Universal Security Instruments CD-9585 - Manual (Page 4)

DEVELOPING YOUR OWN CO SAFETY PLAN
This CO alarm can quickly alert you to the presence of CO - it cannot prevent toxic CO
emissions. Please note that there are hazards against which CO detection may not be
effective, such as gas leaks or explosions. The ultimate responsibility for protection against
toxic CO fumes rests solely on you.
Installing CO alarms is just the first step in protecting your family from toxic CO poisoning.
We also suggest that you create an effective, comprehensive safety program as outlined
below.
1. Install CO alarms properly following the instructions in this manual. Keep your CO alarms
clean - do not wash. Wipe with a clean towel. Test your alarms weekly and repair or
replace them when they no longer function. As with any electronic product, alarms have
a limited life and alarms that do not work cannot protect you.
2. Develop a family escape plan and practice it with your entire family, especially small
children.
– Draw a floor plan of your home and find two ways to exit from each room. There
should be one way to get out of each bedroom without opening the door.
– Teach children what the CO alarm signal means and how they must be prepared to
leave the residence by themselves if necessary.
– Decide on a meeting place a safe distance from your house and make sure all children
understand where they should go and wait if there is a dangerous CO condition.
– Conduct CO safety drills at least every 6 months to make sure that everyone, even
small children, knows what to do in order to escape safely.
– Know where to go to call the Fire Department from outside your residence.
This unit is designed to detect carbon monoxide (CO) entering its sensing chamber. It does
not sense combustible gas (such as natural gas, propane or butane), heat, smoke or flames.
NOTE: This CO alarm is designed for use within a single residential living unit only. In a
multi-family building, the alarm may not provide early warning for residents if it is placed
outside of the residential units, such as on outside porches, in corridors, lobbies, basements,
or in other apartments. In multi-family buildings, each residential unit should have detectors
installed as previously indicated.
When properly located, installed, and maintained, this CO alarm is designed to provide
early warning of developing poisonous CO conditions at a reasonable cost. This alarm
monitors the air, and when it senses CO, it activates its built-in alarm. It can provide precious
time for you and your family to escape from your residence before CO can seriously injure
or kill. However, such an early warning is possible only if the alarm is located, installed, and
maintained as specified in the Owners Manual.
IMPORTANT: WHAT YOUR CO ALARM CAN AND CANNOT DO
If the bedroom doors are usually closed at night, alarms should be placed in each bedroom
as well as in the common hallway between them.
CO alarms also may not sense CO on a different level of a residence or building. For
example, a second floor alarm may not sense a CO leak on the first floor or in the basement.
Therefore, alarms should be placed on every level of a residence or building.
If the alarm is located outside of a bedroom, it may not wake up a sound sleeper, especially
if the bedroom door is closed or only partly open. If the alarm is located on a different level
of the residence than the bedrooms, it is even less likely to wake up people sleeping in the
bedroom.
Installing CO alarms may qualify you for lower homeowner's insurance rates, but CO alarms
are not a substitute for insurance. Homeowners and renters should continue to insure their
lives and property.
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