VIDEO: The Rhode Island State Fire Marshalโs Office is sounding the alarm about carbon monoxide detectors sold online, saying purchasers might be putting themselves and their loved ones at risk. โThe ones you buy online are probably not compliant with the code for this country, and the State of Rhode Island,โ State Fire Marshal Timothy McLaughlin told 12 News.
He says itโs easy to ensure the detectors in your home are up to standard: โIf you look on the back, it should have a โULโ sticker,โ McLaughlin said. โThat means itโs been tested. We know it works.โ UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, a Chicago-based company that tests detectors before sending them out to be purchased. When UL confirms a detector is working properly, the company will mark the detector with a UL stamp.
In contrast, McLaughlin said, there is no way of knowing whether carbon monoxide detectors bought online meet the proper standards to be put in someoneโs home. โWe donโt know if they work, we donโt know where they come from. You buy them from China or wherever they come from, we have no idea if theyโve been tested,โ the fire marshal said. โOnce itโs stamped by UL, weโre very comfortable that itโs going to work, and itโs going to work the way itโs supposed to.โ
With the potential fatal threat carbon monoxide poses, ensuring your detectors are up to code can truly be the difference between life and death. โ[Itโs] odorless, you canโt taste it, you canโt see it, you canโt smell it. By the time you realize that there is CO in your house, itโs probably going to be too late,โ McLaughlin said. McLaughlin told 12 News consumers can purchase UL-tested carbon monoxide detectors at any big box store, and recommended purchasing detectors with lithium batteries, which can last up to 10 years without having to be changed.
