First Alert SCO501CN-3ST Battery Operated Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Carbon monoxide is a silent danger that can lurk in any home. It can cause serious health problems and even death.

Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is both colorless and odorless, making it impossible to detect on your own. Carbon monoxide can be released by malfunctioning appliances. When this happens in a closed, unventilated space like a house, carbon monoxide can gradually build up so much that it becomes harmful.

The best way to detect the presence of carbon monoxide in an enclosed space is with the use of a carbon monoxide detector. There are three types of detectors: biomimetic, which uses a gel that changes color in the presence of CO; metal oxide semiconductor, which uses a silica chip; and electrochemical, which has electrodes in a chemical solution that sense changes in electrical currents due to elevated CO levels.

But you need a device that does more than detect the presence of carbon monoxide. It also needs to set off an alert when levels reach a certain threshold. The type of alert can be voice-based or as a beep, but whatever you choose, make sure you won’t miss it if the alarm does go off.

• Some carbon monoxide detectors are also smoke detectors to give your home full protection. However, if you go this route, make sure you’re getting the best of each of those devices in one. Otherwise, you’ll be better off investing in separate smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• For best results, place your detector close to the area where you sleep so that it will wake you up if it goes off while you’re sleeping. It should be about five feet from the floor. If your home has multiple stories, you need one for each story.
• Infrared photoelectric sensor-based detectors tend to do a better job without false alarms than the type that uses a gel or silica chip.
• It’s important to consider how your detector is powered. Some will plug into a power outlet, while others use a battery. Battery-powered detectors can fail if the battery goes bad, but they also will continue to work during power outages.
• How you’re alerted is important. Most alarms use a tone like a beep, although some are voice-based.
• It can also be nice to be able to check the current CO levels with the press of a button. Some detectors let you see the peak carbon monoxide levels within a recent timeframe. This will help you not just see what current levels are, but whether they’ve increased to dangerous levels in recent days or weeks.­