How to Protect Yourself from Carbon Monoxide
Even if they don’t fully understand the dangers it poses, most homeowners have probably at least heard of carbon monoxide poisoning and understand the importance of carbon monoxide detection in Visalia, CA. If not, keep reading—this post will cover what you need to know about carbon monoxide poisoning and how to protect against it.
What is carbon monoxide poisoning?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can accumulate in your home and cause severe illness or even death. Since it’s impossible to detect without carbon monoxide detectors, the gas can slowly make everyone in your household feel ill.
Besides developing a fever, the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are very similar to those associated with the flu. Symptoms often include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue and headaches. Since carbon monoxide poisoning often occurs in the winter months, the symptoms are often attributed to seasonal illness instead of carbon monoxide.
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
The scary thing about carbon monoxide is that it can come from any appliance that burns natural gas, oil, coal, charcoal or wood. Common carbon monoxide sources include furnaces and boilers, fireplaces, water heaters, ovens, propane or gas grills and vehicles. Although we cannot stop these appliances from producing carbon monoxide, proper ventilation and appliance maintenance can ensure it doesn’t do any harm.
Carbon monoxide poisoning prevention
You can protect yourself from carbon monoxide in Visalia, CA fairly easily. Follow these tips to keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning:
- Schedule yearly maintenance: Hiring a professional to inspect and maintain your carbon monoxide-producing appliances is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning. If any problems are found during the inspection, your maintenance technician can make the necessary repairs to prevent a potential carbon monoxide leak.
- Install detectors: As mentioned above, the only way to detect carbon monoxide is with special carbon monoxide detectors. Since carbon monoxide is lighter than air, place detectors about five feet above the floor to get the best results. The detectors should be placed on every floor in your home and in every sleeping area.
- Test your detectors: Just like with smoke detectors, your carbon monoxide detectors must be tested to protect against carbon monoxide in Visalia, CA. It’s recommended that you test them once a month and replace the batteries every six months or so.
What to do if carbon monoxide is detected
If a carbon monoxide alarm goes off in your home, gather your family and leave the house right away. Dial 911 so they can dispatch the fire department to check out your home. After the first responders have deemed it safe to re-enter your home, call a technician to fix the appliance that caused the carbon monoxide leak.
Now is the time to call our team
With the change of season on the horizon, now is a great time to hire our professionals at 24/7 Local HVAC to inspect your HVAC system. We can tune up your entire system to ensure there won’t be any carbon monoxide detected in your Visalia, CA home.
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