It’s time to fire up the heaters and furnaces now that the holidays are rolling in. Or it might be time for heater repair El Paso. Either way carbon monoxide needs to be taken seriously. Carbon Monoxide (CO) should be checked every year during your annual maintenance and after every heater repair or furnace repair El Paso. If you’re doing the maintenance yourself, a $1000 meter might be out of the question. If you’re not going to call a professional air conditioning repair company, make sure you at least pick up an inexpensive CO meter for the whole house. These can be found at most big box stores. Below is some helpful information about Carbon Monoxide (CO)
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas produced by burning gasoline, oil,
wood, kerosene, charcoal, even natural gas. Normally, the amount of CO in your home’s air
isn’t harmful. Sometimes, however, CO concentrations reach dangerous levels. Because you
can’t smell it or see it, you don’t know there’s too much of it until you’re sick. But CO can
kill. Here are some ways to keep your family safe.
First, know the symptoms of CO illness.
Mild CO levels cause loss of concentration,
headaches, dizziness, weakness,
fatigue, and impaired vision. As the
amount of CO increases, so do the
severity and danger of symptoms: rapid
breathing, chest pain, and nausea. At
higher levels (150–200 parts of CO in a
million molecules of air, according to the
US Consumer Product Safety Commission;
www.cpsc.gov) and longer
exposure, people become disoriented,
lose consciousness, and can die.
What to Do If You Have Symptoms
If you have symptoms like the ones
described above, and they happen only
when you’re in the house, it may be CO.
Open all the doors and windows, turn
off all combustion appliances, and get
out of the house. Go to the nearest
emergency room and tell them you
think it might be CO poisoning.
When you return home, keep the
windows open so there’s plenty of fresh
air, and call a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) professional to
inspect your system for leaks, especially
if your furnace is gas- or oil-fired.
Bring in other professionals to look at
gas stoves, water heaters, and dryers;
wood stoves, fireplaces, and space
heaters—anything that burns fuel. The
inspection should include vents, ducts,
chimneys, and flues. When everything is
inspected and problems are fixed, have
your HVAC contractor come back and
sample the air in your home.
In fact, you should do this at least once a
year. As the saying goes, “An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Other Steps You Can Take
Any appliance that burns fuel should be
vented to the outside. Some people use
unvented gas and kerosene space heaters.
These can be dangerous! Be sure to read
and follow the manufacturer’s instructions
carefully. Still, leave the windows open a
bit so there’s enough fresh air to dilute the
carbon monoxide. Don’t sleep in a room
heated with one of these devices. You
won’t feel the early effects of exposure,
which can lead to unconsciousness and
death.
Never burn charcoal in the house! Not
even in the fireplace or an attached garage.
And it’s a good idea to keep a window
open when you’re using a wood or gas
fireplace. Wood fires (even when the
damper is open) and gas logs can spread
CO into the room.
Never use your gas oven to heat the house,
and never idle a car in the garage, whether
or not the garage door is open. CO can
seep into the house.
Pay attention to the symptoms of CO
poisoning. Don’t assume you have a cold or
the flu, especially if they occur every time
you’re in the house or other people are
feeling them, too.
CO Monitors—Another Line of Defense
For added protection from carbon monoxide,
have a CO monitor installed.
There are several different kinds on the
market. The simplest is a chemically
activated patch that changes color just
before the concentration of CO reaches a
dangerous level. These have to be replaced
regularly.
Electrically powered warning devices trip
an alarm when CO exceeds a pre-set level.
Many cannot discriminate between a short duration,
non-hazardous condition and a
prolonged condition that poses real danger,
however. Consider a system that measures
both the duration of CO contamination and
the concentration of the gas. Some CO
sensors automatically shut down fuel burning
equipment when the carbon
monoxide concentration is too high.
You spend more than a third of your life in
your home. Doesn’t it just make sense to
ensure that your indoor air is healthy?
Regular check-ups for appliances and a
carbon monoxide monitor are well worth
the investment. Talk to your professional
HVAC contractor. He’ll be happy to tell you
about all the options available to you.
