Chimney Care Company's Blog

Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Your home houses many devices that create carbon monoxide: Your furnace, your fireplace or heating stove, your gas stove or oven, your clothing dryer, your water heater and your car, to name a few. We all know that these devices are perfectly safe when they are well vented and operating properly. But when vents get blocked or damaged, when appliances fail, or when human error intervenes, these devices can put you and your family at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Image - Cincinnati OH - Chimney Care CompanyAt its lowest levels, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause nausea, vomited, feeling lightheaded or sleepiness. At worst, it can result in confusion, organ damage or even death. That is why it is crucial that you take steps to protect your family from the dangers of carbon monoxide.

To prevent carbon monoxide from building up within your home and to keep your family safe:

  • Have heating appliances cleaned and inspected annually. Furnaces, fireplaces and heating stoves should have their vents cleaned at least once per year, and the appliances should be checked for damage or malfunction that could put your home or your family in danger.
  • Make sure appliance vents stay clear. Appliance vents should remain clear at all times. Check that vents are clear after major storms or in heavy snows. Make sure that vents do not get covered during home renovations.
  • Clean your dryer vents. Over time, clothing dryer vents can become clogged with lint. Just like your chimney and furnace flues, your dryer vents should be cleaned at least once per year to lower your risk of carbon monoxide buildup or a home fire.
  • Only use gas appliances as directed. Never use your gas stove or oven as a heat source. Leave camp stoves or portable gas heaters outdoors where they belong. Do not run a gas-powered generator within your home.
  • Never leave your car running inside your garage. Your car’s exhaust can cause carbon monoxide to build up to dangerous levels in your garage and in your attached home, even if the garage door has been left open while the car is running.
  • Install carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors can be life savers, literally. You should have carbon monoxide detectors installed on each level of your home and near each sleeping area within your home. Test carbon monoxide detectors at least once per month, and replace batteries at least once per year.

Know what to do when carbon monoxide detectors sound!

Make sure every member of your home knows what the alarms sound like and what to do if they hear the alarms’ signals. Exit the home immediately and call 911. Do not re-enter the home until the danger has been cleared. If you experience any of the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning — dizziness, nausea, sleepiness, confusion — seek medical attention.

The prospect of carbon monoxide poisoning frightens most homeowners, as it should, but by taking precautions to prevent it and by having alarms in place, you can keep your family safe from the dangers of carbon monoxide.

All About Carbon Monoxide

More and more each day we hear reports in the news about people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. Of course these tragedies occur less frequently during the summer months but are all too common during the winter, especially when people first fire up their stoves or fireplaces in the fall. This is why Chimney Care Co. recommends performing any needed chimney maintenance in the summer before your chimney sweep’s schedule gets jam-packed.

Your home is an investment, and those of us at Chimney Care Company want to help you protect that investment. Do your part to protect your home and family from the devastation of fire and structural compromise by keeping up with your annual maintenance services.

Your home is an investment, and those of us at Chimney Care Company want to help you protect that investment. Do your part to protect your home and family from the devastation of fire and structural compromise by keeping up with your annual maintenance services.

If you’re not familiar with carbon monoxide beyond the rudimentary schooling you got when you learned about the periodic table in high school, you’ve come to the right place. In fact if you have a chimney, fireplace, and/or stove that you use even periodically, it’s even more important that you fully understand what carbon monoxide is and how to prevent it from venting into your living space. Awareness is the first step toward preventing what could be tremendous and irreversible tragedy.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of how easily their deaths could have been prevented,” says the relative of a family of four who died from carbon monoxide poisoning as the result of a blocked chimney flue.

About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide is called the “silent killer” because it is odorless, tasteless, and colorless; breathing it can kill you or cause the sudden onset of flu-like illness. Its familiar symptoms make it difficult to diagnose, and in fact people sometimes die in their sleep from CO2 poisoning without any forewarning.

CO2 poisoning happens rapidly because the human body mistakenly will begin to replace the oxygen in the body with the CO in the air, effectively blocking additional oxygen from getting in. Those who don’t die from CO2 exposure may suffer permanent brain or tissue damage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning each year, more than 20,000 visit the ER, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized. Americans 65 and older are most likely to die from CO2 poisoning; infants are also more susceptible.

CO2 is created by combustion, which means that owners of fireplaces and stoves—both gas- and wood-burning—should be especially careful to ensure that their heating appliance is connected properly and venting correctly and that their chimney flu is not blocked by nests, debris, or the buildup of creosote.

How to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A chimney inspection conducted by a certified sweep should reveal any areas of concern. We also strongly recommend installation of a carbon monoxide detector. And, finally, awareness itself can be incredibly powerful.

If you live in southwestern Ohio or northern Kentucky and want to put your mind to rest about how safe your chimney or heating appliance is, contact Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment today.

The Science of Combustion

What goes on inside your chimney when the fire is roaring in your fireplace? Basic chemistry and physics play a critical role in the effectiveness and safety of your heating system.

Three ingredients are necessary for combustion to take place - fuel, heat and oxygen. If there is an imbalance, there will be performance and safety issues.

Three ingredients are necessary for combustion to take place – fuel, heat and oxygen. If there is an imbalance, there will be performance and safety issues.

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