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Carbon
Monoxide Detectors
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colourless,
odourless, tasteless and toxic gas and is often referred to as the
“silent killer”.
When you breathe air containing carbon monoxide, the gas is absorbed
into your bloodstream where it bonds with the hemoglobin in your
blood. It displaces and replaces the oxygen molecules that your
cells need to function. As the level of carbon monoxide in your
blood accumulates, vital organs, such as your heart and brain become
deprived of oxygen. To compensate, your heart rate increases,
breathing may become difficult and cardiac trauma, brain damage,
coma and even death may result.
A properly installed carbon monoxide detector can alert you to the
presence of carbon monoxide. If the alarm sounds, GET OUT OF YOUR
HOME QUICKLY. Call the fire department from another location and ask
them to check your home for the presence of carbon monoxide.
Early warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are: headaches,
nausea, flu-like symptoms, dizziness or fatigue.
Carbon Monoxide is a by-product of incomplete combustion of fuels
such as natural gas, propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal,
gasoline or wood. This incomplete combustion can occur in any device
that depends on burning for energy or heat, such as furnaces, room
heaters, fireplaces, hot water heaters, stoves or grills and any gas
powered vehicle or engine. Automobiles left running in attached
garages, gas barbeques operated inside the house, grills or kerosene
heaters that are not properly vented, or chimney or vents that are
dirty or plugged may create unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.
By-law No. 7049/10 [PDF]
City of Pickering By-law No. 7049/10 being “A by-law to require the
installation of carbon monoxide detectors in residential
occupancies” defines a fuel-burning appliance to mean: a furnace,
refrigerator, clothes dryer, water heater, boiler, fireplace, wood
stove, charcoal grill, gas range, space heater and any other
appliance that is fired by a flammable fuel such as natural gas,
propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, gasoline, wood or charcoal;
City of Pickering By-law No. 7049/10 being “A by-law to require the
installation of carbon monoxide detectors in residential
occupancies” requires that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in
the following locations in residential buildings:
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Where a fuel-burning
appliance is installed in a suite of residential occupancy, the
owner of the suite shall install or cause to be installed a
carbon monoxide detector adjacent to each sleeping area in the
suite.
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Where a fuel-burning
appliance is installed in a service room that is adjacent to a
suite of residential occupancy, the owner of the suite shall
install or cause to be installed a carbon monoxide detector,
(a) adjacent to each sleeping area in every suite of
residential occupancy that is adjacent to the service room; and
(b) in the service room.
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Where a storage garage is
located in a building containing a residential occupancy, the
owner of the building shall install or cause to be installed a
carbon monoxide detector adjacent to each sleeping area in every
suite of residential occupancy that is adjacent to the storage
garage.
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Where a storage garage
serves only the dwelling unit to which it is attached or built
in, the owner of the dwelling unit shall install or cause to be
installed a carbon monoxide detector adjacent to each sleeping
area in the dwelling unit.
Carbon monoxide detectors are
not required in residential occupancies that do not contain a
fuel-burning appliance or a storage garage.
Carbon monoxide detectors are required to conform to the standards
set out in the Ontario Building Code and conform to CAN/CSA-6.19,
“Residential Carbon Monoxide Alarming Devices” or UL 2034, “Single
and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms”.
These devices may be permanently connected to an electrical circuit,
or be plugged into an electric outlet or be battery operated.
The life expectancy of a carbon monoxide detector is approximately
5-6 years or as indicated by the manufactures requirements.
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For more information please contact the City of Pickering Fire Prevention
Office by telephone at 905.839.9968 or by email to
fire@cityofpickering.com
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