What are the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and how does it relate to your gas appliances? How do you know if you are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and what are the symptoms you should be looking out for? Don’t worry, here at K M Maintenance we have all the answers.
What is carbon monoxide poisoning?
Carbon monoxide is emitted from faulty gas appliances such as boilers, fires and cookers. It tends to occur when fuel isn’t burning correctly, and it cannot be seen or smelt, which makes it so difficult to spot and so dangerous for people without a carbon monoxide alarm.
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, headaches, weakness and chest pain. The unspecific nature of these symptoms mean that many people overlook the cause as the flu or something similar. As a result, carbon monoxide poisoning can be lethal.
Do I need an alarm?
Carbon monoxide is invisible and has no smell. This means that the only way to detect carbon monoxide in the home is with the use of an alarm. The lethal nature of carbon monoxide means that this alarm could save your life, or the life of your loved ones.
What type of alarm do I need?
You should always purchase the best quality carbon monoxide alarm as it is more likely to be accurate, and the cheaper devices don’t emit an audible alarm sound, so they wouldn’t wake you up during the night. You should also make sure that your alarm has a quality certification stamp, such as a British Standards Kitemark.
Always fit the alarm following the maker’s instructions and make sure it is within the recommended distance from the gas appliance.
In summary, carbon monoxide is a silent, invisible killer that can only be detected by a specific carbon monoxide alarm. We would advise you to purchase an audible alarm, as this will keep you protected during the night, and to install this alarm as described by the instructions provided.