The Benefits of Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors play a very important role in the home. They are designed to detect dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide, or CO, gas in the air. This gas has no odor, nor is there any way to see it, yet its molecules bind to the hemoglobin in blood, depriving your body of oxygen. It is therefore poisonous and deadly. If you donβt already have CO detectors at home, contact your Los Angeles electrician at Express Electrical Services for professional installation.
Here are some reasons you need carbon monoxide detectors:
- Early warnings: CO detectors can detect trace amounts of gas. They are also loud. The piercing alarm can be heard throughout a home and can wake anyone who is sleeping. If carbon monoxide levels start to increase, the alarm can provide ample warning and give everyone enough time to escape.
- Many home appliances are known CO sources: A gas water heater, fuel-fired furnace, gas stove, dryer, or vehicle such as a car, lawnmower, or snowblower can release carbon monoxide if it malfunctions. Essentially any heat-producing appliance can be a CO source, so an alarm can provide indication whether your appliances are working properly.
- The alarm will sound before anyone has symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: The first signs of a problem include headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and confusion. You might feel like you have the flu. Prolonged and heavy exposure to CO can cause loss of consciousness and death; there may be no advanced symptoms if you are asleep.
- Accurate alarms can detect accumulating CO levels: If carbon monoxide levels accumulate over time, the alarm can detect this before most people would have symptoms. Higher accuracy alarms use electrochemical sensing, which helps alert people sooner so they get out of harmβs way.
- CO gas leaks can be detected early: Carbon monoxide monitors should be placed near appliances such as gas hot water heaters, where poisonous gas is most likely to come from. If the alarm sounds, you can open nearby windows, cut power to the appliance quickly, and/or get outside to avoid danger.
- Stability in changing environmental conditions: The electronics of carbon monoxide alarms are stable over changing temperatures and humidity levels. This prevents false alarms and protects internal components from failure. Your alarms can therefore be reliable during any season and no matter what the weather outside is like.
Modern carbon monoxide detection systems include central monitoring that alert you of a problem even if youβre not home. The security alarm doesnβt even need to be activated. It can even contact first responders automatically. A wired and battery back-up combination alarm can alert you whether there is a carbon monoxide, smoke, or fire condition as well as if the battery is low. With alarms connected to your electrical system, the concern of device failure due to a low battery is minimized.
Interconnected monitoring systems offer an additional level of safety, especially to those who cannot respond properly to the alarm. It can protect the elderly or disabled, as well as children, pets, and those who have been exposed to carbon monoxide and are exhibiting symptoms of CO poisoning.
Call an Emergency Electrician in Los Angeles
If your CO detectors arenβt working, you donβt have any, or you suspect a carbon monoxide leak, contact Express Electrical Services right away. We are available 24/7 and can respond in 60 minutes. Our trained technicians can identify the source of the problem and take measures to mitigate the dangers. Call us at 805-250-5807 for immediate help.