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CARBON MONOXIDE PROTECTION, HOME
Many homeowners often underestimate one potentially deadly element in their property: carbon monoxide (CO). According to the CDC, every year in the U.S., at least 430 people die from accidental CO poisoning. Additionally, almost 50,000 people in the U.S. visit the emergency sector yearly because of accidental CO poisoning.
Choosing the right home insurance plan is just one step you can take to find the proper protection from CO exposure. If this applies to you, review your home insurance options and reserve the umbrella of security you deserve. To prevent the spread of CO in your home, there are several tactics homeowners can use to combat these airborne threats. Use these tips to best prevent harmful gas exposure in your residence.
What is Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning?
This silent assailant is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause severe illness and death. If it spreads in your home and you inhale large amounts of it, your body will replace the oxygen in the blood with carbon monoxide. When exposed to substantial amounts of this gas, homeowners, and animals alike can experience a variety of dangerous symptoms and even death.
How is CO produced?
Carbon monoxide is produced by a variety of appliances, including defective furnaces, fireplaces, generators, and more. Notably, when power outages occur after severe weather, such as winter storms or hurricanes, using alternative power sources can cause CO to build up in a home and poison the people and animals inside. Furthermore, malfunctioning or improperly vented home appliances can saturate your home with this dangerous gas.
Who is at risk of CO poisoning?
Virtually every home resident of any age is at risk of CO exposure. However, elderly homeowners or residents are more at risk due to these conditions gradually intensifying over time. People who live with respiratory issues, chronic heart disease, and anemia are also more susceptible to its effects. Extensive CO exposure can increase the risk of fetal death and other developmental disorders, making it highly dangerous for pregnant females and unborn children.
What are some CO-related symptoms?
When exposed to carbon monoxide, people can experience an array of symptoms. These include dizziness, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, confusion, and muscle functioning decline. Ultimately, substantial levels of CO inhalation can cause loss of consciousness and even death.
What to do if you think you are experiencing symptoms?
If you sense that you are experiencing CO exposure symptoms in your home, you should relocate outside immediately. If you have time, open any windows and doors, shut off any related appliances and leave your home. Call poison control at 1-(800) 222-1222 or 911 immediately. Doing this will get you the assistance needed in order to seek the proper medical attention.
- Install CO Detectors In Sleeping Areas
The first and arguably the most crucial step when preventing CO poisoning in your home is to install carbon monoxide detectors in sleeping areas throughout your home. There are different types of CO detectors. Some can latch onto ceilings or even plug into outlets. If you’re a homeowner, you can find most of these devices at a local hardware store. For renters, some landlords make it an obligation to ensure safety in their property. To abide by safety standards, the alarm of your choosing should be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certified.
If you don’t know which detector is best, conduct research or communicate with a residential safety professional – this can help ensure overall safety. Depending on if you own the property or are renting, it’s important to speak with your landlord or a home inspection specialist to analyze if your CO detectors are working and up to date. Whichever one you choose, it’s essential to check these every season, as your livelihood depends on it. Because these detectors can expire after several years, it’s best practice to install a battery-powered backup detector as well so you can use it as an additional safeguard.
- Professionally Inspect Your Heating System Annually
Like it or not, your residential heating systems are just some producers of CO intensification. Almost every system is building fossil fuels, burning gas, and generating different exhaust gasses, including methane and carbon monoxide. It’s best to get all of your appliances checked yearly in order to prevent the potential build-up of CO. In particular, heating systems are essential for check-ups. Some of these appliances include your furnace, space heaters, ovens, generators and more.
The benefits of a yearly heating system inspection can provide peace of mind that residents need. Depending on your systems, most technicians will check for a variety of elements:
- They will check your furnace or boiler for any CO, dust, or leaks.
- Some will check the effectiveness of system motors, overall infrastructure and oil them if need be.
- They will also assess your appliances for obstruction, which should be very common and critical when assessing your home’s heating systems.
Obstructed appliances have trouble working as efficiently as cleaned systems. Evaluating and replacing the filters in your gas appliances and fuel-burning appliances can help prevent CO build-up. Much like replacing your HVAC air filters, when your systems experience combustion issues, be proactive when cleaning these devices.
- Avoid Using Un-Vented Appliances
One of the main reasons why CO can build up in residential homes is by burning fuels using unvented appliances. In order to avoid CO poisoning, it’s essential to avoid burning these gasses near or inside your home. To achieve proper ventilation, ensure that all of your interior fuel-burning appliances are vented and in proper shape. Combustion appliances are those that burn fuels for cooking, heating, or decorative purposes.
Some examples include:
- Space heaters
- Ranges or ovens
- Stoves
- Furnaces and fireplaces
- Water heaters and clothes dryers
According to the National Safety Council, combustion pollutants are gasses or particles that result from burning materials. Depending on the appliance, the type and amount of pollutants produced will vary by analyzing how well the appliance is installed, maintained, and vented, along with its fuel usage. Major combustion pollutants can negatively alter your home’s indoor air quality, leading to potential exposure to hazards such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide.
- Invest in Direct or Power Vented Appliances
It’s imperative that every homeowner periodically re-evaluates their appliances from season to season. Many residents lack the advanced knowledge and understanding of how their appliances work and what could negatively affect their health. In order to find combustion safety, it’s critical to compare vented versus non-vented appliances. The word vented is used to describe a form of ventilation through tubes in your appliances that disperse dangerous gasses outside instead of bottling up inside of your property.
One of the best ways to lower CO production and build-up in your home is by investing in direct or power-vented appliances. If you use a non-vented furnace, water heater, or oven, you should reconsider your appliance usage. These appliances provide a variety of power usages in every home. Some examples include heating your home in the winter or practicing fire safety in the kitchen. These non-vented systems, in particular, tend to do the opposite of a vented system. Instead of releasing toxins to the outdoors, they release exhaust wherever they are located.
What does a direct vented appliance do?
These appliances work by bringing outdoor air through a sealed pipe and help exhaust combustion products directly outdoors through another hard-piped vent. No indoor air is used, and these appliances are virtually immune to back drafting.
How does a power-vented appliance work?
Different from direct, these appliances rely on indoor air and use a fan to push exhausted gas out of the flue. The flue is a duct or pipe that is used to convey exhaust gasses like CO from your furnace, water heater, and oven to the outside. In comparison to conventional devices, they are less susceptible to back drafting.
These units are commonly readily available in appliance manufacturers statewide. It’s also important to ask for carbon monoxide results before you buy the system in order to protect from potential harmful gas vulnerability.
It’s best to purchase or exchange all of these appliances at once, and it’s equally important to have some sort of protection. Exploring home warranty options is essential when trying to protect your home appliances from natural tears, leaks, and more. This policy speeds up repair or replacement time, while creating peace of mind for homeowners who need quicker relief.
- Be Mindful of Alternative Power Sources
Every homeowner should be cognizant of their power usage and especially their alternative power sources. Storms, heavy winds, and power outages can wreak havoc on homeowners, depending on the conditions of their property and their devices. When these occurrences turn off the power in a home, we are forced to use alternative power sources. There has been a rapid increase in hydropower, solar power, and wind energy. Most commonly used in residential properties, generators and portable generators are essential to power refrigerators, freezers, heating, cooling, and much more. However, if not used properly, these alternative power devices can create substantial CO build-up in your home.
In order to safely use your generator, portable generator, or gas-powered engine, remain more than 20 feet away from your property. If there is a power outage or blackout in your area, use portable generators outside and distant from your home. Here are some other tangible tips to consider:
- Never use portable generators near doors, vents, or windows, nor in your bedrooms.
- Don’t run a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside your garage, basement, or another enclosed area – this location can trap CO, making it extremely dangerous.
- If wind speeds are high, make sure that you are keeping the necessary vents and flues free of debris.
Ideally, you don’t want exhaust gasses seeping into your sleeping areas. Airborne rubble can block ventilation lines, leading to clogs or exhaust gas expansion. Prioritize your family’s safety by considering other ways you can power your devices without risking CO overload.
When choosing the right home insurance plan, it’s imperative to understand the full coverage. If you are worried that your home or appliances are vulnerable to producing large amounts of carbon monoxide, take action. Visit your friends at Texan Insurance for more insight into how you can find the right insurance plan for you and your family.