CO: A Silent Enemy
We don’t really talk about “good guys” and “bad guys” on this blog, because there are just no winners and losers in the HVAC industry. Our team in specific wants everyone to be a winner, which is why we’re on a mission to provide high-quality AC and heating systems to everyone who needs them.
However, there is one enemy that’s almost universal throughout this industry–carbon monoxide.
If you’re the proud owner of a gas furnace, or other gas appliances like stoves, grills, and fireplaces, then you might already be aware of just how dangerous carbon monoxide can be. This blog post is not only dedicated to explaining some of the dangers of CO but also talking about why it occurs in the first place.
Carbon monoxide is in fact a naturally occurring product of combustion, which is why it’s more important than ever to invest in a carbon monoxide detector installation!
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of combustion. Think about when you burn gas or even wood over a campfire, there are many things that are produced. The first and arguably most important thing that’s produced from a flame is heat (yay!) which is why our furnaces are so important during the wintertime. However, there are a few other byproducts, and one of them is carbon monoxide.
Fire is volatile, which means various different unpredictable things come from it. First is debris like ash which is simply the burnt material that might come from burning something solid like wood. Second is carbon dioxide which is a natural byproduct in a lot of things. Then lastly, you’ve got carbon monoxide which is a toxic gas that can be fatal for people to inhale in certain amounts. There’s no real way to parse out how much carbon monoxide is created from combustion, but it’s enough to be a serious threat.
Protect Your Home From Carbon Monoxide
So, now that you know what carbon monoxide is, it’s important to protect your home from it. The first way you can do that is by learning about the side effects of inhaling carbon monoxide, which we will list down below. The second way to protect your home is by installing safeguards that will alert you to any carbon monoxide in your indoor atmosphere. Carbon monoxide detectors are the easiest and most straightforward way of doing this.
Potential Effects of CO Poisoning
CO poisoning can come in many forms, but here are just a few.
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Fatigue
- Dizziness or trouble seeing
- Unconsciousness or worse
Obviously, the more carbon monoxide you inhale, the worse the symptoms can get so we’d argue that any of the above symptoms is a good reason to leave your home and call for help.
Get Your Detectors Installed
Carbon monoxide detectors can immediately tell when there’s enough CO in the atmosphere to cause problems. They’re great at protecting your home from this gas, as well as not being too expensive to have properly installed by a professional. Do yourself and your family a huge favor by getting these systems set up today!
Fannon & Sons Heating Cooling can help you protect your home. Contact us for detector installation. Welcome to the Family!
