A Carbon Monoxide Alarm Works By Constantly
Monitoring You Home For Dangerous Levels Of Carbon Monoxide
Ralph Winn
In the United States, over 10 thousand carbon monoxide injuries
occur annually. According to the Journal of the American Medical
Association, "There are approximately 2,100 unintentional deaths
from carbon monoxide (CO) every year in the U.S."
But, do you know what carbon monoxide is, where it comes from,
or how to protect yourself and your family? Knowing these
things can greatly lower the chances of an injury or death from
carbon monoxide. The Journal of the American Medical
Association goes on to say, "the use of a carbon monoxide alarm
could potentially prevent many of these fatalities."
What is carbon monoxide, and where does it come from?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and
poisonous gas, which is slightly lighter than air and forms
when fuels burn incompletely. In layman's terms, it is produced
when any fuel-burning object doesn't completely burn the gas
supplied to it.
Carbon monoxide can be produced from any burned fuel,
including: Gasoline, Propane, Natural Gas, Wood, Oil and Coal.
The household appliances that are most likely to cause carbon
monoxide poisoning are: Furnaces, Gas Stoves, Clothes Dryers,
Water Heaters and Space Heaters.
How do you protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning?
Now that you know what carbon monoxide is and where it comes
from, you need to know how to protect yourself and your family
from its deadly effects. Common sense tells us to be sure that
fuel burning appliances are properly installed and to regularly
check that they are functioning properly. But, installing a
carbon monoxide alarm in your home is the best way to ensure
your protection against this odorless poison.
A carbon monoxide alarm works by constantly monitoring you home
for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, and if it discovers
these levels, the carbon monoxide alarm sounds a signal and
possibly even alerts the fire department. Air-borne substances
and air temperature levels don't cause false alarms, because
they have no effect on a carbon monoxide alarm.
When shopping for an alarm, remember to only purchase a carbon
monoxide alarm that is approved by the Underwriters
Laboratories (UL). A carbon monoxide alarm can have many
different features, most of which are optional. The one
must-have carbon monoxide alarm feature is AC power with a
battery backup. The optional carbon monoxide alarm features
are: digital read out of carbon monoxide levels, home security
system integration and smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm
hybrid unit.
The number of carbon monoxide related deaths and injuries are
enough to frighten anybody, but installing a carbon monoxide
alarm can protect you and your family from this unfortunate
fate.
About The Author: Ralph Winn has over 32 years of experience in
the security industry. Throughout his career, he has developed
cost effective security programs for numerous small, medium,
large commercial and government properties and for many
nationally known corporations.
http://www.homesecuritystore.com
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