The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

By Frank G. Ross

Each year in America, the Centers for Disease Control reports, unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning claims almost 500 lives and sends another 15,000+ people to hospital emergency rooms for treatment.  Although, hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning appliances in the home, even more die from CO produced by idling cars.

Like radon gas, carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. Chronic exposure to relatively low levels of carbon monoxide will lessen your life span, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes.  It is produced whenever fossil fuels are burned. For example, if you burn gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene, charcoal, coal or wood without sufficient air carbon monoxide is produced. Likely sources in the home can include the gas appliances such as a furnace, hot water heater, fireplace, stove, camp lantern charcoal grill or gas heating system. Automobile exhaust is the most common source. The amount of CO produced while using fuel-burning appliances is usually not harmful. It becomes hazardous when appliances are used improperly or are not functioning adequately.

Improperly adjusted or malfunctioning appliances operating in poorly vented spaces can produce dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide in a home. A vehicle idling in an attached garage, even with the door open, is a danger.  Fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of the home.  This is one reason why a self-closing device on the door between the house and the garage is an important safety feature and a key item that is checked during a home inspection. The door should have a tight seal all the way around to prevent seepage of exhaust or gas fumes. This door should also be fire-resistant, such as metal clad or solid core wood. Because the door should resist a twenty-minute fire, there should be no glass or other openings in the door itself.

When it comes to carbon monoxide, prevention is the key to avoiding poisoning or death.  Here are some tips from the Utah Safety Council for preventing CO poisoning:

·         Have your furnace and heating system inspected and serviced annually.

·         Never run an automobile in the garage or any other type of enclosed space.

·         Have your chimney and flu cleaned professionally.

·         Make sure that the burner flames on your furnace and stove burn blue, not yellow-orange, and never use your gas range or oven for heating.

·         Never use grills or hibachis inside your home.

·         Never operate gas burning appliances in a closed room.

·         Install a battery-operated, UL approved CO monitor on each level of your home.  As with smoke alarms, check the batteries regularly – once or twice a year.

Prevention is always the first and foremost important step to protecting your family from CO poisoning, but having the life-saving backup of a reliable, quality CO detector can be extremely important. It can warn your family when nothing else will save them.  Presence of a CO detector is one item that is checked during a home inspection.

Proper placement of a carbon monoxide detector is important. If you are installing only one carbon monoxide detector, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends it be located near the sleeping area, where it can wake you if you are asleep. Additional detectors on every level and in every bedroom of a home provide extra protection.

Homeowners should remember not to install carbon monoxide detectors directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances, as appliances may emit a small amount of carbon monoxide upon start-up. A detector should not be placed within fifteen feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or near very humid areas such as bathrooms.

Remember: Carbon Monoxide detectors should never be used as a replacement for prevention, only as a back up.

Frank Ross is a Certified Utah Home Inspector for Pillar to Post Professional Home Inspection and a full member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and a member in good standing with the Utah Better Business Bureau.  Readers may contact Mr. Ross at (435) 867-6400 or frank.ross@pillartopost.com or www.pillarposthomeinspection.com