BREATHE CLEAN AIR - AVOID CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE HOME

One of the primary causes of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the home is due to the lack of regular servicing and maintenance of your heating and cooling systems. It’s imperative to have your units checked at the very minimum once a year, but it really should be done every six months.

The most common sources of CO in the home are as follows –

• Oil & gas furnaces
• Wood burning stoves
• Fireplaces (either wood or gas)
• Any gas appliances (cooker, boiler, barbecue etc)
• Clogged chimneys
• Portable generators
• Cigarette smoke
• Gas or kerosene heaters

There are of course others, but this gives you an idea of just how many households are potentially at risk.

What Can You Do?
Serious CO leaks will be noticeable if the flames of your gas burning appliances appear yellow in colour. If this occurs, shut off the mains gas supply and call a Corgi-registered contractor. It’s probable that a damaged connector caused the leak, but whatever it was, it needs to be isolated and fixed. These are NOT problems you can leave to see if they somehow fix themselves. THEY WON’T, and they will only get worse.

Keep the area around your ovens and fireplaces well ventilated. This minimises the risk of CO escaping into the atmosphere and becoming trapped in your appliances surrounds.

In the same vein, your fireplace needs to be well ventilated and your chimney free from blockages to avoid a build-up of dust, lint, and other flammables. The filters on your heating and cooling units don’t last forever and need regular checks and if necessary, replacement. Our technicians can take care of these issues for you. If you are unsure about any aspect of your heating and cooling and need advice, please contact us. To use an old but relevant cliché, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

One of the cheapest and most cost-effective methods of CO control is to buy a Carbon Monoxide Detector/Alarm. They are available in virtually all DIY stores and larger supermarkets now stock them. They are relatively cheap and easy to install and will give you a digital readout of the levels of CO in your home. As a general idea, 35ppm (parts per million) is about the maximum allowable concentration for continuous exposure for healthy adults in any eight-hour period, and anything over 150ppm is considered dangerous and should be immediately addressed.

NEVER IGNORE A WARNING FROM YOUR CO DETECTOR.

Nothing beats the regular service and maintenance of both your heating and cooling systems by professionals. Staying in control reduces stress and can be the difference between low annual service costs and potentially huge repair bills – not to mention the safety of you, your family and your pets.