Carbon monoxide gas is colorless, odorless, and nearly impossible to detect unless you have a carbon monoxide detector so by the time you realize it’s there, it’s often too late. To make sure this deadly gas is detected in time and you remain safe you need a trustworthy alarm.

Where your detectors and alarms are placed is a key element in ensuring they work at their optimum ability. In this newsletter, we will provide a ‘know all’ about carbon monoxide alarms and their placement to get maximum protection for you and your home.

First, where is carbon monoxide found? This deadly gas can, unfortunately, be found in a lot of our home appliances . as we said its color and odorless which makes it very dangerous. If you don’t have a CO detector installed, there is no way of knowing its there until it's too late and you have already been affected 

Starting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are dizziness, vomiting, and fever—however they are similar to those of the flu, so you may not recognize the severity of the carbon monoxide poisoning straight away. And while taking a nap is a good way to fight the flu, it can be risky when you have carbon monoxide poisoning as the deadly gas is always leaking unless you have a good quality carbon monoxide alarm in your home.

This deadly gas affects not only us but our beloved furry friends too. In the case of being in the presence of carbon monoxide gas, you should vacate your home immediately, go into the fresh air and take some good deep breaths of clean air, and call emergency services (999). The experts will assess your home and identify the source of the CO leak. These experts will let you know when your home is safe again.

In the home we have a lot of appliances that can emit carbon monoxide. Particularly the ones that burn natural gas for fuel. A number of things in your home can be sources of carbon monoxide. They include:

Carbon monoxide is less dense than air so it tends to rise. This is important to note for when you install your CO alarm, you want to place it high up.  

When the alarm goes off DO NOT ignore it. this little beeping is life-saving 

To make it simple there are responders in the CO alarm that detect when the air concentration is out of sync—the higher the concentration, the faster the alarm will respond. If levels are high, the alarm detects them in a quick time(as quick as 4 minutes!). Being exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide can bring symptoms on quickly, take action can be the difference between life and death. 

If your alarm sounds and you or your family members are experiencing symptoms, you should:

For the best working CO alarm you should place it 1 metre away from high-risk appliances but no further than 5 meters away to ensure its working capacity. You should have a CO detector outside every bedroom in your home so it has a better chance of waking you up if a leak happens while you’re asleep.

If you place your CO detectors near open windows and doors the fresh air will prevent your alarm from working accurately. This puts you and your family in danger. Another way the alarm won't detect carbon monoxide is if you place it in areas of your home where air doesn't reach as much. Also, don't cover your alarm with objects. This prohibits the optimum working rate. Review the manufacturer’s instructions that came with your device for additional information about where to place your CO alarm 

This is all subjective, depending on the size of your home, how many rooms and how many appliances you have that may be at risk.

For example, if you are an owner of a smaller home perhaps an apartment one CO detector outside your main bedroom might be enough. If you have a multi-level home with several bedrooms, you’ll need several more CO detectors for each room to ensure ultimate safety.

Here's a good guide to knowing how many CO detectors your home needs

As part of the GoKonnect smart house alarm system CO alarms are included. They can communicate with other smart systems in your home. Which is a great help for you. These Smart detectors will send notifications to your phone if your CO detector detects a gas leak.Even if you're away like at work for example but your animals are still inside, you can call 999 right away to help them and save your home.

Some smart detectors — like GoKonnects smoke alarm can even be connected to a professional monitoring service. This means that your smart house alarm can automatically call the fire brigade and emergency services if the alarms report an issue. This keeps you and your family safe, which is our top priority!

Keep your family safe with a GoKonnect smart combo of detectors

Nobody wishes to have a carbon monoxide leak or a house fire but it is important to be prepared in case of a tragic accident. If an emergency ever does happen, having reliable smoke alarms and CO detectors can help you react to it as quickly as possible so you can keep yourself and your family safe and save your home.

GoKonnects combination of a CO detector and Smoke alarm can take your security a step further. You’ll get professional monitoring from us, and our team will send help if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off and we can’t reach you.

Reach out to GoKonnect smart house alarm today and our friendly, expert staff will answer all your questions about security systems and smart home installation. Give us a call today at tel:042 933 3365 .