Smoke and CO detectors can protect you and your family from the dangers of a fire and an extremely toxic CO gas that can often go undetected. A smoke detector is sometimes the only alert in the presence of a fire. Many homeowners also don’t know that their smoke detectors might need to be tested once a month and replaced every 10 years. Lastly, all smoke alarms should be interconnected, so that when one sounds, all of them sound. Carbon monoxide is an extremely toxic gas that can often go undetected. At Ryan Electric, we recommend that all homes be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors in addition to smoke detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors sound off a loud enough alarm to be heard across your entire home. In addition, they can help indicate an issue with one of your appliances—stoves, gas dryers or fireplaces might be letting off toxic gas and a carbon detector can detect this as early as possible.