Getting exposed to carbon monoxide, especially at home, must not be taken for granted. The last thing you’ll ever want to happen is for you and your family to experience dizziness, headache, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, and even chest pains. However, the worst thing that can happen is for the whole household to be rushed to the hospital!
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless gas produced from burning fuel. You may even breathe it in small amounts from time to time whenever vehicles emit gases or when a fire spreads smoke. But when these gases get concentrated inside your home due to leaks emanating from your heating system, this can be extremely dangerous for everyone’s well-being.
In this article, we will share four effective ways to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning at home:
- Properly vent CO into your chimney
It’s common to see many houses with heating appliances and units releasing CO into the chimney. Well, that is what chimneys are for—a part at home meant to exhaust gases coming from the furnace, water heater, and clothes dryer. The problem starts when your chimney pipes get damaged over time, where leaks get through the cracks and spread inside your home. When this happens, the leaks can easily and quickly escalate to poisoning the entire family. This is why you must ensure that your chimney is in top shape and condition to properly vent CO out of the house.
- Avoid negative pressure causing CO to backdraft
Sure, negative pressure is a good way of ventilating your home. It works when you create an air pressure inside your home that’s lower than the pressure outside. A perfect example of this is the use of a fan to keep you cold and comfortable. However, the problem starts when you create negative pressure using an appliance close to your gas heating system, which then causes your heating system to not exhaust gases properly. Instead, the CO backdrafts into your house and spreads into your living space––that can be extremely dangerous for you and your family!
- Veer away from a vent-free heating system
Did you know that there are such devices as ventless gas systems? Yes, they are being advertised, and many homeowners fall for the bait. What they fail to realize is that any home appliance that’s burning fuel ought to release gases out of the house. Unfortunately, a ventless unit won’t be able to do that, leading to CO leaks at home and compromising the entire household. Unless all your home appliances and systems aren’t burning fuels, only then you won’t have to worry whether or not they are ventless.
- Set an annual furnace inspection and maintenance
Of all appliances and units at home, your furnace needs regular inspection and maintenance to ensure that your heating system is in top shape and working order. Along with this is to get it cleaned and maintained so that no gas leaks occur. If there are any minor issues, an annual service will be able to fix them before they escalate to severe damages and harm your family. Because of this, be sure to pay attention to dirty components and a cracked exchanger, and get them cleaned and fixed immediately!
Conclusion
Remember that carbon monoxide leaks at home must not be neglected at all because they can harm your family’s well-being due to CO poisoning. To avoid this from occurring, be sure to follow the key steps outlined above. Ultimately, your family’s health and safety are and will always be a priority!
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