Plug In Carbon Monoxide Detector

Without proper protection carbon monoxide can kill you before you have a chance to react. Known as the "silent killer, carbon monoxide can easily happen in your home. It is invisible, odorless, colorless. Carbon monoxide is produced when fossil fuels burn out completely.

Some fossil fuels in your home that can cause carbon monoxide include gasoline, wood, coal, propane, oil and methane. Heating and cooking are the most likely sources of carbon monoxide gas. dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can be produced by the vehicle running in an attached garage. However, there is a way to protect you're self against poisoning from carbon monoxide.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure

If carbon monoxide builds up in your house, you experience symptoms that you can not link to a carbon monoxide poisoning. Some common symptoms you may experience include confusion, blurred vision, fatigue, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, headache and loss of consciousness followed by death. Children, elderly, pregnant women and people with respiratory problems are more sensitive to carbon monoxide so they will be affected more quickly than healthy individuals.

Protecting Yourself

The best way to get early warning against exposure to carbon monoxide is a good working carbon monoxide detector . This can alert you to an accumulation of gas before the level become lethal. This is particularly important because you would not even be aware of the gas when you sleep without the alarm alerting you. Within minutes the alert levels can become lethal and advanced is the only way you can get out alive.

Why get a carbon monoxide detector?

Carbon monoxide can be released into your home in a variety of ways. If you are not killed by the gas, you can still experience damage to your lungs. Some items in your home that can cause carbon monoxide poisoning include fireplaces, heaters, water heaters, gas stoves, ovens, cars, grills, dryers and even nearby traffic. It is therefore important to have a carbon monoxide detector, because you never know when one of your common household appliances emits toxic levels of carbon monoxide.

Types of carbon monoxide detectors

First there are metal oxide semiconductor or carbon monoxide detectors MOS. The detector uses heated tin oxide MOS. This oxide heated will react when CO is present and a buzzer sounds to warn you. Then there are bio-mimetic carbon monoxide detectors that rely on a chemical reaction for CO causes an electric current and an alarm sounds to warn you. Finally there are carbon monoxide detectors that also use an electrochemical reaction such as chemical detectors bio-mimetic sound the alarm.

What to consider when choosing a detector

Although all tested and approved carbon monoxide detectors are ideal for residential use there are still things you should consider before buying one. Some types of CO detectors may be more sensitive to CO than others. If you want a detector that can respond to very low levels, you should purchase one with a memory. Do not get a battery operated detector unless you can check and replace batteries frequently. However, a detector batteries offer investment options more flexible than a plug-in detection.