Battery Operated Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning

The symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to those of a viral infection, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, sore throat and dry cough. The seriousness of the poisoning depends from the concentration of CO in the air and the duration of exposure.

• At 50ppm (parts per million), an exposure for longer than 30 minutes will start to affect your health.
• At 200ppm you will get a slight headache after 2-3 hours.
• At 400ppm strong frontal headache, becoming widespread after 3 hours.
• At 800ppm Dizziness, nausea, convulsions, insensible after 2 hours.

What is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon Monoxide is created as a by-product of incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon such as wood, gas, oil, etc. It occurs, if boiler flues get blocked, chimneys are not swept regularly or if gas flames are not correctly adjusted. As Carbon Monoxide (CO) cannot be smelled or tasted the increase in CO concentration goes unnoticed. However, even slight increases of CO have serious health implications. You, therefore, need a carbon monoxide detector to alert you if you have CO in your building. If your detector goes off, switch off all fuel burning appliances, open all windows and leave the building. You then need to contact the relevant authority / emergency helpline for the fuel type you are using.

How do Carbon Monoxide Detectors display the presence of CO?

There are largely two alternative ways for a carbon monoxide alarm (CO alarm) to display the presence of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide:

• LED warning lights together with an alarm siren
• Digital display of actual CO concentration readings and an audible alarm when dangerous levels are reached.

CO detectors with LED display will only trigger an alarm at over 50ppm (number of CO molecules per million air molecules), a level that ignores the damaging impact of long term lower concentration exposure, believed to be somewhere around 20ppm. This limitation is unfortunately cast in iron by a British Standard.

CO detectors with digital display, while still only audibly alarming at over 50ppm, will at least display the actual CO concentration, even at very low concentrations such as 10ppm. Some of them, will even allow you to read the maximum concentration of CO the detectors has measured since the last query by pressing a button.

Portable CO Alarms

Portable carbon monoxide detectors allow you to protect yourself against CO whilst traveling. Alarms must have a specific certification for travel (BS EN 50291-2: 2019); those that have this certification are appropriate for travel. This is essential as you may encounter different environments and accommodations with varying levels of CO risk. Carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for more than 100 deaths annually and in travel destinations there may be fewer regulations in place, which increases the risk of CO exposure. Ensuring safety at home is crucial, but when camping or on a trip you are leaving that protection behind. Portable CO alarms offer a mobile safety precaution against CO in unfamiliar places. These alarms are highly convenient due to their versatility and can be easily moved and positioned wherever needed in your living space whilst on holiday.

Whether you're staying in a hotel, holiday rental, caravan, or visiting friends and family, having a portable CO detector ensures that you can monitor the air quality and detect any dangerous levels of carbon monoxide promptly. Portable CO detectors are compact and easy to use, making them an essential addition to your travel safety gear. By including a CO detector in your travel plans, you are taking crucial steps towards ensuring safety and a worry-free trip.