How to Get the Most from Your Carbon Monoxide Detector

Many carbon monoxide detectors that we keep in our homes aren’t keeping us as safe as they claim to be. Many manufacturing companies state that their product will protect young healthy adults from a certain amount of carbon monoxide poisoning, but that leaves quite a bit of people off the protection list.

Guidelines are not as strict as they should be, and many people are breathing in carbon monoxide under the guise of thinking their detector is keeping them safe. This can be incredibly dangerous to everyone, but especially young children, pregnant women and the elderly.

There are ways to go about making sure your exposure to carbon monoxide is minimal, and it starts with the detector. Ask questions, do some research and find one that will guarantee your protection.

Hazards of Carbon Monoxide Detectors

A huge hazard that lurks behind your everyday carbon monoxide detector, is that it probably doesn’t inform you how much carbon monoxide you’re currently breathing in, so you’re assuming that it’s none. You could be wrong.

A small, slow leak will not be picked up by your average detector. Most detectors require a certain level of leak for a certain amount of time to trigger. This means, you can breathe in small amounts of carbon dioxide for quite some time without your detector triggering.

In fact, if the leak itself varies in amount, your detector may never go off at all. Since we put quite a bit of stock in the protection that our carbon monoxide detectors are supposed to offer, that’s a scary fact.

Due to bogus regulations, our carbon monoxide detectors aren’t doing enough to protect us. When you purchase a detector, read the package in its entirety. Also, choose one that reads the amount of carbon monoxide in the air, digitally, at all times and no matter what the amount.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Maintenance

A good carbon monoxide detector will last anywhere from five to ten years, so to be safe, replace them every five. Test the alarm on it once a week, and always make sure the batteries are in working order.

Check regularly for recalls to make sure that your detector is doing everything it can to protect you and your family from CO poisoning. Keep them clean, and frequently make sure that your detectors are in good working order.

Keeping Family Safe from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A good, reputable detector that offers the amount of CO in the air digitally, at all times, will do a wonderful job of making sure you and your family are safe. Be sure to install more than one throughout your home, and if you need more peace of mind, have the fire department do an air quality test.

While it may seem like a lurking danger, if you take the right steps, you can easily take control of your family’s safety when it comes to carbon monoxide. Since manufacturers often don’t take the correct steps, it’s important that consumers know exactly what to do to lower the risk of CO poisoning.