Does a heating oil furnace need a CO detector same as a natural gas furnace?

carbon monoxide detector does detect natural gas image

uscgvet

We have an old furnace in our church that uses heating oil. I know that a furnace that uses natural gas needs to have CO detectors around the building. What about the heating oil? Does it have the same risk of leaking carbon monoxide? Thanks.

Answer
Any time you burn a hydrocarbon it makes CO. Heating oil furnaces are simpler so there is less likely hood of a leak. Also if there is a leak the exhaust from a heating oil furnace has a much stronger smell(think diesel truck) so it is easier to detect. If you are worried at all though it doesn't hurt to install a few just to be safe. They are fairly inexpensive.

How do you detect natural gas leak?

verset

This is probably a stupid question, but I've been an electric user all my life! I just moved to a house that uses natural gas for stove and water heater.

Does a Carbon Monoxide detector detect a slight natural gas leak? I ask because I was cleaning behind by range/oven, and I could smell a faint odor of what I think is natural gas. If there was a small small leak, would the carbon monoxide detector catch it?

Answer
The 2 answers above are correct. Before calling gas company you might want to see if pilot lights are all lit( if it has flame style pilot light). If a pilot light has blown out you will get a slight smell of gas because it is not being burned. If you have a newer style stove that clicks when you turn it on ( electronic ignition) then there won't be a standing pilot light and you probably have a gas leak.

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