Carbon Monoxide: A silent killer

Carbon monoxide is a deadly, colourless, odourless, poisonous gas so it's best to know what you're dealing with if you have a gas appliance. Here's the low-down on the silent killer.

Carbon monoxide (CO) could very well take you or a loved one if you don’t prepare for the worst. We’re certainly not here to scaremonger, but every year you hear of unnecessary deaths due to CO poisoning, which can be easily detected by a simple CO alarm.

Because CO is odourless, colourless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses it can kill quickly and without warning. That’s why you should invest in a Carbon monoxide alarm, which looks just like a smoke alarm, and it can easily detect when carbon monoxide is in the air - unlike you.

Looks just like a smoke alarm

So, now that we know the dangers of CO, how exactly does it get into our homes? Well, it's actually produced when fuel such as coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane or natural gas isn’t burned completely.

One of the main sources of Carbon monoxide is from faulty gas appliances, like your gas fire or oven. There are some warning signs to look for, but you can never be 100 per cent certain unless you have a CO alarm.

The lads over at Electric Ireland recommend that you should always ensure that your gas appliances and/or flues are installed and serviced regularly for safety by a Registered Gas Installer (RGI) - and not just some lad who owes you a favour.

If you happen to think you’re experiencing the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which are similar to the flu (but without the fever) and include headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness, then please go to your doctor immediately.

Carbon monoxide alarms cost just €29.99 over on the Electric Ireland store.

Even better, if you switch over to Electric Ireland for your gas and electricity before the end of May, they’ll throw in a free CO alarm for you.

For more on how to get your free Carbon monoxide alarm head over to the Electric Ireland website. And click here for more info from Electric Ireland on how to spot a CO leak before it's too late.