4 Advantages to Owning a Carbon Monoxide Alarm

The greatest advantage of owning a carbon monoxide alarm is that it can save lives. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of death by suffocation in North America. The piercing high-pitched alarm sound, usually accompanied by flashing lights to assist hearing-impaired people, is unmistakable. Some carbon monoxide (CO) alarms display current CO levels and store records of previous high carbon monoxide levels. You can note when and where the CO levels are increasing, and take measures to fix the problem before lethal levels are reached. Learn more about the advantages of owning a carbon monoxide alarm below.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Detect What You Cannot

Carbon monoxide builds up in the air of a home when fossil fuels are incompletely burned. These fossil fuels include natural gas, oil, gasoline, propane and firewood. Not only your home heating system such as your furnace, but gasoline fumes from your car in an attached garage, and your gas cooktop, oven and clothes dryer can contribute to carbon monoxide levels in your indoor air. A fireplace with a partially blocked chimney can also play a role in increasing the carbon monoxide in your air. Because it is odorless, diffuse and tasteless, humans cannot detect CO by sight, smell or taste, but a carbon monoxide detector can detect and measure it.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Alert You to Health Symptoms

Carbon monoxide interacts more effectively with the hemoglobin in your blood than oxygen does. Your body cells and lungs become starved for oxygen, causing you to suffocate. Dizziness and feelings of nausea can affect children and adults who have difficulty breathing at low levels, down to 30 parts per million (ppm). A level of 70 ppm over 8 hours can make any adult or child feel nauseous and develop a headache. A steady CO level over 400 ppm will be lethal within 3 hours.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Can Warn of Problems Early

Every home that uses gas or oil heat and has an attached garage should have a carbon monoxide detector, with a digital measurement readout, on the main floor. In this way, the levels of carbon monoxide can be tracked. If the level of CO reaches 150 ppm on the main floor, there is undoubtedly a problem with one of the gas appliances, the gas furnace, or there is inadequate ventilation in the garage. After 1 hour of steady CO concentration at this level, the alarm will sound. You can then contact the gas company to come and inspect the gas furnace and appliances, and you can install vents and windows in the garage to allow in fresh air and oxygen. You can then solve the problem of CO buildup in your home long before it reaches fatal levels.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Help You Take Action

As soon as you hear the CO alarm, wake everyone in the house and get them outside. Open windows and doors to bring in fresh air and reduce the concentration of carbon monoxide indoors. Call your home heating company to arrange for an inspection immediately. Call 911 if any family members are dizzy, nauseous, having trouble breathing or if they faint.