Chances are that out of all of the alarms that you have in your home, a smoke detector is more than likely one of them. However, while this is something that can keep you safe in the event of a fire, there are plenty of other dangers in your home that can cause havoc and you may not have all of the right equipment necessarily to let you know when these dangers are occurring.
Here are four of the most necessary alarms that you should always have in your home.
Carbon Monoxide
Perhaps one of the most important alarms that you should have in your home is a carbon monoxide alarm. This type of substance can build up from various things around your home such as a bad heating system, a generator, or a car that’s left running in your garage. Each year, over 400 people are killed from carbon monoxide poisoning, and over 4,000 people are hospitalized as a result of it due to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, chest pains, and dizziness. In fact, 25 states have enacted laws requiring certain residential buildings to have carbon monoxide detectors.
Natural Gas
Another important alarm that you should have in your home is a natural gas detector. This substance is perhaps the most common source of heat in the entire United States, and it is also used to help power items such as ovens, water heaters, and clothes dryers. Natural gas is often odorless in the wild; however, inside homes, an odorant is attached to the substance, which makes it smell almost like a rotten egg. Oftentimes, gas leaks are rare, but in the event one takes place, it can result in a horrible explosion. If this type of alarm goes off and you smell gas, the best thing to do is to immediately evacuate your home and call your local fire department.
Radon
One other important type of alarm that should be in your home is a radon detector. Radon is a substance that kills upwards of 20,000 people per year and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. This substance is colorless and odorless and occurs whenever naturally occurring uranium in the soil begins to decay. Whenever proper prevention doesn’t occur, radon can become trapped in a home. In the event that this happens, a licensed contractor will be able to find and seal any entry points, then install a special vent system that can expel the gas.
Radiation
A radiation detector is another important type of alarm that you should always consider having in your home no matter what. While radiation is something that occurs naturally, it doesn’t necessarily pose much of a problem for humans. On the other hand, higher concentrations of the substance can be deadly, such as those released from power plants or x-ray machines. In the event of a potential nuclear disaster, such as those that have occurred recently in Japan or back in the 1980s in Chernobyl, a radiation detector will always be an extremely useful alarm to have.
Thank you for visiting the Dyezz Security and Surveillance blog, an Austin commercial alarm system installation company. If you would like to protect your home or business contact us for a free consultation.