Archive for the ‘Carbon Monoxide Information’ Category

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Keep your family safe from Carbon Monoxide Poisening-Get your furnace inspected today!

Posted by Brennan Heating and A/C No Comments »

Brennan Heating recommends an annual safety inspection on any furnace older then 10 years. Call today (1-877-Brennan) and schedule your annual furnace inspection with a special Brennan Blog promotion of $120.00

Protect your family from this silent killer by ensuring you are familiar with the risks associated with carbon monoxide and methods for reducing the risk within your home.  Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas created as a result of incomplete combustion. There are several sources within the home that generate CO including gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces, and motor vehicles. CO fumes are odorless and colorless creating a potential danger to residential occupants. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 480 people die and another 15,200 are treated annually throughout the United States for CO exposure or poisoning.  Since CO fumes can not be seen, smelled, or tasted, they can cause illness or death without notice. When CO is breathed in at lower levels, the effects may be mistaken for flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, and fatigue. The length of exposure and overall health of the individual being exposed can cause symptoms to vary.  The following safety tips are recommended:

  • Install listed carbon monoxide alarms with audible warning signal near the sleeping area and outside individual bedrooms. CO alarms are designed to sound an alarm before the average, healthy adult would experience symptoms.
  • Annually have a qualified professional inspect fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting, and chimney systems.
  • Never use cooking ranges or ovens in place of central heating.
  • Never use charcoal grills, hibachis, or generators inside homes.
  • Never leave cars running in a garage. Dangerous buildup of CO can still occur with garage doors open.

Below is a story from Kiro giving tips on how to save money during cold weather with a reminder of the deadly effects of CO poisening.

Inexpensive Ways To Protect Your Home From Cold

David Quinlan KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Consumer Reporter Thursday, December 11, 2008  SEATTLE — When we learned how cold it’s going to get this weekend, we started looking for special ways to keep your family warm without wrecking your budget.  And KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator David Quinlan found some inexpensive advice. 

There are plenty of simple and inexpensive ways to protect your home and even your car from the upcoming storm — ways that can not only save you money, but save your life. 

It was a tragic Christmas for a Burien family two years ago.  Five people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a charcoal barbeque to heat their apartment during a cold snap.  (read more) or watch the video here:

Additional information related to carbon monoxide may be found on the United States Fire Administration’s web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s web site at www.cdc.gov.