If you are searching for a Carbon Monoxide alarm you will find that there are different types available and can vary quite a lot in price. These price difference could raise the question of which you should be buying.
The cheapest alarms available are not alarms as such but detectors that change colour when the presence of CO gas is recognised. These will not give off any warning and will need to be checked regularly. They are quite cheap however, usually costing under five pounds.
A basic, battery operated alarm will cost a little more but the extra expense is worth it. This alarm will emit a warning sound when it detects any gas in the air and you will not have to keep a constant check on it. For the added five or ten pounds over a spot detector, the investment is very worthwhile, especially as most detectors have a life of around seven years.
The next step in price, usually means have some kind of digital display in which you can monitor the level of CO gas in the air. Some levels are not enough to be a high danger and will not emit a warning sound, but seeing what levels are in the house and keeping an eye on them, could help divert any problems before they start. If, for instance the CO level is slowly increases over a number of days but not quite high enough to trigger an alarm, you will know. These also tend to be battery operated and the higher priced ones could have a life of around ten years instead of seven.
The more expensive ones again tend to be ones in which you can hard wire into your electrical system. This means you will not have to be reliant on batteries or worry about testing or replacing them when they run out. A hard wired alarm will need to be installed by a competent electrician and offer you peace of mind that it will always be on.
Deciding on which one to buy and what price to pay will be dependant on you and the type you are most comfortable with. They all do a similar job and having any one in the house that has no alarm at all is a step in right direction to protecting yourselves and any family members. It will be up to you to make a decision about whether you want battery operated, hard wire, a digital display or one with basic functionality.
