Keep Your Home & Family Safe

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Headaches, chest tightness, nausea, drowsiness, inattention to detail and fatigue are just some of the symptoms of exposure to small amounts of carbon monoxide over time. Most susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning are infants, small children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, anemia and heart disease.

The colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly gas is produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood.

Carbon monoxide can accumulate in poorly ventilated rooms, when a fuel is not burned properly or as a result of improper installation, lack of maintenance or failure or damage to an appliance.

Some appliances that can produce carbon monoxide include a gas or wood-burning fireplace, wood stove, and gas-fired water heater, clothes dryer, kitchen range, and furnace. Deadly levels of carbon monoxide can be reached when automobile exhaust accumulates in an attached garage and seeps into the home, or when a barbeque grill is used in an enclosed space, such as a garage.

In today’s well-insulated homes, it has become increasingly important to have good ventilation, regularly maintain all appliances and to install carbon monoxide alarms. Most manufacturers recommend locating CO alarms on every level of the home, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission advises installing an alarm near the primary entrance to sleeping rooms, such as a hallway.

You’ll want to avoid placing CO alarms near doors or windows to avoid misleadingly low readings, or in a garage where automobile exhaust fumes can trigger false alarms.

When you shop for a CO alarm, look for the Underwriters Laboratories “UL-listed” seal and check the back of the unit to find the year it was manufactured. Unless the package states otherwise, most alarms have to be replaced after five years and the clock starts ticking when the unit is produced.

Williver Home Inspection - Seven Days A Week

(805) 235-1308 or (805) 772-4810