Now that we are fully into the winter heating season, it’s time to take necessary precautions against a potentially deadly substance produced by your furnace. Carbon monoxide (CO) will be produced by any furnace that burns fuels such as natural gas, oil or propane to generate heat. Gas appliances, gasoline-fueled equipment, and automobiles can also create this deadly gas.
CO is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that human senses cannot detect. It can seriously harm anyone who inhales it. If a person is exposed to this gas for too long, carbon monoxide can kill.
You can help keep your family safe from the very real dangers of CO by installing one or more carbon monoxide detectors in your home. They operate similar to smoke alarms, sensing carbon monoxide and sounding a loud alarm when too much of the gas is detected. You can get extremely sensitive detectors that sense very low levels of carbon monoxide.
In the U.S., the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a carbon monoxide detector on the wall or ceiling outside bedrooms in each sleeping area of your home. Place them within 10 feet of the bedroom door. Detectors must be installed where they can awaken sleeping occupants of your house; most carbon monoxide deaths occur when people are exposed to the gas in their sleep.
If you are installing only one detector, put it outside the main sleeping area. However, you should install at least two, one at each end of your house. Place a detector near or over any attached garage.
Carbon monoxide detectors should not be installed directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances such as kitchen stoves. These appliances may give off trace amounts of carbon monoxide and cause false alarms. Do not place detectors within 15 feet of cooking or heating equipment or in humid areas such as bathrooms.
Since 1976, Comfort Services has provided residential and commercial HVAC services to customers in Columbia and the surrounding area. Contact us today for more information on why carbon monoxide detectors are essential to your family’s safety and for help finding the right detectors for your home.
