CO detectors and ventilation systems in parking lots

What are the guidelines for maintaining air quality in enclosed parking garages in residential and commercial buildings?

What is a CO ventilation system for parking garages? What are CO detectors?

In enclosed parking garages, ventilation systems are installed to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, which is emitted from fuel-powered and gas-powered vehicles.

Such poisoning can occur from inhaling smoke. Sometimes, the symptoms of poisoning are difficult to diagnose and can be fatal, since carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas, making it very hard to detect in the air. Carbon monoxide detection is done using CO detectors, also known as Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

The installed ventilation and mechanical systems include air intake and exhaust vents, powered by fans that activate when CO gas is detected. These are connected to a control system linked to CO detectors, which sense carbon monoxide (also referred to as Carbon Monoxide Detectors).

If the gas level in the parking area rises above 30 PPM, the CO detector senses this and activates the ventilation system. An alert for high CO levels is also triggered.

The parking garage fans continue operating until the gas level drops below the required threshold within a defined time frame.

Maintenance

The law requires property managers to conduct a maintenance check of the system every six months for CO detectors. These inspections must include functional and accuracy checks for the CO sensors, as well as for the CO control panel and the ventilation system.

CO sensor checks must be performed by a specialized company engaged in this field using recognized methods for measuring CO levels, including using gas cylinders with an appropriate concentration.

At the end of the inspection, the property manager receives a certification to be submitted to the supervising authorities.

The inspecting company must provide documentation proving possession of hazardous materials in accordance with legal requirements, as well as a certificate verifying the gas used in testing and its concentration level.

Data Logging Requirements

According to current law, CO detector readings must be logged — either on a computer or electronic spreadsheet — and stored for at least six months. These records must be available for review by the supervising authority upon request.

Optimum Ltd. is the exclusive importer of COFEM, a manufacturer of CO detectors and CO systems for parking garages.

The company distributes and installs CO systems and CO detectors for parking ventilation and alerting purposes.

These systems are approved for installation in underground parking garages by the Environmental Protection Department of the Tel Aviv Municipality.

The CO detectors (Carbon Monoxide Detectors or CO Detectors) supplied by the company are operationally reliable in identifying CO levels and are designed for long-term use. The detectors operate with stable and high-quality communication.

Among the operational advantages are:

• Plug & Play system
• 80% installation cost savings compared to other systems
• Approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection
• Certified with European Standard UNE 23300:1984
• MODBUS communication with control systems, including historical data logging
• Built-in solution with simple and low-cost activation