Introduction

This Carrier carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is an important part of your family’s home safety plan. As a new owner of a CO alarm, there are some basic facts you should know for your protection and convenience.

Many people think that CO alarms operate like smoke alarms. Like smoke alarms, CO alarms monitor the air in your home and sound a loud alarm to warn you of trouble.

The way you respond to a CO alarm is quite different than a smoke alarm. That’s because a house fire and a carbon monoxide problem are two distinctly different situations. If your smoke alarm were to alarm, you would quickly be able to judge the level of danger you were in with your senses. You can see and smell the smoke, feel the heat, see, and pos- sibly hear the fire burning. You can also readily see if your smoke alarm is alarming in a non-emergency situation, for example someone smoked up the kitchen with some burnt toast. Because your sense of sight, smell, hearing and touch give you information, you can almost instantly judge what action to take if you hear your smoke alarm.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is invisible, odorless, tasteless, nonirritating, poi- sonous gas that is completely undetectable to your senses. It is created when any fuel is burned – gasoline, propane, natural gas, oil, wood, coal, and even tobacco. When oxygen is limited during combustion, more CO is produced. Serious problems can develop when combustion by-products are not properly vented outside the house. That’s why it’s so important to your safety that you have a carbon monoxide alarm.

Please take the time to completely read this guide to familiarize yourself with the facts about carbon monoxide, how your new unit works, and what to do if it alarms. Find a handy place to keep this manual so that it will be readily available when you have a question.

Thank you for making Carrier a part of your complete home safety pro- gram. With proper installation and use, your new Carrier CO alarm will provide you with years of dependable service.