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Carbon Monoxide Safety Checks

Free tools to evaluate your CO safety — at home, while traveling, and season by season.

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning death in the United States. Every year, it kills more than 400 people, sends over 100,000 to the emergency room, and hospitalizes thousands more — often because a simple safety step was missed.

These free safety checks help you find the gaps before CO does. Each one takes 1–3 minutes, asks focused questions about your specific situation, and gives you a clear result with prioritized actions. They are based on guidelines from the CDC, CPSC, NFPA, EPA, and other authoritative sources.

Pick the check that matches your situation right now, or work through several for a comprehensive CO safety picture.

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How to Choose a Check

Start with your most immediate concern. If your CO alarm is beeping right now, start with the CO Alarm Beeping Check. If you are traveling soon, take the Travel CO Safety Check.

For a broad home audit, we recommend: Home CO Safety Readiness Check → Detector Placement → Seasonal Check → Generator Safety. Renters should start with the Rental Compliance Check.

Your Home

Home CO Safety Readiness Check

2–3 min

Evaluates your home across detector coverage, appliance maintenance, ventilation, safe practices, and emergency preparedness.

Best for: Homeowners and renters who want a comprehensive CO safety assessment.

CO Detector Placement Check

2 min

Checks the number, location, and mounting of your CO detectors against NFPA 72 code and manufacturer guidelines.

Best for: Anyone with CO detectors installed who wants to verify placement.

Seasonal CO Safety Check

2 min

Evaluates your seasonal readiness — heating, ventilation, equipment, and emergency preparedness — with tips for the current time of year.

Best for: Homeowners entering a new season, especially before winter or hurricane season.

Specific Risks

Generator CO Safety Check

2 min

Evaluates generator placement, usage habits, and backup detection. Covers indoor CO sources used during power outages.

Best for: Generator owners and anyone preparing for power outages.

Travel CO Safety Check

2 min

Evaluates your accommodation type, room location, detector presence, portable detector preparedness, and symptom knowledge.

Best for: Anyone staying at a hotel, Airbnb, vacation rental, cabin, or resort.

Rental CO Detector Compliance Check

2 min

Checks whether your rental meets your state's CO detector laws. Covers detector presence, type, placement, and landlord responsibilities.

Best for: Renters verifying legal CO protection and landlords checking compliance.

Right Now

CO Alarm Beeping Check

1 min

Decodes what your CO alarm's beep pattern means — emergency, low battery, end of life, or error — and tells you what to do.

Best for: Anyone whose CO alarm is making a sound right now.

CO Symptoms Action Check

1 min

Routes symptom-and-exposure scenarios to the safest next action — leave now, call 911, call Poison Control, or monitor and investigate the source.

Best for: Anyone experiencing unexplained headache, nausea, dizziness, or fatigue.

Recommended Paths

Not sure where to start? Pick the path that matches your situation.

Comprehensive home audit

  1. Home CO Safety Readiness Check
  2. CO Detector Placement Check
  3. Seasonal CO Safety Check
  4. Generator CO Safety Check

Renter path

  1. Rental CO Detector Compliance Check
  2. CO Detector Placement Check
  3. Home CO Safety Readiness Check

Travel path

  1. Travel CO Safety Check
  2. CO Symptoms Action Check

Emergency path

  1. CO Alarm Beeping Check
  2. CO Symptoms Action Check

Seasonal path

  1. Seasonal CO Safety Check
  2. Home CO Safety Readiness Check
  3. Generator CO Safety Check

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do the CO safety checks take?
Each check takes 1–3 minutes. The shortest (CO Alarm Beeping Check and CO Symptoms Action Check) take about 1 minute. The most comprehensive (Home CO Safety Readiness Check) takes 2–3 minutes.
Are the CO safety checks free?
Yes. All 8 checks are completely free, require no account or email, and can be taken as many times as you want.
What are the checks based on?
Every check is built on guidelines from the CDC, CPSC, NFPA, EPA, and other authoritative sources. Sources are listed at the bottom of every check page.
Can these checks diagnose CO poisoning or detect carbon monoxide?
No. These are educational self-assessment tools, not diagnostic instruments. Only a CO detector can detect carbon monoxide gas, and only a blood test (carboxyhemoglobin/COHb) can confirm CO poisoning. If you suspect CO exposure, leave the building and call 911.
Which check should I take first?
If your CO alarm is beeping right now, start with the CO Alarm Beeping Check. If you are experiencing symptoms, start with the CO Symptoms Action Check. For everyone else, the Home CO Safety Readiness Check provides the most comprehensive starting point.
Do I need to take all 8 checks?
No — take the ones relevant to your situation. Homeowners benefit most from the Home CO Safety Readiness Check, Detector Placement Check, and Seasonal Check. Travelers should take the Travel CO Safety Check. Generator owners should take the Generator Safety Check.

Sources & References

  1. CDC — CO Poisoning Basics . ~400 deaths/year, 100,000+ ER visits.
  2. CPSC — CO Information Center . Federal CO safety hub: death stats, product recalls, toolkits.
  3. NFPA — Carbon Monoxide Safety . NFPA 72 code, CO alarm placement, education hub.
  4. EPA — Protect Your Family from CO . Indoor air quality guidance, CO sources, detector placement.
  5. USFA/FEMA — CO Poisoning Prevention . 150+ non-fire CO deaths/year, free messaging materials.
  6. American Red Cross — CO Preparedness Checklist . Downloadable household CO checklist.
  7. National Safety Council — Carbon Monoxide . CDC-sourced stats, seasonal tips, detector recs.
  8. Safe Kids Worldwide — Carbon Monoxide . 150+ child CO deaths/year, 3,200+ exposures.

These safety checks provide general CO safety guidance — not professional inspections or medical diagnoses. If you suspect a CO leak or anyone is experiencing symptoms, leave the building immediately and call 911.

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