Cheap Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If Carbon Monoxide doesn't seriously petrify you then it should do, I can think of little else scarier than the idea of being slowly poisoned by a toxic gas that you can't smell, can't see, and can't taste. Over twenty thousand Americans each and every year head to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning and of those over 500 per year will die. The scariest thing about carbon monoxide poisoning is that the symptoms can often be pretty tame and can involve little more than headaches, tiredness, and dizzyness. This article will show you how to detect carbon monoxide in your home, it could save your life!

Carbon Monoxide is a toxic flammable gas which is created by the incomplete combustion of carbon, it can be created when a gas boiler becomes faulty, or it can be created by any other device which used petroleum based products, wood, or other fuels. Even open fires burning logs can create carbon monoxide. If a confined poorly ventilated space fills with carbon monoxide, for example a room without an open window, your body begins to find it difficult to take in oxygen and this cases tissue damage. If your home begins to fill with carbon monoxide you can develop headaches and begin to feel tired, often the result is you falling asleep and if that happens there is a strong chance that you won't wake up again. The symptoms of carbon monoxide are not too dissimilar to many common ailments, you could even dismiss your illness as a bug or virus. Unfortunately it is actually much more serious and anybody who contracts carbon monoxide poisoning has a strong chance of dying or causing serious long term disability.

You can't smell carbon monoxide as it has no odor, you can't see carbon monoxide as it is a completely clear gas, you can't taste carbon monoxide because it doesn't have a taste. It is a truly silent killer, and for that reason it is potentially more dangerous to you than a house fire. We all have fire alarms to protect us from fire right? Our fire alarms won't detect carbon monoxide, but a carbon monoxide alarm will. These simple devices save tens of thousands of lives every year by sounding an alarm when carbon monoxide levels get high. I have two of these alarms, I place one immediately next to my gas water heater, I place the other one in my bedroom. Thankfully it has never sounded off. You can pick yourself up a decent enough carbon monoxide alarm for around $20 and I will be recommending two affordable detectors below.

This simple yet highly effective carbon monoxide alarm by KIDDE can currently be found on Amazon for less than $20 with free shipping, and it is actually the detector that I chose when I realized how much of a gamble I was taking without one around eighteen months ago. Each alarm comes complete with three AA batteries for power and like all good carbon monoxide alarms it has a simple test/reset button so that you can ensure that your carbon monoxide alarm is working at all times. Each unit is shipped with a 5 year warranty. The alarm is very loud (I know this through testing), so you certainly won't miss it unless you are completely deaf!

Another popular and highly rated alarm is this one from BRK which is powered by 9 volt battery. This alarm has a more traditional fire alarm like look, and is probably intended to be fitting to a ceiling rather than vertically on a wall or flat surface. The manufacturers claim that the technology used in this alarm is the most accurate available. Like the KIDDE Alarm above this detector has a test button so that you can check to ensure that it is working at any time, a low battery warning to tell you when to replace the battery, and each unit is shipped with a 7 year warranty against defects. Another great value alarm at under $20 with free shipping from Amazon.