How to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Leaks in Your Home

Cold temperatures lead homeowners to secure their homes and crank up the thermostat, expanding the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure. About 50,000 people in the U.S. visit the emergency room every year as a result of unintended CO poisoning, and more than 400 people die.

This odorless, tasteless, colorless gas is a result of incomplete combustion, which means it’s created each time a material is combusted or used for fuel. If the appliances in your home rely on natural gas, oil, propane, kerosene, wood, gasoline or charcoal, you’re vulnerable to CO poisoning. Find out what happens when you breathe in carbon monoxide emissions and how to lower your risk of exposure this winter.

The Risks of Carbon Monoxide

Commonly called the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide is lethal because it prevents the body from processing oxygen properly. CO molecules dislodge oxygen that’s part of the blood, depriving the heart, brain, lungs and other vital organs of oxygen. Large amounts of CO can overwhelm your system in minutes, triggering loss of consciousness and suffocation. Without immediate care, brain damage or death can occur.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can also occur slowly if the concentration is relatively modest. The most common signs of CO exposure include:

• • Headaches

• • Dizziness

• • Weakness

• • Fatigue

• • Nausea

• • Vomiting

• • Chest pain

• • Confusion

Since these symptoms resemble the flu, a lot of people don’t learn they have carbon monoxide poisoning until moderate symptoms progress to organ damage. Look out for symptoms that decrease when you leave the house, suggesting the source might be somewhere inside.

Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips

While CO exposure is frightening, it’s also entirely preventable. Here are the ideal ways to protect your family from carbon monoxide exposure.

Operate Combustion Appliances Properly

• • Don’t run your car engine while parked in a covered or partially enclosed building, like a garage.

• • Never use a generator, lawn mower or other gasoline-powered tool in a confined space like a basement or garage, regardless of how well-ventilated it might be. Also, keep these devices at least 20 feet away from open windows, doors or intake vents.

• • Never use a charcoal grill or portable camping stove within a home, tent or camper.

• • Keep all vents and flues free of debris that could lead to a blockage and cause backdrafting of carbon monoxide emissions.

Install, Test and Replace the Batteries in Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If you ever use combustion appliances in or close to your home, you should add carbon monoxide detectors to notify you of CO emissions. These alarms can be hardwired, battery-operated or plugged into an outlet according to the style. Here’s how to make the most of your carbon monoxide detectors:

• • Install your detectors properly: As you consider potential locations, remember that a home does best with CO alarms on each floor, near any sleeping area and adjacent to the garage. Keep each unit away from combustion appliances and sources of heat and humidity. The higher on your wall or ceiling you can put in your detectors, the better.

• • Review your detectors consistently: The majority of manufacturers recommend monthly testing to confirm your CO alarms are functioning like they should. Just press and hold the Test button for 5 to 20 seconds, wait for the alarm to sound and release the button. You will hear two short beeps, watch a flash or both. If the detector doesn’t perform as expected, replace the batteries or replace the unit outright.

• • Replace the batteries: If these detectors are battery-powered models, change the batteries after six months. If you prefer hardwired devices that use a backup battery, change out the battery once a year or when the alarm begins to chirp, whichever comes first. Then, install new carbon monoxide alarms every 10 years or as frequently the manufacturer recommends.

Schedule Annual Furnace Maintenance

Several appliances, including furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces and clothes dryers, could leak carbon monoxide if the equipment is installed poorly or not performing as it should. A once-a-year maintenance visit is the only way to ensure if an appliance is faulty before a leak appears.

A precision tune-up from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing consists of the following:

• • Inspect the heating appliance for carbon monoxide leaks.

• • Search for any troubling concerns that could cause unsafe operation.

• • Assess additional spaces where you would most benefit from setting up a CO detector.

• • Tune up your system so you know your heating and cooling is running at peak safety and efficiency.

Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

If your gas furnace, boiler or water heater has formed a CO leak, or you want to thwart leaks before they happen, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help. Our HVAC and plumbing maintenance and repair services promote a safe, warm home all year-round. Get in touch with your local Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing office for more info about carbon monoxide safety or to ask for heating services.