Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning affects thousands of households each year, leading to illness for many victims, and sometimes even death. We want to help protect your home and family from this possibility, which is why we encourage not only the professional installation of a quality CO detector, but also having your home checked for CO levels by a professional.
CO gas is colorless, odorless, and impossible to detect on your own—until symptoms start affecting members of your household (headaches, dizziness, sleepiness). Naturally, you don’t want to let it get to this point. This is why it’s imperative that you have a carbon monoxide detector installed and remain educated on carbon monoxide and its dangers.
Things to Know about CO
Depending on the area you live in, there are a number of laws and rules about where a carbon monoxide detector is required. Most of these laws state that homeowners must have CO detectors within 10 feet of the rooms where people sleep. Other laws only state that they should be in homes with gas appliances and attached garages (as your vehicles impose a CO exposure risk, too).
To be on the safe side, though, every home should be equipped with CO detectors, no matter how lenient the rules may be in your neighborhood. It’s a pretty small investment that could make a world of difference in your home. It’s important, too, that you stay on top of testing your detector each month to ensure it’s operational.
Let Us Check Your CO Levels for You
When our team comes to check your home’s CO levels, we use a special electric meter that measures the carbon monoxide present. Our technicians will look around your home for any CO sources that may exist. Many people believe that their furnace presents the only risk, but there are actually other components that can lead to CO exposure throughout a house, such as a fireplace, gas stove, or even gas-powered water heater.
How High Is Your Risk?
As we said, your heater isn’t the only appliance that poses a CO exposure risk. Any other gas-powered appliances also increase the possibility that you’ll deal with a CO leak. Today’s appliances are certainly built with your safety in mind, and designed to be very durable. But that doesn’t mean you should trust that they are 100% risk-free.
CO is a byproduct of the fuel-burning process and requires proper ventilation to exit your home—via a flue pipe, vent pipe, or chimney. But if something goes wrong during this process—a cracked heat exchanger, or some other type of damage to your gas line, perhaps—then carbon monoxide can leak into your home.
The first thing you can do to reduce your risk of carbon monoxide exposure is make sure that any and all gas-powered appliances you have installed are put in by a professional with the proper training and experience. Next, ensure your carbon monoxide detectors are professionally installed and regularly checked. Lastly, as we mentioned above, be sure to contact our team to have your CO levels checked.
At Comfort Incorporated, we urge you to ensure your family is safe by being aware of the carbon monoxide levels in your home. Contact us today for more information and to have your CO alarm tested by one of our professional technicians in Oklahoma City, OK.
