensitivity sensor, and then people end up taking the batteries out because they are annoyed. You want it far enough away that it is measuring the ambient air quality of the living space, not the immediate exhaust of an appliance. Also, keep them away from bathrooms or very humid areas, as high humidity can sometimes interfere with the electrochemical cell.
It is that classic human behavior problem. If a safety device is annoying, people disable it, which makes it zero percent effective. I am curious about the lifespan of these things. Daniel asked about the service life. I think a lot of people assume that if the little green light is blinking, it is working forever.
I wish that were true, but carbon monoxide sensors have a very literal expiration date. Unlike a smoke detector that uses a physical process like ionization or a photoelectric beam, a carbon monoxide sensor uses an electrochemical cell. Imagine a tiny, specialized battery that reacts with carbon monoxide. When the gas enters the cell, it causes a chemical reaction that generates an electrical current. The sensor measures that current to determine the concentration of the gas. Over time, the chemicals in that cell degrade.
Like a battery leaking or just losing its charge?
More like the active surface of the electrodes getting used up or contaminated by other household chemicals like cleaning sprays or hairspray. Most modern sensors are rated for five to ten years. Ten is the standard now for high-quality units. The really important thing for our listeners to know is that the test button on your unit does not actually test the sensor's ability to detect gas.
Wait, what? Then what is the button for?
The button tests the battery, the circuitry, and the siren. It is basically the unit saying, I have power and my speaker works. It does not tell you if the chemical cell inside is still capable of reacting to carbon monoxide. This is why manufacturers build in an end of life signal. Usually, after seven or ten years, the unit will start chirping in a specific pattern that is different from a low battery warning. It is basically a hard-coded suicide switch that tells you the unit is no longer reliable. In many modern units, once that end of life timer goes off, you cannot stop the chirping until you replace the unit.
That is fascinating. So you cannot just keep swapping batteries. When it chirps that specific way, it is garbage.
Exactly. And you should check the date on the back of the unit when you buy it. Sometimes they sit on a warehouse shelf for a year before they get to you, and that clock starts ticking from the moment of manufacture, not the moment you plug it in. If you buy a ten-year sensor that was manufactured in two thousand twenty-four, it is going to expire in two thousand thirty-four, even if you just opened the box today in two thousand twenty-six.
So, if the test button does not actually test the gas detection, how do we verify it is working? Daniel was asking about periodic verification. Is there a way for a regular person to safely test the actual sensor?
There is, but it is a bit more involved than just pressing a button. You can actually buy cans of test gas, often called Solo or Safe-T-Check. It is a small aerosol can containing a safe, calibrated concentration of carbon monoxide. You put the sensor in a sealed bag or a specific testing chamber, spray a bit of the gas in, and see if it triggers. Professionals do this all the time for commercial buildings. For a home user, it is probably overkill to do it monthly, but doing it once a year gives you that peace of mind that the chemistry is still active.
I can imagine some people might try to test it by holding it near a car exhaust or something, which sounds like a terrible idea.
Please do not do that. Car exhaust is incredibly hot and full of particulates that can actually foul the sensor or melt the plastic housing. Plus, you are exposing yourself to high levels of toxins. Stick to the calibrated test cans if you really want to be sure. But honestly, for most people, the best strategy is to buy a reputable brand, note the expiration date on your calendar, and replace it the moment it hits that date, or sooner if it starts acting up.
Let's talk about the hardware itself. Daniel asked about combination units. You see these everywhere now, the ones that claim to be both a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector. He mentioned being skeptical of devices that try to do too many things. Is that skepticism justified here?
It is a nuanced answer. From a purely technical standpoint, combination units are very reliable. The sensors for smoke and carbon monoxide are separate components inside the same box. They do not really interfere with each other. However, the issue goes back to what we talked about with placement.
Ah, right. Smoke rises, but carbon monoxide is neutral.
Exactly. Smoke detectors belong on the ceiling because hot smoke and gases from a fire rise rapidly. If you have a combination unit on the ceiling, it is in the perfect spot for smoke, and a perfectly acceptable spot for carbon monoxide since the gas will eventually fill the room. But if you have a combination unit plugged into a wall outlet near the floor, it is great for carbon monoxide but might be too slow to catch smoke that is layering across the ceiling. So, if you use a combination unit, it should almost always be ceiling-mounted.
So the combination unit forces a compromise on placement.
It can. The other factor is the alarm sound. In the United States and many other places, there are specific patterns for the sirens. Smoke is usually a temporal three pattern, which is three beeps and a pause. Carbon monoxide is a temporal four pattern, which is four beeps and a pause. A good combination unit will also have a voice alert that says Warning, Carbon Monoxide or Warning, Fire. This is crucial because your reaction should be different. For a fire, you get out. For carbon monoxide, you get out, but you also need to call the fire department to check for gas leaks and potentially seek medical attention for everyone in the house.
That is a great point. The interconnectivity is also a big deal, right? In a modern home, you want your alarms to be interconnected.
Absolutely. This is where the smart home aspect that Daniel loves really shines. If the sensor in the basement detects a leak, you want the alarm in your bedroom to go off. This is now part of the building code in many areas for new construction. With smart units like those from Nest, First Alert, or the newer Matter-enabled sensors we are seeing in two thousand twenty-six, they all talk to each other.
Right, because if I am upstairs and the furnace in the basement starts leaking carbon monoxide, I might not hear a standalone alarm until the gas has already reached me. But if they are all linked, I get the warning instantly.
Precisely. And since we are in two thousand twenty-six, we have Matter one point three and one point four standards that have fully integrated safety sensors. This means your carbon monoxide detector can talk to your smart thermostat and your ventilation system regardless of the brand. If carbon monoxide is detected, your smart home can automatically shut off the furnace, which is the likely source, and turn on the H V A C fan to full blast to circulate fresh air, or even open automated windows if you have them. It can also turn on all the smart lights to a bright white or red to help you find your way out in the dark.
I like the idea of the smart home actually taking action. It turns the house into an active participant in your safety, not just a passive shell. Now, here is the big one that I think a lot of people wonder about. If your home is entirely electric, you have an electric stove, an electric heat pump, an electric water heater, is there any reason to own a carbon monoxide sensor?
This is a great question, and it is one I get asked a lot as more people move toward electrification. On the surface, the answer seems to be no. No combustion, no carbon monoxide. But there are several edge cases that make it worth the twenty or thirty dollars for a sensor. First, as we mentioned, is the neighbor factor. If you live in a multi-unit building, you are at the mercy of the people around you. We have seen cases where a neighbor's furnace exhaust was being pulled into the fresh air intake of an all-electric apartment.
Right, the shared walls and ventilation.
Exactly. Second is the attached garage. Even if your house is electric, you might own a gasoline car, or a guest might park one in there. Third is the emergency scenario. When the power goes out, people do weird things. They bring in portable heaters, or they run a generator too close to the house. If you do not have a sensor because you think your house is electric and safe, you have no fallback when you are using those emergency tools.
I never thought about that. The very moment you are most likely to introduce a carbon monoxide source is the moment you might be least prepared for it.
There is one more very modern reason that is becoming more relevant in two thousand twenty-six. Lithium-ion batteries. While they do not produce carbon monoxide during normal use, if a large battery pack like one in an e-bike or a home energy storage system goes into thermal runaway, the resulting fire and off-gassing can produce significant amounts of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
That is a huge point. With the explosion of e-bikes and home batteries, that is a new source of risk even in a green, electric home.
And there is the smoldering fire aspect. Before a fire really breaks out into flames, it can smolder for a long time. This incomplete combustion of your furniture, drywall, or wiring can produce significant amounts of carbon monoxide before there is enough heat or smoke to trigger a traditional smoke alarm. A carbon monoxide sensor can sometimes be the first indicator that something is burning behind a wall or in a piece of upholstered furniture.
That is a really deep insight. It is almost like a pre-smoke detector.
In a way, yes. So, even in an all-electric home, I would still recommend at least one sensor near the sleeping area. It is a very cheap insurance policy against a very wide range of unlikely but deadly scenarios.
It feels like the recurring theme here is that carbon monoxide is much more mobile and pervasive than we think. It is not just about the stove. It is about the whole ecosystem of the building and how we interact with it during emergencies.
Absolutely. And since Daniel mentioned the smart home aspect, we should talk about the data. We are starting to see sensors that do not just give you an on-off alarm, but actually give you real-time parts per million readings on your phone.
That seems useful for identifying a slow leak before it becomes an emergency.
It is incredibly useful. Standard carbon monoxide alarms are governed by U L two thousand thirty-four standards. These standards are actually designed to avoid nuisance trips, so they do not go off immediately at low levels. For example, a typical alarm might not go off at seventy parts per million until it has been at that level for one to four hours. At four hundred parts per million, it has to go off within four to fifteen minutes.
Wait, so it could be at sixty parts per million forever and never go off?
Exactly. That is the residential standard to prevent people from calling the fire department every time they burn a piece of toast. But sixty parts per million is not healthy for long-term exposure, especially for children, the elderly, or people with heart conditions. With a smart sensor that gives you a numerical readout, you might see that your house is sitting at twenty parts per million all the time. That is not enough to trigger a standard alarm, but it is enough to give you chronic headaches, fatigue, or what people often mistake for the flu.
So the smart home actually helps with long-term health, not just immediate safety.
Exactly. You can track trends. Maybe you notice that every time the furnace kicks on, there is a tiny spike in carbon monoxide that settles back down. That tells you that your heat exchanger might have a hairline crack that expands when it gets hot. You can catch that before it fully fails and becomes a catastrophe. That kind of predictive maintenance is the holy grail of smart home safety.
I love that. It takes it from being a reactive device to a proactive one. Herman, you mentioned the electrochemical cells earlier. I am curious if there are other types of sensors coming down the line that might last longer.
There are some solid-state and metal-oxide sensors being developed that have much longer lifespans, potentially twenty years or more. They work by measuring the change in electrical resistance of a material when carbon monoxide molecules are adsorbed onto the surface. They are more common in industrial settings right now because they require more power to operate. They usually have to be plugged into a wall rather than running on a small battery for years. But as we move toward more hard-wired smart homes with things like Power over Ethernet or dedicated low-voltage wiring for sensors, I expect we will see those becoming more common in residential settings too.
It is amazing how much engineering goes into a little plastic box that most of us just ignore. It really is a marvel of modern chemistry.
It really is. And the fact that we can now integrate it into things like Matter and Thread means that these devices can talk to each other regardless of the brand. If you have an Aqara sensor and a Google Nest Hub and an Apple HomePod, they can all coordinate a safety response. That is a huge win for the consumer.
Definitely. Well, I think we have covered a lot of ground here. We have gone from the sources to the placement, the maintenance, and even the edge cases for electric homes. It is a lot to take in, but I think the takeaway is pretty clear.
Yeah, don't skimp on the sensors. If you haven't checked the date on yours in a while, go do it right now. We will wait. Well, we won't actually wait because this is a recording, but the listeners should definitely pause and go look.
Actually, that is a good point. If you are listening to this right now, maybe take a second after the episode to go look at the back of your carbon monoxide detector. If it was made before February of two thousand sixteen, it is definitely expired. If it was made before two thousand twenty-one, you are more than halfway through its life and should probably check if it is a five-year or ten-year model.
Two thousand sixteen? Man, time flies. It feels like yesterday we were talking about the first generation of smart sensors.
It does. And hey, if you found this deep dive useful, or if you have your own stories about smart home safety saves, we would love to hear from you. You can reach out through the contact form at myweirdprompts dot com. We are always looking for new angles to explore, especially when it comes to the intersection of safety and technology.
And if you are enjoying the show, we would really appreciate a quick review on your podcast app or on Spotify. It genuinely helps other people find us and helps us keep doing this. We have been at this for over six hundred episodes now, and the community feedback is what keeps us energized. Daniel, thanks for the prompt. It was a great excuse to geek out on some life-saving chemistry.
It really was. We have a great group of listeners. Herman, any final thoughts on the silent killer before we wrap up?
Just that safety is not a one-and-done thing. It is a habit. Whether it is checking your sensors, making sure your furnace is serviced annually, or just being aware of how air moves through your home, those little actions add up to a lot of peace of mind. And for the nerds like us, using technology to make that habit easier is what the smart home is all about. Don't just build a smart home, build a safe home.
Well said. Thanks for the breakdown, Herman. And thanks again to Daniel. This has been My Weird Prompts. You can find all our past episodes and the R S S feed at myweirdprompts dot com.
Thanks for listening, everyone. Stay safe out there and check those dates!
Goodbye!
