What Are the Benefits of Carbon Monoxide Detectors?
Do you know the benefits of carbon monoxide detectors and how they can help save lives?
Suppose you have an office space, a small business, a commercial building, or are just a concerned homeowner or renter. In that case, it is critical to understand the benefits of carbon monoxide detectors and how they can save lives.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is: “a colourless, odourless, very toxic gas CO that is a product of the incomplete combustion of carbon or a carbon compound.”
Detecting CO in your home is crucial because it is highly deadly. Carbon monoxide is the ‘silent killer’ because it is nearly impossible for humans to detect on their own and doesn’t have a taste or smell.
When you breathe in CO, it enters your body through the lungs. Once it enters your body, it clings to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells and rapidly spreads throughout your entire body, causing carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Exposure to carbon monoxide results in mild symptoms at first, but they become more severe quickly, resulting in coma or permanent brain damage. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Fainting
- Confusion
- Headaches
What Appliances Give off Carbon Monoxide?
CO can come from any appliance or device that heats or burns with oil, propane, wood, diesel, or gas. Here are just a few of them:
- Generator
- Furnace
- Space heater
- Fireplace
- Grills
- Power tools
- Motor vehicles
- Stove
- Boiler
How Do You Protect Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
There are many ways you can protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning:
- Vent gas appliances correctly
- Never use camp stoves or generators inside
- Install a carbon monoxide detector in each room or floor of your building or home
- Have a technician check chimney with heating systems every year
- Change your CO detector every three years
- Regularly monitor and check your CO detectors to make sure they are in working condition.
If your carbon monoxide detector goes off, immediately go outside. Do not enter the home or building until you receive permission from emergency service responders.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors Save Lives
Carbon monoxide detectors provide early warning signs of increasing carbon monoxide levels in a building or home. The alarm helps indicate when one of your appliances is not working correctly and can warn anyone in a building before it’s too late. In addition, a carbon monoxide monitoring system can protect those who cannot respond to alarms themselves, including pets, the elderly, children, the disabled, and more.
It is critical to have a detector that can alert you of carbon monoxide leaks before it is too late. If your carbon monoxide detector goes off, open all windows and doorways to allow fresh air to circulate through the building or home, exit the building, and contact emergency services immediately.
It would be best to replace a carbon monoxide detector once it reaches its recommended replacement age. To find this information, visit the user manual or consult with the technician during installation. The recommended replacement age is every three years.
Hiring an experienced team of professionals is critical to install or replace a carbon monoxide detector in your office space or home. The team at AMPTEC has years of experience installing fire protection systems, carbon monoxide detectors, and more. We dedicate ourselves to protecting your health and safety and can install your carbon monoxide detector today.
Carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Office spaces must have a carbon monoxide detector to ensure the employees’ safety. AMPTEC’s mission is to protect Alberta residents by providing office building protection with state-of-the-art sprinkler systems, carbon monoxide detectors, fire alarms, emergency lighting, emergency generators, and more.
To schedule a free consultation and learn more about the benefits of carbon monoxide, call us today.
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