Now that we’ll be turning to our furnaces and boilers more frequently for safety and comfort – especially this year, considering how often we’ll all be home – it’s a good idea to revisit an important heating season topic: carbon monoxide safety.
Chances are, you have at least one appliance in your New Jersey home that burns fuel to produce energy; if you do, it produces carbon monoxide (CO) as it runs. With properly functioning equipment in an adequately vented space, the gas will leave your home harmlessly through your flue. But if CO is allowed to accumulate in your home, you could run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning – a dangerous and possibly deadly threat.
Here’s what you need to know about carbon monoxide, its dangers, and how to prevent them.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas produced by burning any fuel, including heating oil, gasoline, coal, wood, charcoal, kerosene, propane, or natural gas.
A buildup of CO typically occurs due to improper ventilation or broken equipment. Some causes of CO buildup include operating unvented appliances for too long, a broken or improperly maintained heating system, a backdraft near the heating appliance, or a blocked flue or vent.
Although all fuels produce carbon monoxide as exhaust, they differ in how they display when a build-up has begun. In an oil-burning system, the presence of smoke and soot becomes a natural CO warning to people in your home. If you see soot on your oil-burning equipment, contact us immediately for service.
Symptoms of CO poisoning vary depending on the amount of exposure to the gas. Mild symptoms include headaches, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness; moderate symptoms include severe headaches, drowsiness, confusion, and disorientation; extreme case symptoms include unconsciousness, convulsions, heart failure, and in rare cases death.
If you are experiencing CO poisoning symptoms,
Always assume your CO alarm is operating correctly! If it sounds,
At JW Pierson, your safety is always our priority! If you have any questions about carbon monoxide safety, or believe that any of your appliances require expert heating equipment repair in New Jersey, contact us today!