Carbon monoxide alarms beep or whine to alert you to the presence of potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas in your home. Many people who would never dream of going without a working smoke detector or fire alarm still don't use carbon monoxide alarms. But carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in North America, in part because you have no way of knowing that you're breathing this odorless and invisible toxic gas.

Carbon monoxide alarms have saved countless lives, and should be used in every home along with smoke alarms. The alarms will sound before the CO has built up to a level that makes people ill. Some of the earliest CO detectors often went off falsely and had problems in home use, but today's detectors are more accurate than ever.

What to Look for in Carbon Monoxide Alarms

You should only rely on an alarm that's UL listed. You'll find the UL rating on the package, indicating that it's been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratory. An alarm without this listing, or the appropriate listing for the country of sale, probably hasn't been extensively tested, and you shouldn't risk using it. Along with the UL listing, there should be a statement giving you the percentage of alarm accuracy.

Plug-in carbon monoxide alarms are the least likely to give a false alarm. They plug into any wall outlet and should have a 9-volt battery backup. You can also opt for a battery-operated version that's similar to a battery-operated smoke detector. Alarms with a digital display continually show the level of CO in your home, so at a glance you can feel secure. It's also a good idea to get a model that records the highest level reached at any time, so that you have a reading of the highest CO levels in the home in case someone does become ill.

Choose alarms with electrochemical sensors. These alarms are less likely to give false readings, because they stand up to temperature and humidity changes better that other types of sensors. They also can distinguish between CO and certain chemicals that can cause false alarms in other models. And if you can find one, choose an alarm that warns you when it needs to be replaced. It can be helpful, especially if you have children or the elderly in the home, to choose a more expensive model with a voice warning system. The unit will still beep, but the voice warning offers additional security.

No matter which kind of carbon monoxide alarms you choose, you should place them similarly to smoke alarms, with at least one on each level and near bedrooms. Change the batteries twice a year to make sure the batteries never go dead. Get in the habit of changing your smoke and carbon monoxide detector alarm batteries with your clocks in the spring and fall for daylight savings time.

About 10,000 people are treated for CO poisoning each year, and about 2,000 more die. But you can easily avoid this hazard by purchasing quality carbon monoxide alarms.

Photo Credits: are you my rik?

Related Posts

• 7 Ways to Keep Your Workplace Safe Whenever you're fixing anything around your home, it's easy to let clutter take over and pretty soon, your workspace is not only crowded, but it's potentially unsafe. The key to doing things yourself the right way is safety. Let's go over some tips on how to keep your work area......
• The Easiest Home Improvement Projects Some home improvement projects are simply easier than others, but they all make a powerful impact when it comes to increasing the value of your home. Whether you are increasing the monetary value of your home to sell it, or the aesthetic value for the sake of your own family,......
• The Hidden Danger Lurking Under Your Bed and Over Your Head When it comes to looking for trouble spots in our homes, we are generally drawn to the obvious. Plumbing systems, heating systems and the things that we see every day will get the most attention when it comes to spotting early warning signs and taking care of problems before they......
• Home Security - Don't Make Yourself a Target In 2004, the Justice Bureau released the statistics that nearly one in six homes were burgled, that 75% of all crime was related to property and that in 90% of the burglaries the burglar gained access into the home. Every 3 seconds a property crime occurs, and every 15 seconds......
• Replacing Your Smoke Alarms If you have an older home, or if you aren’t quite sure how old your smoke alarms are, it’s a good time to think about replacing them. Even if you have regularly replaced your batteries in your smoke alarms, they may become less effective as they get older. Some of......

Related Websites

• PC Anti Malware is a Rogue There are so many different areas that an average computer and Internet user must be suspicious of in their day to day use that it can seem really overwhelming. One of the most crucial of these areas is learning to identify and avoid rogue antispyware programs such as PC Anti......
• Burglar Alarms: Effectively Monitor Your Home {Today, even the safest neighborhoods are unsafe from thieves~Nowadays, even the safest neighborhoods are not safe from thieves}. Whenever there is an opportunity for them to enter a home undetected, they take it. {They do this to steal from you in order to gain some money~They do this stal your......
• Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days. Some of us are always looking to......
• Choosing the Best Closet Doors for Your Home Many people don’t realize it, but shopping for closet doors is a matter that requires a lot of thought and planning. If you need to pick out a door for your closet, you should spend time looking over all your options. You will have plenty to choose from, so don’t......
• DIY Burglar Alarm: Stop Complicating Things And Get One Security is one thing that we need to have, not only in our jobs and our finances, but also in our safety and our homes. Every person has dreamt of owning their own home, its our own personal castle where we can do anything we want without other people telling......

Online Stores

• Smoke Gas Detectors Home Security Home Improvement
• Battery Operated Lamps Home Lighting
• Smoke Detectors Smoke Gas Detectors Home Security Home Improvement
• False Eyelashes Makeup Store
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors Smoke Gas Detectors Home Security Home Improvement

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

Handy Man, alarms

Tags:

battery backup, beep, carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide alarms, carbon monoxide gas, carbon monoxide poisoning, co detectors, co levels, countless lives, electrochemical sensors, false alarm, fire alarm, humidity changes, smoke alarms, smoke detector, toxic gas, ul listing, ul rating, underwriters laboratory, volt battery