Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. If deadly carbon monoxide toxins build up in your home, it will cause severe illness in you, your family, and your pets. If nothing is done, these toxins will kill you. There are many household products and appliances that can produce carbon monoxide.

If you don’t have smoke detectors installed strategically around your home, you risk not being aware of a house fire until it is too late. This puts you, your family, your pets, and your property at risk. Early warning of a house fire can give you and your family enough time to get what you need and get out of the home to safety. To avoid these dangers, call us for smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector installation service in Newnan, GA:

• Smoke inhalation
• Burns
• Severe injury
• Death
• Loss of personal property
• Smoke and fire damage to property
• Expensive repairs
• Illness
• Extensive and/or permanent mental and physical damage

It’s important to be aware of the items in your house that could be sources of carbon monoxide fumes. Many common household appliances can produce deadly carbon monoxide fumes. This includes:

• Wood burning stoves and fireplaces
• Fireplaces
• Portable heaters
• Charcoal grills
• Gas dryers
• Gas water heaters
• Gas furnaces
• Vehicles
• Heaters fueled by natural gas: wall heaters, space heaters, boilers, and heat pumps

Unless your cooling system uses a heat pump that is powered by natural gas, your cooling system is not a source of carbon monoxide fumes. Neither are any home appliances powered by electricity; for instance, electric dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, or electric water heaters.

There are three different types of smoke detectors you can install in your home: ionization, photoelectric, and a combination or dual detector. Here’s a look at each one:

• Ionization smoke detectors – These monitor ions, or electrically charged particles. As smoke particles interrupt the electrical balance in the air, the alarm can sense a change in electrical balance. If that change reaches a certain level, the alarm will sound. Ionization smoke alarms can detect flaming fires slightly earlier than photoelectric smoke detectors.

• Photoelectric smoke detectors – These use a beam of light and a light sensor. As smoke particles change the amount of light that reaches the sensor, the sensor will react and cause the alarm to sound. They detect smoldering fires and fires that have started in remote parts of the home much earlier than ionization detectors.

• Dual detectors – These use both sensors combined for the maximum protection from smoke and fire. They are slightly more expensive but can offer advanced warning for both flaming and smoldering fires.

When toxic carbon monoxide fumes enter the body, they immediately begin restricting the oxygen flow to your tissues and organs. If you aren’t immediately removed from the source of exposure and given treatment, your brain, heart, and lungs will begin to lose function. The earliest symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Upset stomach
• Chest pain
• Confusion

It’ important to also know about symptoms associated with prolonged exposure. With prolonged or repeated exposure to carbon monoxide toxins, you can experience:

• Memory impairment
• Auditory or visual hallucinations
• Speech problems
• Depression
• Intellectual deterioration
• Decrease in emotional stability
• Personality changes
• Low energy or disinterest in activities
• Suicidal ideations
• Insomnia