Alarms can prevent carbon monoxide deaths

Carbon monoxide alarms can reveal silent killer


Neill O’Neill

A HEIGHTENED sense of awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide gas has been prevalent in Westport, and indeed across Mayo and Ireland, since the sudden accidental death of 20-year-old Padraig Hughes on Christmas morning.
The Trinity College student was overcome with fumes from a gas-fired boiler beneath his bedroom, when a problem occurred with the heating system in his family home while he slept, and his twin sister Emma – sleeping in an adjacent room – almost lost her life at the same time.
His heartbroken father Cathal has since issued a plea through local and national media to all homeowners, to have potentially life-saving carbon monoxide alarms installed.
The need for a reliable CO detector is universally recognised. The device looks and operates in a similar way to a standard smoke alarm, and can be battery-powered or wired to the mains. The unit works by checking the air for CO at set intervals of time – every 50 to 80 seconds for example, and they are widely available from electrical companies. 
One Irish-manufactured brand available locally comes from Ei Electronics in Shannon, who make both battery-operated and mains-powered CO alarms. Their Ei261EN model is wired to the mains, and while it requires an electrician for installation, it will operate even in the event of a power failure, thanks to the secure ten-year rechargeable lithium cell technology incorporated into the unit. These proven technology cells cannot be removed and used in other appliances, and have been designed to outlast the life of the alarm.
This alarm uses the latest generation of electrochemical cell CO sensor – which checks CO concentration every 80 seconds – and each unit is individually calibrated and tested in CO to ensure accuracy and peak performance. It can be replaced easily after five years, and an electrician is not required for this.
In instances where budgetary restraints prohibit the installation of mains-powered carbon monoxide alarms, the alternative is to install a good quality battery-powered alarm.
The Ei204EN alarm from Ei Electronics is one such unit that also uses a proven electrochemical cell type sensor to check CO concentration every 50 seconds. Battery-powered units are calibrated and tested in the same way as mains-powered alarms, and are particularly easy to install.
A reliable CO alarm should be installed in or near every room in a home that contains a fuel-burning appliance, particularly rooms where people spend a lot of time such as bedrooms, kitchens and sitting rooms. The alarms can be stand-alone units or interlinked, and a single standard CO alarm can cost between €50 – €60.

Further information on CO alarms and installation is available from Moran Electrical Services Ltd in Westport on 098 28877, and CT Electric in Castlebar on 094 9023650.