The Best Handheld & Travel Carbon Monoxide Detector

Last updated on April 4th, 2021 at 02:36 pm

You are a guy on the move. You travel a lot and spend considerable time away from your home. Yet still, you need to be safe from fire hazards and harmful carbon monoxide gases.

There are devices that could ease all the uncertainties (that at one point or another while sleeping or relaxing in your room away from home), you could be unsafe and potentially exposed to poisonous gases.

That is why we recommend you must have a portable carbon monoxide detector.

📌 Here is a quick preview of some unique portable CO detectors at very affordable prices

It would be very unfortunate for you to pay for a great vacation and end up a victim of CO. This is a very worrying trend nowadays. This story in CNN had 3 people die in carbon monoxide gas related circumstances in a hotel room.

Another article by USA TODAY shows the huge gap that exists in hotels since not many have installed carbon monoxide detectors. Mark you, carbon monoxide gas is the silent killer. (It would not wake you up to take away your life!). In another shocking report, only 11 percent of hotels and resorts in the United States had installed carbon monoxide detectors.

A couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a Mexican resort while on vacation!

On average, 25 people in the United Kingdom are reported dead each year as a result of accidental inhalation of carbon monoxide.

In Canada for example, residential areas continue to register the slowest decline in mortality and hospital admission rates for unintentional non fire-related carbon monoxide poisoning. More notable is the fact that these incidences are higher during the coolest months (November to February).

It is during these cold months that people turn to heaters. Appliances that burn fuel inefficiently increase the likelihood of CO exposure. It is therefore important to carry out maintenance on your heating appliances regularly.

What is Carbon Monoxide (CO)?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly toxic gas produced when substances burn with insufficient air. It is more dangerous since it is odorless (has no smell), colorless, tasteless and hence cannot be detected by human senses, hence earning the name silent killer.

This gas has been known to cause a lot of fatalities in residential and commercial buildings. In fact, it is the leading cause of death related to accidental poisoning.

How is it Harmful?

Carbon monoxide is very harmful when inhaled because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of the body the much needed oxygen.

Large amounts of CO can overcome a person in minutes without warning—causing them to lose consciousness and suffocate eventually leading to death.

Carbon Monoxide in the Environment

Sometimes, carbon monoxide pollution can contaminate the air quality in general. However, on a positive note, CO levels in the atmosphere have been trending downwards in the country. This gives us a reason not to worry. According to EPA, public health is protected on this front.

Also remember that carbon monoxide is harmful at high concentrations which are only possible indoors. Only persons with diseases such as heart issues should be worried about CO concentrations outdoors.

Motor vehicles is a significant contributor to high concentrations of carbon monoxide outdoors. Consequently, measures such as improved traffic flow and mandatory vehicle inspections have played a part in managing CO emissions.

Treatment of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Treatment of carbon monoxide involves the patient breathing lots of fresh air. On the other hand, hospital treatment may include breathing pure oxygen. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be recommended.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy comprises inhaling pure oxygen pressurized two to three times the norm. This is mainly to prevent damage to sensitive organs such as the brain and the heart. HBO quickly supplies oxygen to the body tissues.

The Solution is Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector wherever you go

Now assume that all those persons who lost their lives above had a portable carbon monoxide detector alongside their personal effects. I bet those persons may still be alive.

It does not occupy space in your luggage either.

A survey of many hotels indicates that a majority of them do not have carbon monoxide detectors in their rooms. Hence you cannot depend on the hotels to keep you safe.

There are high probabilities of having carbon monoxide gases in hotels according to recent research.

They can also be used at home. Some people have bought them to use them when flying.

Cases have been reported of people who got chronically ill due to the presence of undetected low concentration of carbon monoxide in their homes. You would also want to be safe during winter when the furnace is mostly in use.

Through experience, we have settled on some of the best portable carbon monoxide detectors due to their reliability and ease of use. Some of these devices have both combination of smoke and co detector giving you double protection from one device. This is great value for you.

Carbon Monoxide sensors detect concentrations of the gas in the air. Since the concentrations of CO and the exposure time are the critical determinants of the level of poisoning.

We have found these set of carbon monoxide detectors worth the attention for our readers.

#1. Kidde Battery-Operated Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector with Digital Display

It has the advantage of allowing you to see the amount of carbon monoxide detected at any given time. This is updated every 15 seconds. It is small and light enough to carry around and can be placed perfectly anywhere in your room.

Pros ✔️ Large Display enables easy reading ✔️ Peak level memory to display last highest reading ✔️ UL compliant ✔️ Battery operated with low battery alarm

Cons ❌ Only 5 – 7 year product life

#2. First Alert Battery Powered Carbon Monoxide Alarm

#3. Kidde KN-COPP-3 Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup

#4. Battery-Operated Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector – First Alert CO400 COBATT-6

#5. Sensorcon Carbon Monoxide Tester & Meter

Detect more than CO gas; Other Combustible Gases Alarm

Sometimes your interest may be more than detecting carbon monoxide gases. You may want to know when other gases are present especially if they are flammable.

Remember fire requires 3 things – oxygen, fuel and a means of ignition. Combustible gases e.g. from your cooking gas or furnace become easy fuel. Since oxygen is freely available in the atmosphere, the only required thing is a source of ignition.

This poses a dangerous situation at home. To prevent this, a combustible gas detector becomes useful. It can be a combination of both CO and other gases all in one device. We have picked 2 of the best products in Amazon and summarized for you what we liked and what we did not.

Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide and Explosive Gas Alarm with Battery Backup

SGILE Natural Gas Detector, Combustible Gas Sniffer Propane Leak Alarm

Portable Methane Propane Combustible Natural Gas Leak Sniffer Detector

Carbon monoxide enters your blood stream via your lungs. Just the same way oxygen is absorbed. However, it attaches itself to the red blood cells and changes hemoglobin responsible for carrying oxygen to important parts of the body such as the brain and the heart.

The combination of CO and hemoglobin forms carboxyhemoglobin. This compound prevents further absorption of oxygen in the body. The brain and the heart stops due to lack of oxygen and this may lead to fatality.

Besides installing CO detectors as a preventive measure, you should have regular servicing of home appliances such as cookers, boilers, heaters, chimneys and flues. Exhaust fumes should not be left to build up in enclosed spaces such as garage.

The most vulnerable groups of people to CO poisoning are babies, pregnant women and those suffering from heart and respiratory illnesses.

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Best Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector for Travel

When you are the kind of person that spends significant amount of time staying in hotels for business, conferences or holiday, safety should not be left behind.

Anything can happen anywhere anytime!

The aim is to keep safe at home but also in every location that you may be present. Most of the hotels, as part of the statutory requirements, have installed smoke alarms in the hotel rooms, conferences and restaurant facilities.

However, you will not find any CO alert installed. Carrying your own simple to plug in carbon monoxide detector while traveling can save your life.

Principal Conclusions

It is true that the number of deaths attributed to Carbon Monoxide have declined over the years. Contrary to this however, is the increase of poisoned patients being treated with hyperbaric oxygen! This is a clear indication that ventures towards CO poisoning prevention should not be relaxed.

These are the leading causes of carbon monoxide: house fire, faulty gas appliances, industrial furnaces and petrol generators. Modified exhaust systems of vehicles have been also known to leak CO inside the car.

More than 150 people die each year in the US and 50 in Canada!