- Appliance maintenance
- Signs and Symptoms
- Recommendations
We’re going to dive more in depth into this.
When our winter temperatures plummet and our furnaces run for hours at a time, the risk of
carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning increases. According to the CDC, at least 430 people die in the U.S.
every year from accidental CO poisoning. Approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. visit the emergency
department each year due to accidental CO poisoning. A lot of people think they are experiencing cold and flu symptoms when in fact they have CO poisoning so the number of actual cases is believed to be underestimated.
Appliance Maintenance
Carbon monoxide happens when combustion appliances aren’t used or maintained properly, Examples of combustion appliances include space heaters, ranges, ovens, stoves, furnaces, fireplaces, water heaters, boilers and clothes dryers. Carbon monoxide is a by-product you get as the fuel is burned.
When you maintain your appliances and/or have new ones, they produce little risk of CO. However, lack of maintenance or improperly vented
appliances can produce elevated — even fatal levels of carbon monoxide concentrations in
your home. Other things that can cause elevated CO in your house are things like using kerosene heaters or charcoal grills indoors. Even running a car in a garage can
cause levels high enough to result in CO poisoning.
Signs and Symptoms
The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting,
chest pain, and confusion. People who are sleeping or who have been drinking alcohol can die from CO
poisoning before ever having symptoms. We had a customer tell us that she and her pets had been very sick since they moved into the new house. It turned out she was experiencing a high level of carbon monoxide poisoning from her furnace. Thankfully, she and her fur babies are now recovered and safe!
If you are in a space that isn’t properly vented and using a device capable of generating CO, you should consider yourself at
risk of CO poisoning. CO exposures especially affect unborn babies, infants, and people with anemia or a
history of heart disease. Breathing low levels of CO can cause fatigue and increase chest pain
in people with chronic heart disease.
Some signs that might help you notice a problem could include the following: decreasing hot water supply,
furnace unable to heat house or runs constantly, flame rolling out of the furnace, boiler or hot water
heater, sooting or black streaks coming up the wall from the vents. It’s important to educate yourself on
the warning signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide.
Recommendations
Having carbon monoxide detectors in your home or business is a MUST. The recommendations for a carbon monoxide
detector is similar to those for smoke alarms. At a minimum, each home or office should have one CO
detector on each floor. Putting it near a supply vent will help alert you more quickly but it would be helpful to have one in each sleeping area, and one in the basement.
With winter just around the corner be sure your combustion appliances and furnaces are well maintained, have them
inspected and cleaned on a regular schedule.
If any of these are something you’re struggling with or would like a professional opinion contact us here.