carbon monoxide detector Archives

CO vs CO2 at Home: The Mix-Up That Puts Families at Risk

Dana Sorensen · July 3, 2026

CO vs CO2 at Home: The Mix-Up That Puts Families at Risk

Owning a slick air quality gadget does not mean your household is protected from carbon monoxide poisoning — and that false sense of security nearly caught up with a client of mine. Picture a homeowner (we’ll call her Karen) who’d just splurged on one of those trendy smart air monitors, the kind with a polished … Read more

Your CO Detector Won’t Catch a Gas Leak. Here’s Why

Dana Sorensen · June 30, 2026

Your CO Detector Won't Catch a Gas Leak. Here's Why

There’s a photo still sitting in my phone’s camera roll that I pull up every time a homeowner insists their carbon monoxide detector “would have caught it.” It’s a cracked brass fitting on a gas line tucked behind a water heater, my combustible gas analyzer’s readout glowing right next to it, and — just out … Read more

Cracked Heat Exchanger: What CO Detectors Won’t Catch

Dana Sorensen · June 29, 2026

Cracked Heat Exchanger: What CO Detectors Won't Catch

$6,800. That’s the price tag a contractor slapped on an emergency furnace replacement for a homeowner last February, insisting the same day that her heat exchanger was “severely cracked” and leaking carbon monoxide. Her kids were home, she was scared, and he wanted a signature before he pulled out of the driveway. She called me … Read more

The CO Detector Mistake That Leaves Families Unprotected

Dana Sorensen · June 20, 2026

The CO Detector Mistake That Leaves Families Unprotected

Late one February afternoon, I was down in my own basement doing the same furnace tune-up I run on my own system every year — nothing on my personal checklist hinted that anything was wrong. My wife mentioned, almost in passing, that the kids had been dragging all winter — headaches some mornings, tired even … Read more