I want to know if there's the possiblity to install any oxygen-level monitoring system. Of course these as a safety precaution in homes to warn, beep, or at least show warnings for dangerous low-oxygen levels in closed rooms due to a gas-leak, or gas-heaters' carbon monoxide excess. Thanks
Are there oxygen-level monitoring sensors?
- Thread starter popo
- Start date
I don't think that I have ever seen anything that would be feasible in a residential situation to measure oxygen concentrations. I think you would be better off sticking to the tried and true method of using a good quality CO detector and if you had specific concerns there are also sensors for combustible gasses available also. If you think about it, for safety in your home it's not necessarily a "lack" of oxygen that is the problem, it's the build up of specific hazardous gasses that is the danger.
Hmmm...there are probably better things to test for. Have you tested your home for Radon? Its in 15% of US homes and they believe accounts for 25,000 lung cancer deaths per year. I know because my removal system was just finished about a week ago. Uranium in the ground flows up and gets sucked in your house when things like exhaust fans in your home cause a natural vacuum. Also, don't think a 48-hour test that is low means you don't have a problem. I have an electronic monitor for more than a year now, and I can tell you Radon levels change daily. A 48-hour test could read a 1.0 or a 10.0 depending on which 48-hours I tested. My average was 5.0 but a "safe" level is considered a 4.0, but lower is even better. With my new radon system, my level is about 1.2
apostolakisl
Senior Member
It just isn't possible to deplete the oxygen in a room in a residential home. These things only happen in very small very well sealed places like when a child climbs into a refrigerator. No matter how good your insulation and seals are, your home leaks way more air than is necessary to maintain oxygen at 21%.
The best place to get oxygen sensors would be medical equipment. Try ebay if you want one at a reasonable price. Anesthesia monitors and ventilators measure oxygen levels as well as co2 levels, plus all of the anesthesia gasses. You still would likely have to spend at least a couple hundred dollars.
Or you could walk around with a pulse oximeter on your finger and measure the oxygen in your blood. It should be in the mid 90's or higher.
The best place to get oxygen sensors would be medical equipment. Try ebay if you want one at a reasonable price. Anesthesia monitors and ventilators measure oxygen levels as well as co2 levels, plus all of the anesthesia gasses. You still would likely have to spend at least a couple hundred dollars.
Or you could walk around with a pulse oximeter on your finger and measure the oxygen in your blood. It should be in the mid 90's or higher.
I have one and that won't do you much good. It only indicates how good your body is at maintaining its oxygen level, not the oxygen level of the air you are breathing. Interestingly enough, these devices DON'T really measure oxygen levels at all. They are measuring the color absorption of light to your blood, which indicates how much oxygen is absorbed in your blood. Without blood, they won't do you much good.
If it's carbon monoxide you're worried about, be aware that CO will kill you long before it displaces a measurable amount of oxygen in the room.
apostolakisl
Senior Member
Actually they measure the percent of your hemoglobin (in your finger) which is bound to oxygen, which is not exactly the same thing as how much oxygen is absorbed in your blood. Pulse oxymeters are tricked by carbon monoxide since CO also binds to hemoglogin displacing oxygen. CO binds to hemoglobin more aggressively than oxygen making it hard to get rid of it once it binds. You need to breathe 100% O2 or even go into a hyperbaric chamber to get the oxygen to kick out the CO.
There is a great, fairly low-cost solution that you can find here:
Radon Monitor
I have two of these, and have had many short-term 48-hour tests, and can say that the monitor is pretty accurate. From experience, I will say this monitor reads slightly high, but its definitely in the ballpark.
This monitor will alarm is your 30-day average reading of radon is higher than 4.0 pCi/L which is the current US standard but also note that the World Health Organization only considers 2.7 pCi/L to be safe.
For a one-time, short-term test there are many test kits out there, but check Consumer Reports for its ratings on them before buying. Some are better than others. But like I said, radon levels in your house vary daily, so you really have to monitor for 6 months or longer to get a good idea of your average.
Mine is active, a fan that draws about 45 watts. I was going to automate it, of course, but probably the power savings aren't worth the exchange for the negative health effects.
A passive system is the same, but without the fan. Basically I saw my levels drop once they drilled the hole in my foundation, so maybe a passive would be enough. I will try turning off the fan and then basically I have passive.
My guess would be a passive system can cut your level in half. An active system can bring it down to 25% or less.
Thank you all for answering. Precisely, my worry was regarding carbon monoxide (To be able to sleep with fire heaters on without worrying for open windows and the possibility of choking by CO).
So if oxygen level monitoring isn't the solution. Is there something suitable to automate this and be safe withouth keeping an eye on heaters or having to shut them at night?
Thanks
So if oxygen level monitoring isn't the solution. Is there something suitable to automate this and be safe withouth keeping an eye on heaters or having to shut them at night?
Thanks
apostolakisl
Senior Member
Yup. You can get CO detectors at pretty much any big box store. Or you can go to a home security website and get one that will link to your central alarm system.
Similar threads
