According to the manufacturer's manual for Kidde, a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm goes in or near the bedrooms and living areas, at eye level, one on every floor, and at least 1.5 meters away from fuel-burning appliances. In the national regulations reviewed for this article, what the law requires is residential fire alarms (住警器); there is currently no rule requiring ordinary homes to install a CO alarm.
Safety warning: An alarm only gives early warning and cannot replace installing the water heater correctly. Do not install an outdoor-type water heater on a balcony that has had windows added or in any poorly ventilated place. Switching to a forced-exhaust or electric water heater must be done by qualified personnel; see wind protection and exhaust for water heaters, and carbon monoxide safety. If the alarm sounds, or you feel dizzy, nauseous or drowsy: turn off the fuel-burning appliance, open the windows and go outdoors, and call 119 if anyone feels unwell. Do not stay inside to deal with it.
Is it required by law? Three levels
| Item | What this article found | Source |
|---|
| Residential fire alarm (住警器) | Yes. Article 6, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Fire Services Act require the person with management authority over the premises (管理權人) to install and maintain them. It detects smoke or heat, not carbon monoxide | National Laws and Regulations Database |
| CO alarm in an ordinary home | No national requirement found within what this article reviewed: the Fire Services Act Article 6, the rules on installing residential fire alarms (住宅用火災警報器設置辦法) and the installation standards all say nothing about carbon monoxide. The regulations for hotels, guesthouses and similar premises were not checked in this article | Same as above; Articles 1 and 2 of the installation rules |
| Performance standard for the alarm itself | The Ministry of the Interior has an approval standard for carbon monoxide alarms and gas leak alarms (一氧化碳警報器及瓦斯漏氣警報器認可基準), published December 26, 2008. It regulates the product, not an installation duty; the page reviewed for this article shows no rule on where to install | Ministry of the Interior regulations database |
| Local ordinances | Article 8 of Taoyuan City's local fire-prevention ordinance (火災預防自治條例): the person with management authority must install and maintain alarms in places such as motel garages, dormitories that use gas water heaters, and restaurants that use gas or similar fuel to serve the public; ordinary homes are not included. Other cities and counties were not confirmed in this article, so ask the fire department with jurisdiction over your area | Taoyuan City regulations database |
The approval standard sets these product requirements: the alarm sound must be at least 70 dB at 1 meter in front of the unit; a battery-powered unit must signal when the voltage is low, at 60 dB or more and continuing for at least 72 hours; and the unit must be marked with its "service life" (使用期限). When buying, check whether the unit is marked with a type-approval number and a service life (the approval standard requires the marking); whether approval is mandatory is not confirmed in this article. For the rules and placement of residential fire alarms, see residential fire alarm installation rules and placement.
Where to install: what the manufacturer's manual says
The following comes from the manual for the Kidde carbon monoxide alarm (battery-powered), provided on the Costco Taiwan product page (document number 2529-7221-00; Kidde's agent in Taiwan is 楷德股份有限公司). Other brands and models may have different rules, so follow the manual for your own unit.
| Item | What the manual says (summarized) |
|---|
| Recommended location | In or near the bedrooms and living areas; one on every floor of the home; the alarm must be audible in every place where people sleep |
| If installing only one | Install it near the bedrooms, not in a basement or furnace room |
| Height | At eye level so the red and green indicator lights are easy to see; if placed on a tabletop, the tabletop must be higher than 1 meter above the floor. The manual gives no centimeter figure for distance from the ceiling or floor, and this article does not set one. Rules differ: the installation principles set by the Taoyuan County Fire Department in 2014 (reposted by a third-party regulations site; whether they are still in force is not confirmed in this article) say it "should be installed on the ceiling", so follow the manual for your own unit for height, and ask the fire department with jurisdiction over your area if in doubt |
| Distance from appliances | Do not install within 1.5 meters of a fuel-burning appliance; Kidde recommends at least 4.5 meters to avoid false alarms |
| Places not to install | Kitchens, garages and furnace rooms (dust, grease and household chemicals contaminate the sensor); humid bathrooms; behind curtains or furniture; in the airflow of a ceiling fan; at fresh-air vents or close to doors and windows that open to the outdoors; at the highest point of a vaulted ceiling or at the peak of a pitched roof |
| Environmental conditions | Do not install where the temperature is below 4.4°C or above 37.8°C; the vents must not be blocked |
If the water heater is on the balcony, should the alarm go on the balcony?
No. The manual lists "within 1.5 meters of a fuel-burning appliance" as a place not to install, and places with high humidity or close to doors and windows are also unsuitable, so the alarm belongs indoors near the bedrooms, not next to the water heater. What actually lowers the risk is the type of water heater and how it vents:
- A 2021 press release from the National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior says that about 80% of poisoning cases from 2016 to 2020 involved an outdoor-type water heater installed in a poorly ventilated place, and most of the rest involved improperly installed exhaust pipes. An outdoor-type heater may be installed only outdoors in a well-ventilated spot; indoors or in poorly ventilated places, a forced-exhaust type installed by a qualified contractor should be used. The release does not mention alarms.
- The Keelung City Fire Department's public awareness material states that a water heater must not be installed in a bathroom or a poorly ventilated place, and that a balcony with glass windows added should also be treated as indoors.
- For choosing a water heater after a balcony has been enclosed or a layout changed, see the differences between forced-exhaust and natural-exhaust water heaters.
How many to install
The FAQ in the Kidde manual says: install one on every floor of a multi-level home; one alarm generally covers about 110 to 140 square meters of living space, but the most important thing is that people sleeping anywhere in the home can hear the alarm. This is the manufacturer's statement, not a figure from the regulations; if bedroom doors are often closed, the test is that the alarm can be heard near every bedroom.
Testing, maintenance and service life
- Testing: The Kidde manual says to press the self-test / reset button once a week. A beep and a flashing red light when you press it does not mean there is carbon monoxide. If the unit does not respond during a test as the manual describes, replace it.
- Maintenance: Vacuum the dust off the cover every month; do not wipe it with cleaners or solvents, do not paint it (it would seal the vents), and do not remove the battery or block the vents because of a false alarm; avoid using it near aerosol sprays or hairspray; before painting, wallpapering or varnishing furniture, take it down and put it in a plastic bag.
- Battery: A chirp every 60 seconds with a flashing red light means low battery; one chirp every 30 seconds with a flashing red light is a fault signal, and if it still does this after the battery is replaced, replace the whole unit.
- Service life: The manual says that after 10 years of continuous operation from activation, the unit gives two chirps every 30 seconds to remind you to replace it, and at that point the alarm no longer detects carbon monoxide. For other brands, check the "service life" marking on the packaging or in the manual.
What to do when the alarm sounds
The manufacturer's order of steps is 1 to 4 below; this site adds one point: getting yourself to fresh air matters more than pressing the button first.
- Press the self-test / reset button (the manual lists this as the first step).
- Turn off the fuel-burning appliances and the gas supply system.
- Move immediately to fresh air: go outdoors or open the doors and windows, and count heads; do not go back inside until emergency responders have arrived, the house has been safely ventilated and the alarm has returned to normal.
- If the alarm sounds again within 24 hours afterward, repeat the steps above and have a qualified technician inspect the combustion appliances.
The poisoning symptoms listed in the manual include dizziness, headache, weakness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and confusion, like the flu but without a fever. If symptoms appear, call 119 or seek medical care. A carbon monoxide alarm does not detect smoke, fire or other gases; a smell of gas is handled differently, see what to do about a gas leak. When the seasons change or you move, you can use the home inspection checklist to check appliances and ventilation at the same time.
FAQ
If my home has a residential fire alarm, do I still need a carbon monoxide alarm?
They detect different things. A residential fire alarm detects smoke or heat, and the Kidde manual also says its alarm is not for detecting smoke or fire. A home that uses a gas water heater, gas stove or barbecue can install one separately as an extra layer of warning, but this is not a legal duty according to what this article found.
Can I install the alarm right next to the water heater?
The Kidde manual advises against it: do not install within 1.5 meters of a fuel-burning appliance, and at least 4.5 meters is recommended. Install it near the bedrooms instead.
How often should a carbon monoxide alarm be replaced?
It depends on the model. The 10-year reminder in the Kidde manual applies only to that model. The Ministry of the Interior approval standard requires the unit to be marked with a service life, so go by the date on the packaging or the unit, and test it regularly as the manual says.
Last updated: 2026-10-28
Compiled by the SOSfix editors from the public sources listed at the end, for general reference only; for your specific case, consult a qualified professional.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior regulations database (內政部主管法規共用系統): approval standard for carbon monoxide alarms and gas leak alarms (in Chinese): publication date, the 70 dB alarm sound, the low-battery voltage signal, and marking of the service life.
- National Laws and Regulations Database (全國法規資料庫): Fire Services Act, Article 6 (in Chinese): supports the duty to install residential fire alarms (paragraphs 4 and 5).
- National Laws and Regulations Database (全國法規資料庫): rules on installing residential fire alarms (住宅用火災警報器設置辦法) (in Chinese): supports that these rules cover only residential fire alarms.
- Taoyuan City government regulations database (桃園市政府主管法規共用系統): Taoyuan City fire-prevention ordinance (桃園市火災預防自治條例) (in Chinese): Article 8, places where carbon monoxide detection alarms must be installed (amended October 25, 2024).
- Kidde carbon monoxide alarm user manual (Costco Taiwan product page, document number 2529-7221-00) (in Chinese): recommended and to-avoid installation locations, number of alarms, testing and maintenance, the 10-year reminder, and alarm response. A document hosted by a retailer; the link may be taken down.
- Taoyuan County Fire Department principles for installing carbon monoxide detection alarms (桃園縣政府消防局一氧化碳偵測警報器設置原則; October 22, 2014; reposted by rootlaw) (in Chinese): point 2, "should be installed on the ceiling"; a third-party repost, and whether it is currently in force is not confirmed.
- National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior: preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, 5 principles for installing water heaters (防一氧化碳中毒 消防署提醒熱水器安裝 5 原則) (in Chinese): supports the share of poisoning cases involving outdoor-type water heaters and poor ventilation (the release does not mention alarms).
- Keelung City Fire Department (基隆市消防局): carbon monoxide poisoning prevention awareness material (in Chinese): supports that water heaters must not be installed in bathrooms or poorly ventilated places, and that a balcony with windows added counts as indoors.
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