Where should carbon monoxide detectors be located

Great questions can always be asked with only a few words.

But my answers never seem short.

The short answer is that the stove can not breathe. Give it more air. Problem Fixed.

What is happening, the chemistry answer:

Carbon Monoxide is made when too much natural gas is burning in too little oxygen.

Good -> Natural Gas + Lots of Oxygen + Spark = Carbon DIOXIDE + Water + 100% Heat

Bad -> Natural Gas + Not enough Oxygen + Spark = Carbon MONOXIDE + Water + 50% Heat

• You now know how CO (carbon monoxide) is made, and that making it wastes energy.

  It also stops blood from working. That is a different lesson.

• An oven burner while it is working. Gas Valve, Gas line orifice,and Venturi Tube. Flame Manifold.

Short rant about poor quality testing:

Breathing air with 10 ppm of CO is better than breathing air with 80 ppm.

However

I hate that you were told this by someone you were hoping could improve your safety, it is a case of a little knowledge is dangerous.

I think it is great that you had a test conducted.

People that put any effort into testing are almost always better off than those who do not. Just because they are people who at least think about such things.

It annoys me that the guy that did the testing was so unknowledgeable. I am sure he intended to be helpful. Sadly he left more questions than answers.

Much longer rant about bad test procedures:

If I tell you my car gets 0 miles per gallon, you might think that is bad.

If I add that I got this measurement after I was trying to climb Mt Everest in my car, It then makes sense. Well, 0 miles a gallon makes sense. Conducting a test like that, it makes no sense.

You have to know what you are testing, and you have to be testing the same thing.

I tell you 80 ppm of CO is high, and I have seen 10 ppm, who knows what that means?

Was the oven running for 5 minutes or 30, was it preheated to 400 degrees, or 100, was he 1 foot away or 3, was he using an in date calibrated meter, was the air in the room moving or still, was the room 68 degrees or 78 ?

I am not asking you these questions, but they are valid questions, and I am wondering if he took all this information into account when he gave you the number of 80 ppm.

If he takes me to his 10 ppm oven, I can get his meter to read 200, or 0, without 'adjusting' the oven.

Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed according to the instructions that accompanied the unit.

From Nest Protect's website:

There’s a myth that all carbon monoxide alarms should be installed lower on the wall because carbon monoxide is heavier than air. In fact, carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air and diffuses evenly throughout the room.

According to the carbon monoxide guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 720, 2005 edition), all carbon monoxide alarms “shall be centrally located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms,” and each alarm “shall be located on the wall, ceiling or other location as specified in the installation instructions that accompany the unit.”

Standalone carbon monoxide alarms are often placed low on the wall, but it’s not because they’re more effective at that height. It’s usually because they need to be plugged into an outlet near the floor or have a digital readout that can be easily read.