FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David or Jeanne Buddingh
Buddingh & Associates, Inc.
(630) 961-4504
Time to Replace Your CO Detector for a CO Alarm
(Volo, IL May 12, 2003)When did a Carbon Monoxide Detector become a Carbon Monoxide Alarm and what difference does it make?
Five years ago, Underwriter Laboratories made major revisions to its UL 2034 Carbon Monoxide Detectors standard to improve the products performance in the field.Part of the change included renaming the standard UL 2034 Carbon Monoxide Alarms.At this time almost all manufacturers also started labeling their products Alarms instead of Detectors so they could easily track the change in the marketplace.
Any CO unit that says ‘detector’ probably does not meet the 1998 UL standard or to the other additional revisions since 1998, so it should be replaced.MTI stopped labeling its products Safe-T-Alert CO ‘detector’ over 5 years ago, according to Tom Wisniewski, president of MTI, Inc., the manufacturer of Safe-T-Alert CO alarms.
If someone’s CO unit says carbon monoxide detector it is more than five years old and does not meet today’s UL requirements.The industry agrees that the service life of an alarm or detector is 5 years.You have to remember that unlike other electronic products like TV’s or radios, these alarms work for you 24 hours a day, Wisniewski said.We strongly urge boat and RV owners to replace their old detectors with alarms and their old alarms after five years.That way they know they have the most up to date protection for themselves and their families.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause flu like symptoms to occur, and if inhaled in sufficient quantities, it can lead to severe illness or death.
The only way you know that you could be breathing CO is if your CO alarm alerts you to CO’s presence in your home, boat or RV, said Wisniewski.
MTI has been producing safety equipment for boats and RVs for 24 years.MTI is the recognized leader in the industry and, according to Wisniewski; it has the responsibility to inform the public of the latest advances and information concerning safety equipment.
All you have to do is look at the front cover of the unit.If it says Carbon Monoxide Detector, replace it with one that says alarm.If it says Carbon Monoxide Alarm you need to check the date of manufacture on the back to see if it is 5 years old.If it is 5 years old, it should be replaced, Wisniewski said.
MTI CO Alarms and other products are available at a variety of marine and RV dealers, retail outlets and on the web at www.safetalert.com.
MTI Industries has served the boating and RV industry since 1979, providing safety products to original equipment manufacturers and RV retailers across the United States.For further information on MTI Industries, contact:
MTI Industries, Inc.
31632 N. Ellis #301
Volo, IL60073
(800) 383-0269
www.safetalert.com