Many Americans fall victim to carbon monoxide poisoning each year. Carbon monoxide leaks can happen due to the presence of home and office appliances and equipment. Many give off unseen until it is too late. When carbon monoxide gets inside the body, it can cause severe complications and even lead to death.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas that is formed whenever fuel is burned. It cannot be seen and doesn’t taste and smell. It goes off on people at high speed. Appliances run by natural gas, kerosene, charcoal, or other fossil fuels will more likely to cause poisonous carbon monoxide emissions.
Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?
Carbon monoxide is highly fatal, which is why being able to detect it in your office or home is very important. It is often called “the silent killer” for the mere reason that it is very hard for a person to sense on their own. As it enters the body through the nose, it sticks to your red blood cells and deprives your body of oxygen after going through your lungs causing chronic illnesses. Exposure to a great amount of carbon monoxide gas can lead to sudden death.
What are the Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
Being aware of the common signs of carbon monoxide poisoning can help you respond immediately in case of an emergency situation. Here are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning in the common order of onset:
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- weakness
- feeling ill
- headache
- dizziness
- Breathing difficulty
- nausea
- chest pain
- vomiting
- blurry vision
- hallucination
- unconsciousness
- death
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What does a carbon monoxide detector do?
Carbon monoxide detectors are the quickest way to get away with CO poisoning. You can put up one or several carbon monoxide detectors in your house or office rooms. They function like a smoke or fire alarm by going off a warning bell when the devices recognize carbon monoxide. The following are the key features of a carbon monoxide detectors:
1. Carbon monoxide detectors are devised to give off an alarm when high levels of carbon monoxide are detected but before they go over the life-threatening levels. They have been regularly improved to guarantee their quality and effectiveness within the safety standards for CO detectors.
2. Carbon monoxide detectors are mounted with an addressable smoke detection system that provides knowledge of the exact location. It enables them to detect a fire even from distances such as your house garage or workplace basement going off a siren throughout the area. The alarm that goes off real-time can save many lives every single minute during a fire breakout.
3.Carbon monoxide detectors can be installed together in your house or work areas – that is if one alarms the other connected units all will go off. This interconnection functionality can help provide emergency alert to your other family members and co-workers before the fire can get completely out of control. Even if the breakout is detected in the garage or basement, people in other rooms or upstairs will hear the alarm. Thus, the detectors are not only designed for a single detection device, but also made by control equipment.
Carbon monoxide detectors are being sold in a wide selection of models to match the specific needs of the home and business owners. Some units may have visual signals, test switches, and some other features. It would be better to purchase a detector that tracks the accumulation of CO in the air. These detectors make it easier for a professional gas technician to diagnose the source of the leaks and immediately fix the root of the issue.
Where should a carbon monoxide detector be placed?
Once you have purchased your carbon monoxide detector unit, the next important thing to consider is where to install it within your house or office. The first thing to bear in mind is that it shouldn’t be set up above a gas-burning appliance. This type of appliance releases a significant amount of carbon monoxide, so the concentrations of CO in the areas are considerably higher and may give you a mixup of carbon monoxide in the places.
Other Precautions to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide detectors matter when preventing carbon monoxide poisoning. However, many other precautionary measures should be taken as well to completely ensure the prevention of carbon monoxide emissions. Here are a few measures you can take when operating fuel-burning appliances in or around your home or office:
– Ensure that your fireplaces, gas range, and other fuel-burning equipment are properly unplugged.
– Have a professional technician periodically check your appliances or other equipment.
– Avoid using charcoal grills inside your home or office spaces, even with the doors widely open. The reduced air pressure inside the rooms can cause any CO concentrated in your areas to get into your spaces.Do the necessary adjustments on fuel-burning appliances immediately and do not use them unless they are properly functioning.
– Do not turn on gas-powered appliances or vehicles into the interior areas.
– Run your vehicles in your garage with the garage door open.
– Do not heat your house with a gas oven.
Carbon monoxide detector is an important home and office device. It is extremely essential to guard yourself against exposure to CO poisoning as more cases are recorded each year. A unit of carbon monoxide detector can mark a significant difference between becoming an additional statistic or safely getting away from high-risk areas. It will be a more regular incident than many think and it can be fatal in both residential and commercial spaces.
If your smoke detector is tied into your alarm system, you might see if your alarm company has someone who can inspect and replace the smoke detectors that are failing. You might also be able to obtain replacement smoke detectors from the manufacturer if yours have failed. If they are under warranty, contact the manufacturer and see if it will send you new ones.
What can you do now? It’s best to contact a home warranty store and check out if they would back you with an after sale service or replace the unit when necessary.
If you need any immediate and high quality installation and repair services, To check out what Electricians Service Team has to offer.
For more information on the importance of carbon monoxide detectors and how to use these devices to keep your family, employees, or customers safe, contact the team today.
