How Does A Carbon Monoxide Detector Work?

By Author: Ron Grosso
Total Articles: 3698
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Having any level of carbon monoxide or CO in your home can be dangerous. So what is the best way to protect your family from carbon monoxide? Your first line of defense is to make sure carbon monoxide never gets into your home in the first place. In order to do this you should have at least one CO detector installed in your home. But how exactly do these detectors work?
Carbon monoxide detectors work by sounding an alarm after they detect a build-up of carbon monoxide over time. If you are exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide you can experience harmful effects in just a short period of time. You can also become sick if you are exposed to lower levels of carbon monoxide for a long time period. A continuous power supply is required in order to run a carbon monoxide detector, so the alarm is ineffective when the power is cut off. For this reason there are models available that have a batter back-up power source. Visit Resculite online to view their huge online selection.
CO sensors come in three basic types: metal oxide, biometric and electrochemical. Each of these technologies may have performance differences, ...
... but all carbon monoxide detectors have been tested and approved for their form of operation. So no matter what carbon monoxide detector you choose and how it operates it will be effective. The cost of a carbon monoxide detector will likely relate to the number of features that are included in the detector and the warranty conditions offered by the company.
First there is the metal oxide semi-conductor or MOS. This is the first technology that was developed for detecting CO. It uses heated tin oxide to react with CO in order to determine a toxic level of carbon monoxide gas. These types of CO detector need to connect to house power. Some models do come with up to twenty hours of battery backup in the event of a power outage at your home.
Then there is the biometric type of carbon monoxide detector. These use a gel-coated disc that darkens when carbon monoxide is present. When the color changes the unit will sound an alarm. These carbon monoxide detectors use a less expensive form of technology. They can be both power and battery operated depending on what you need.
Finally there are electrochemical carbon monoxide detectors. These are most common now. There is an internal chemical reaction with the carbon monoxide which creates an electrical current and thus sets off the alarm. These detectors have highly sensitive and accurate readings at all range of carbon monoxide levels. Many of these units have a continuous digital readout and a memory feature that provides you with the option of check past carbon monoxide levels so you can determine if there is buildup over time.