The Importance of Installing Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Making the Decision to Get a Carbon Monoxide Detector
You want to do everything you can to protect your family. Unfortunately, there are unseen dangers that you won’t know are coming until it is too late…like carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It makes sense that you would never know it was there, but the gas is toxic and a by-product of combustion. Any appliance that burns fuel can produce the dangerous gas to levels that can make your family sick—or worse. It’s best to prepare for this unseen killer in advance so your family has ample warning about its appearance.
Things That Create CO
There are a lot of things that you use around your house that could create CO and allow it to leak inside. Cars, for example, can easily fill up a garage with CO. Fireplaces and even wood stoves create the gas as well as furnaces that operate on gas. Dryers, stoves, water heaters, and other gas operated appliances also create CO. When working properly, none of these things are generally a problem, but when something goes wrong and the CO leaks into your home and builds up, you may never know until it’s too late.
CO Injuries and Fatalities
The Consumer Products Safety Commission reported that around 200 people die of CO poisoning each year and 5,000 people are injured in some way by the same gas. These accidents happen most often when equipment is improperly used or malfunctioning in some way. When not enough fresh air flows through the house (like perhaps overnight), the CO can build up before the homeowner takes notice. With regular maintenance and inspection of gas burning appliances, there is a minimal risk for CO exposure. Sudden failures can always happen that can be life threatening.
Recognizing CO Effects
CO is a gas that inhibits the blood’s capabilities of carrying oxygen to vital organs and tissues, like the brain and heart. When you inhale too much CO, it combines with the oxygen in your body to form within the blood and doesn’t allow oxygen to be transported any longer. How quickly this happens depends on how much CO you take on and for how long. If your home has trace amounts, you can recognize it when you have mild headaches for a period of time if you don’t normally get them. You might also feel nauseous, but recover quickly when you go outside into the fresh air. These symptoms will intensify over time and you could become unconscious or experience even worse with prolonged exposure.
Getting Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Other than knowing the symptoms, the best thing you can do to combat this silent killer is to install CO detectors in your home. Place them in bedrooms, near gas operating appliances and in other recommended areas. The professionals at Moore Protection can recommend where they are best placed to protect your family from any sudden or prolonged exposure to the dangerous gas. Smoke detectors are something every home has to have, but CO detectors are something every home should also have to keep your family as safe as possible from something that can very quickly become dangerous.
