12/04/2023
So what is that household CO detector telling you when it alarms? Probably not what you might be expecting.
I was doing some research about CO levels and signs and symptoms of exposure and came across something interesting that I did not realize until now.
My initial thought about a home CO Detector was that when it sensed CO Present at a specific threshold it would alarm. What actually occurs is the sensor samples the air and tracks the amount of CO present over time. The alarm will sound when certain levels of CO are present for a specific amount of time. For example if the level gets to 150 PPM the gas would need to be present for at least anywhere between 10 to 50 minutes before it alarms (depending on the alarm).
Something to keep in mind if responding to a call for potential CO poisoning....they may have been exposed longer than they thought.
