Carbon Monoxide Safety

CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY

The Hazard

Incomplete combustion results in the product of a deadly gas called carbon monoxide or CO. Don’t confuse this with CO2, which is what you’re exhaling. CO is not detectable by humans. You need some type of sensor to alert you of its presence and level. There are many potential sources of CO in your home ranging from the heaters to your oven (yes, even electric), a gas dryer, fireplace, barbeque, gasoline powered lawn equipment, generators, and car exhaust.

Many people assume incorrectly that their heating technician checks the chimney during their annual service checkup. In reality, very few HVAC service technicians have even been trained in chimneys and the science of ventilation. They seldom disconnect the stove pipes to inspect or clean them. You need a professional who has been trained and certified in chimney inspection and carbon monoxide to identify potential points of spillage into the home. Recommendations can then be made to correct the defects.

The Correction

Once defects have been identified and an appropriate plan has been developed, the problems can be corrected. Measures such as relining chimneys, replacing the connector pipes properly, and providing air for proper combustion are the most common remedies.

The good news is these corrective measures also protect appliances from further damage and improve combustion through a steady reliable draft. Chimney Cricket, Inc. has the training, certifications, experience and products to protect your family and home from the hazards of carbon monoxide.

Prevention

Correcting known defects is vital but to complete the plan you need protection and preventative measures. The best way to protect building occupants from carbon monoxide poisoning is to install low level UL listed CO monitors on every floor level and close to sleeping rooms. These special units will alert occupants within one minute of exposure to hazardous levels of deadly CO before it has a chance to make people ill. Unfortunately CO alarms purchased from home centers are listed to UL 2034 standard which provide only signal an alarm when CO levels reach deadly levels. For additional protection at lower levels of CO, have Chimney Cricket, Inc. survey your home then install NSI 3000 low level CO monitors designed to trigger an alarm before deadly levels of CO accumulate. The other part of a comprehensive CO program is to have Chimney Cricket, Inc. inspect your heating appliances, fireplaces and chimneys annually to identify problems before someone gets ill.