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Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

So you keep up with your regular maintenance with your fireplace and chimney. Did you know there are still carbon monoxide dangers lurking in your home? The most common cause of accidental carbon monoxide exposure is household items such as gas water heaters and furnaces, oil-burning furnaces, charcoal grills, portable generators, and small engines.

Any fire appliances that burn can produce carbon monoxide, and carbon monoxide is very dangerous. It is a silent killer with no smell, no taste, and no sound. No home should have a fire appliance without having a carbon monoxide detector too. At Chief Chimney Services, we want to help you understand all the dangers of carbon monoxide and how to avoid exposure to it.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide is very hard to detect, and exposure of carbon monoxide poisoning is also very hard to detect. The symptoms of a person who is exposed are often confused for the common cold or flu. Whether sudden exposure to a large amount or a slow leak, there can be serious permanent damage to your health, if left unchecked. You should pay attention to the following signs and symptoms, as they include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Confusion and memory loss
• Disorientation
• Nausea and vomiting

Very serious symptoms of CO poisoning can mimic neurological or psychiatric disorders ranging from convulsions and seizures to paranoia, confusion, and coma. Prolonged exposure will result in permanent organ damage, organ failure, or even death.

Protect Your Family Against CO Poisoning

Exposure to carbon monoxide is highly poisonous. The existence of CO in the air you breathe causes a buildup in the bloodstream, eventually replacing the oxygen in the bloodstream and starving the tissues of oxygen. Since the symptoms are common to the same symptoms caused by viral infections and the common cold, it’s important to note when family members all exhibit the same symptoms.

You should see your family physician for symptoms of cold or flu so that proper tests can identify an illness. If your symptoms can not be diagnosed, this could be caused by carbon monoxide exposure—especially if symptoms subside when away from the home. Symptoms may reappear when you’re back in the home, or when seasonal appliances are used such as a fireplace or furnace. Additionally, you should make sure to never run a small engine indoors—even the garage. Open the garage door before you start your car, lawn mower, power blower, generator, or any other gas-powered tool.

Professional Care for Safer Homes

To protect your family against CO poisoning every day, every home should have a carbon monoxide detector on each level of their home. Follow all user guides and manuals for heat appliances and other household tools and appliances which burn fuel. Have your fireplace, stove, or gas log set serviced by a professional to prevent CO leaks.

A smoky fireplace can cause CO exposure. A damper malfunction, poorly-sized chimney flue, or obstruction is not only a fire hazard, but they are also a CO risk. When any part of your fireplace or chimney is not working, you should schedule an inspection with Chief Chimney Services to protect your family against CO exposure.

Choose Chief Chimney Services for your comprehensive chimney care, and we’ll make sure your chimney is safe. Concerned about a carbon monoxide leak? Call us for an inspection or contact your local fire department now. Call Chief Chimney Services at 631-863-2460 today!

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon Monoxide is a real danger and the cause of 20,000 exposure-related ER visits per year in America alone. You can’t smell it, see it, or taste it. It is called the silent killer because people can be poisoned suddenly, or over time and never realize it. Symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu, so it’s often overlooked. Because it is almost undetectable, the best way to prevent poisoning is to prevent carbon monoxide intrusion.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is produced naturally any time fuel is burned. Your fireplace produces it at high rates while a fire is burning, and your chimney vents it. It’s when the chimney isn’t working properly that intrusion can occur.

A Draft Problem

If your fireplace is smoky, you have a draft problem. This means the chimney isn’t venting properly, and smoke along with other toxins, including carbon monoxide are entering the home.

Firebox Damage

Damage to the masonry of the fireplace can allow carbon monoxide intrusion into the home. Holes and cracks in mortar can allow smoke and vapors through into the home.

Missing or Damaged Liner

If the liner becomes damaged or is missing, the gases in the chimney will penetrate the porous masonry of the chimney and enter your home.

A Clogged or Damaged Dryer Vent

The chimney is not the only ventilation system in your house that vents a heat appliance. Clothes dryers also produce carbon monoxide which can lead to CO poisoning if the dryer vent is damaged or clogged.

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Intrusion

1. Keep your chimney and fireplace maintained properly. This includes scheduling regular chimney sweeps and annual inspections to insure your chimney is venting properly at it’s safest and highest efficiency. At these important service appointments a certified chimney sweep will get a good look at your entire system, clean it up, and offer a detailed report of necessary repairs and actions.
2. Burn only properly seasoned wood so that your chimney system is more efficient.
3. Make sure the damper is opened when the fireplace is in use. If the damper becomes damaged or stuck closed, do not burn a fire until the damper assembly is closed. The damper can cause smoke and carbon monoxide to push into the home instead of up the chimney.
4. Check your gas fireplace monthly: visually check hinges, bolts, and gaskets that are designed to prevent smoke and carbon monoxide from entering the home while your gas fireplace is burning.
5. Check your dryer vents regularly for leaks and clogs. Have them professionally installed and within code regulations. It is recommended to have dryer vents cleaned annually.
6. Purchase and install a carbon monoxide detector. This simple and inexpensive action may save the lives of your loved ones.

As with anything else, it is best to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning than to treat it. A slow leak can cause organ damage over time that is irreparable. A large leak can cause sudden death. Prevention is key.

If you’re not certain your home is safe from carbon monoxide poisoning, contact Chief Chimney Services today for expert advice and swift service.

Carbon Monoxide Dangers

Your home is your safe place, where you and your family gather to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company. Because of this, you want to keep your home as safe and free from harm as possible. There are many dangers present inside a home, and a little due diligence, care and maintenance can help protect you and your family from harm.

Carbon Monoxide: A Silent Killer

Carbon monoxide is a big concern for many homeowners, because they know it is something to fear but don’t necessarily understand what it is. Simply put, carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is extremely poisonous. Carbon monoxide is most commonly produced from fuels that have not been burned completely such as wood, oil, natural gas and charcoal. Appliances that use these types of fuel can leave behind carbon monoxide and should be handled with extreme care.

Carbon Monoxide And Wood-Burning Heaters

Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves are of particular concern to many homeowners because they can emit carbon monoxide. This is of even greater concern during the winter months when wood-burning appliances are more frequently used to heat homes across the US. Luckily for homeowners, there are many things you can do to prevent dangerous carbon monoxide from entering your home.

Safe Wood-Burning Practices

With some simple safe practices, you can alleviate the risk of carbon monoxide. First and foremost, use your fireplace or wood stove according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and only use wood-burning heating appliances you are completely confident you know how to operate. Unsafe handling of any wood stove or fireplace is a surefire way to use it incorrectly and unsafely.

Additionally, always store your wood outdoors where it is protected from the elements because seasoned wood that is properly dried will burn hotter than other types of wood. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a moisture content of less than twenty percent. You want to burn fires that are as hot as possible, and dry wood, as well as dry kindling is the first step to that. Never burn wood that is rotted, moldy or wet. Other safe burning practices include:

Making sure your fires are lit in a well-ventilated area.

Never burning painted, pressure-treated wood or particleboard because these will emit chemicals.

Never burn household garbage in your heating appliance.

Regularly remove ashes from the firebox.

Burn fires as hot as possible. Remember, a smoldering fire may not be a safe fire.

You also want to keep your fireplace/stove and chimney as clean as possible to allow fires to burn extremely hot. A professional chimney sweeping company like Chief Chimney Services, Inc in Suffolk County is committed to keeping your chimney clean, professionally swept and free of any harmful residue. We want your fireplace to work efficiently, but more important than that, we are passionate about keeping you and your family safe from harmful build-up and the potential threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. Take every preventative measure possible when it comes to keeping your home safe, and start with a clean, efficient fireplace or stove that your family can enjoy for years to come.