Michiganders are encouraged to take preventive steps to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by checking their furnaces and carbon monoxide detectors. It is important to use daylight saving as a reminder to not only set the clocks back, but also to check the systems that keep Michigan houses safe.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommends that Michiganders have working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home, including the basement. Detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores.
Michiganders should follow these tips to protect themselves from carbon monoxide poisoning:
- Change batteries every six months and replace your detector every five years or according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Use a battery-powered detector where you have fuel burning devices but no electric outlets.
- Have your furnace or wood-burning stove inspected annually.
- Generators should be run at a safe distance — at least 20 feet —from the home.
- Never run a car in an enclosed space.
- Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or in an unventilated garage.