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Gas leaks happen, and as everyone probably learned in grade school, they can be deadly. So it’s essential to have a working carbon monoxide detector in the house at all times — preferably more than one. Whether you want a device that gently informs you it’s time to get the out of the house, or one that’s loud enough to wake the dead, it needs to be there.
So how do you decide on which detector you should buy? While there are a number of good carbon monoxide detectors available online these days, you most importantly need one that’s long-lasting, sensitive, and reliable. After that, however high tech or involved you want to get is mostly up to you.
What Makes a Good Carbon Monoxide Detector?
Here are a few of the factors we considered when making our selections for the best carbon monoxide detectors to buy online.
Plug-In vs. Battery: While you may be most familiar with battery-operated carbon monoxide and smoke detectors (since you likely have spent some time grumpily removing said batteries when you fry something smokey for dinner), there are also plug-in varieties that attach right to the wall. The obvious downside to these is that they will not work in case of a power outage, which is why most come with a backup battery just in case.
Smart Tech: You certainly don’t need a lot of high-tech or voice-activated features to make your carbon monoxide detector effective, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. We like smart home devices since they can often tell you in words rather than beeps when there’s an issue, as well as connect to your mobile phone and send you alerts wherever you are.
Alarm Sound and Display: Speaking of alarm sound, this is the most essential — and irritating — aspect of a carbon monoxide detector. We take into account not just the sound of the alarm, but also how easy it is to turn off, whether it can sense the exact location of danger, and whether the display can offer other information such as exact levels of CO2 or when you last had an issue.
