E. R. Munro and Company wants you and your family to be safe. Please remember that gas water heaters, wood stoves, fireplaces, auto exhaust, leaking chimneys and furnaces, and unvented kerosene and gas space heaters can be sources of deadly carbon monoxide. Read more on ways to protect your family.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that has no odor or color and can cause sudden illness and death. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are:
- headache
- weakness
- vomiting
- confusion
- dizziness
- nausea
- chest pain
The United States Fire Administration recommends that you install a CO detector outside all sleeping areas in your home (about 10 feet away from a bedroom). Detectors should not be placed within 5 feet of any appliance which uses products of combustion, such as a stove, heater or automobile. Additionally, the detector should have an audible or visual warning device with the capability to alert you and your family to a potential problem.
Safety tips:
- Have a qualified technician inspect your furnace, hot water heaters, gas stoves, gas dryers at least once a year. Over time, components can become damaged or deteriorate.
- Watch for the danger signs of a CO problem – streaks of carbon or soot around the service door of your fuel-burning appliances; the absence of a draft in your chimney; excessive rusting on flue pipes or appliance jackets; moisture collecting on the windows and walls of furnace rooms; fallen soot from the fireplace; small amounts of water leaking from the base of the chimney, vent or flue pipe; damaged or discolored bricks at the top of your chimney and rust on the portion of the vent pipe visible from outside the home.
- Be aware that CO poisoning may be the cause of flu-like symptoms such as headache, chest tightness, dizziness, fatigue, confusion, breathing difficulties, nausea. Because CO poisoning often causes a victim’s blood pressure to rise, the victim’s skin may take on a pink or red cast.
- Install a UL listed CO detector outside sleeping areas.
- Read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully before installing a CO detector. Do not place the detector within 5 feet of household appliances. Test your detector on a regular basis. If your unit operates off of a battery, test the detector weekly and replace the battery at least once a year.
- Avoid placing the detector directly on top of or directly across from fuel-burning appliances.
- Never use charcoal grills inside a home, tent, camper or unventilated garage.
- Don’t leave vehicles running in an enclosed garage, even to “warm up” your car on a cold morning.
If your CO detector alarms sounds, immediately open windows and doors for ventilation. If anyone in your home is experiencing symptoms of CO poisoning, leave the home immediately, continue ventilating the home and call 911.
E. R. Munro and Company wants you and your family to be safe. Give us a call at 877-376-8676 to learn more ways to protect your family, home, and business.
