Are Carbon Monoxide and Gas Detectors the Same?
We recently received a call from a woman who told us that her carbon monoxide detector didn’t pick up her gas leak. She was concerned that she’d be suffocating in her bedroom.
Carbon Monoxide is a poisonous gas that comes from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gasoline. When it enters the lungs it binds to areas that take in oxygen and can cause severe symptoms. People who have carbon monoxide poisoning often experience dizziness, drowsiness, a decrease in concentration and even forgetfulness and can even die from it in their sleep!
Are Carbon Monoxide and Gas Detectors the Same?
On the other hand, CO2 is an odorless, colorless and incombustible gas that naturally occurs in the atmosphere. It is toxic at higher levels and can be dangerous when Gas detection Australia is present in confined spaces such as factories, machine shops, breweries, and construction sites.
Detection Technology
Both gases are absorbed by infrared sensors but the concentration levels of these substances vary greatly. Infrared sensors are most commonly used to detect CO2 in industrial applications and RC Systems offers several different types of carbon dioxide sensors that use non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology.
The sensors direct infrared radiation from a light source to the gas that is being detected. The infrared radiation then passes through specialized filters that block wavelengths not specific to the gas being measured. The resulting concentration of the gas is then converted into an intensity reading that can be converted into a signal that can be transmitted to the control panel.
