Substance detectors everyone needs.
 

Besides smoke detectors, what other detectors should everyone have? I
ask because I have heard mixed opinions about CO detectors. Do they
make something that can sense natural gas leaks?

What about water in the basement, and can they automatically turn off
the water/gas/electricity in an emergency?

Any others?

Natural gas: matches; pilot lights; noses; maybe a (old-style) ringing
telephone;

My house had a very clever electricity shutoff. They put pvc water
supply to the bathroom in this long, round-about path around the
basement ceiling (many changes over the year, an no consolidation --
just keep adding things here and there). The last stretch was about 10
feet, with no supports, pointing right at the main service panel,
ending with a flimsy elbow (again, just hanging there), then going up
through the floor and to the sink (still no supports), mounted on a
small cabinet (not fastened down in any way). Net effect. Give the
cabinet a good kick, break the elbows, squirt the panel, kills the
power, shuts off the well pump, and quickly depreassurizes the water
system. Yay.

So, as long as I am rambling: I hear mixed opinions about smoke
detectors too (though no one official wants to admit as much out loud).
Apparently the beeping won't wake nearly any kid under 5 (though a
parent's whisper usually can), and doesn't wake a lot of adults either.
That, and the ones at work are so loud several of us have actually
considered filing OSHA complaints -- my ears ring for literally hours
after a fire drill!

Don't forget that CO is colorless and odorless. Natural gas is just
colorless, but is made to smell bad. The water and electicity probably
aren't life threatening usually -- not in the way gas would be. I long
for a water shutoff in case of broken pipes while gone on Christmas
vacation.

In article .com, "Elliott Plack, USAR" wrote:
Besides smoke detectors, what other detectors should everyone have? I
ask because I have heard mixed opinions about CO detectors.

If you have gas appliances in your home, they make sense.

Do they
make something that can sense natural gas leaks?

The human nose. :-)

What about water in the basement, and can they automatically turn off
the water/gas/electricity in an emergency?

Yes, there are water detectors available. The only ones I've seen just sound
an alarm.

Any others?

http://www.smarthome.com

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

On 17 Apr 2005 15:35:24 -0700, someone wrote:

Besides smoke detectors, what other detectors should everyone have?

There is nothing that "everyone" should have.

There are various things that SOME people might want given their
situations and their psyches.

Around here there are a lot of weekend homes. People have temperature
monitoring systems so if the heat goes out in the winter, it calls
somebody.

Our commercial properties have intrusion montoring that calls somebody
if there is an entry.

I don't have any natural gas in my house, so why would I have a gas
monitor? I do have an oil boiler, the chimney is well maintained, so
I am not worried about CO enough to have a "monitor" for it, but maybe
you are, so it would be your choice but not for "everybody"
(especially if they had a heat pump with electric backup).

At some point the line is crossed between taking REASONABLE
precautions, and being a scared rabbit living in constant fear.


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

The one everyone should have is a smoke detector. At least one for
each level of the house, preferably wired together so they all will go
off if one alerts.

After that, CO is also very important, if you have sources in the
house that burn fuels and could generate CO, ie gas/oil furnace, gas
water heater, wood stove, etc. If all you have are elec
appliances/heat pump, etc, then you still may want one if you have an
attached car garage. There are natural gas detectors too, but unless
you are smelling impaired, I think they are optional, as the gas odor
is very easily detectable.