Carbon monoxide detectors are the fastest way to prevent CO poisoning. ... They work much like your fire or smoke alarm by sounding a siren when they detect carbon monoxide.

How effective are carbon monoxide detectors?

A typical Kidde CO detector that you buy from a big box store only goes off when it detects CO concentrations of 40 PPM over 10 straight hours. And that's the lowest concentration that will sound the alarm! It also goes off when there's 50 PPM of CO in your home for 8 hours - the OSHA standard.

How do I know if my carbon monoxide detector is working?

To Test the Device:

To test a carbon monoxide detector, hold down the “test” button until you hear two beeps sound off. Once you hear these beeps, release your finger off the test button. Recreate this event, but this time hold down the test button until you hear four beeps.