Flu? It May Be Carbon Monoxide In Your Home, Cabin Or Chalet Heating System

Carbon monoxide in your home can be a danger to yourself and your family. Carbon monoxide (CO) is not Carbon Dioxide (CO2) the stuff the dry ice is made of and puts the fizz in your soda.

You cannot smell or detect Carbon Monoxide in your house or cottage by the power of smell. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas that is produced when wood fossil fuels that you also use to heat your home – fuels such as heating oil , gasoline , diesel oil , propane , kerosene and natural gas burn without sufficient and adequate oxygen. In addition dangerous levels can also result from faulty appliances, a clogged chimney, backdrafting of flue gasses, or the buildup of engine exhaust from a garage. These causes are relatively rare however.

What signs should you be on the lookout for, for the safety of your home, house, cottage to protect your family against the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning? Warning and danger signs in a home may include: stuffy, stale or smelly air. More condensation than usual on your windows. Also watch out for soot that has gathered around a fireplace, chimney or other wood burning equipment. Lastly be on the lookout for a yellow flame in a natural gas appliance, instead of the normal blue, clean flame. In addition a caution flag should go up in your mind if the pilot lamp goes out frequently in your natural gas furnace or water heater, and you have to call a neighbor or the gas company to light the pilot light frequently.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisonings will depend on how long you and your family have been exposed to this dangerous gas, Symptoms can vary – indeed you may be the victims of strange unexplained symptoms for a good period of time. With low exposure slight headaches and shortness of breath during physical activities may occur.

With medium exposure you may experience more severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, weakness, trouble seeing, loss of muscular control and ongoing continual drowsiness. Lastly and most dangerously in high exposure to this poison unconsciousness, brain and even death can occur.

What is amazing, and a major reason why incidences of Carbon Monoxide poisonings go undetected and unreported is that this situation bears great resemblance and similarity to the symptoms of the “common flu”. If you, or any member of your family, or close friends experience any of these or similar symptoms it is most important that the cause of Carbon Monoxide poisoning be ruled out. If you really are unsure and testing can not be done promptly – then at the least vacate your home for elsewhere until you are satisfied that all is in order.

However if you do suspect Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning then – first evacuate everyone from the house , condo or chalet to get fresh air immediately , open all doors and windows. Lastly seek medical attention promptly and alert the doctor or health car providers of your concerns and suspicions of Carbon Monoxide gas poisoning.

To reduce the risks of Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas in your home, have a qualified heating technician check and clean your heating and water heater systems on a regular basis. Have the technician ensure that external air vents are used for all fuel burning appliances. Install a fresh intake duct into any wood burning fireplace or stove. At the very least leave a window open, for additional fresh air, when the fireplace of wood burning stove is burning.

Just as a smoke detector can warn you of a fire in your home, a CO Carbon Monoxide detector can alert you when dangerous carbon monoxide levels are present and rising to dangerous levels in your home. Install an approved a certified carbon monoxide detector on each level of your abode. It is most important to stress that these Carbon Monoxide detectors are warning detectors and not detract from the basic maintenance of your home heating and fuel burning devices. Nothing takes the place of regular maintenance and service of your fuel burning equipment and appliances.

In the end it may not be a case of the simple flu in your household but rather most dangerous and deadly Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Seed Newsvine

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