CarbonOne Safe – does it need to be near a window to work?

I have the CarbonOne plugged into a hallway outlet maybe 15 feet from my kitchen, nowhere near a window, and it has picked up stuff fine. Smoke from burnt toast set it off last month and the gas reading jumped when my stove burner didn’t light right. Windows don’t matter for this thing since it’s reading the air right around it, not pulling anything from outside. The bigger thing I’d watch is height. I had mine low near the baseboard at first and got way fewer readings, moved it up to a normal outlet height and it reacted faster. Plug location matters way more than window access in my experience.

Placement does matter more than people make it sound. I have a CO detector in a utility closet because that is where the outlet was, and it read basically nothing for months. Moved the same unit to a spot closer to the actual living space and it started showing small numbers now and then. Nothing alarming, but clearly the location changed what it picked up.

So I would not just grab whatever outlet is convenient. Height and distance from the source matter. A kitchen outlet stuck behind a fridge or low near the floor is not where I would put a gas detector. Windows are not the issue, airflow around the unit is. If it is tucked in a dead corner with no movement, it will be slow to catch anything.

My preference is a spot roughly at breathing height where air actually circulates, not jammed against a wall. That matters more to me than being near a window.

Placement matters more than people admit. Mine sat in a spot with dead air and never caught anything until I moved it closer to the actual source. Windows aren’t the issue, but if that kitchen outlet is tucked away somewhere weird, you’re rolling the dice.

Windows kinda matter for smoke. CO mixes in the air fine but smoke rises and can sit near the ceiling, so a low outlet in a weird corner is not going to catch it as fast.

I don’t have a window anywhere near mine either, it’s just on a normal outlet in the hallway. Been plugged in for months and it picked up a propane smell from the grill on my balcony, so the outlet spot worked fine for me. Kitchen placement should be totally okay.

Placement near a window feels like it gets repeated way too much. My parents have a CO alarm that’s been on an interior wall for years and it’s never had issues picking up anything. If the sensor is decent, the room air is the room air.

Plug it in wherever the outlet is. Mine is behind a couch with zero windows nearby and it still caught a gas leak from the stove. Window placement is overblown for this thing.

Mine is plugged into an outlet by the floor in my laundry room, no window in there at all. It’s been running for about a year and still shows readings. I think the outlet location matters more than having a window nearby.

I think the window thing is overblown. Gas isn’t going to politely drift toward a window before it reaches the detector. What actually matters more is not shoving it behind furniture where air barely moves, so if your kitchen outlet is at least somewhat open, it should be fine there.