Carbon Monoxide is one of the most harmful gases to our health. And if we don’t take proper measures to prevent it, it can be deadly too. But what exactly is carbon monoxide? How harmful can it be, especially in the home, coming from central heating and other sources? and how it can be avoided? Let’s discuss everything one by one for toxic-free home heating.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless, and tasteless, highly flammable gas. It is less dense than air and equally toxic to both animals and humans. When inhaled, it displaces oxygen from the blood, thus causing you to lose consciousness. It causes suffocation and becomes deadly as it deprives the heart, brain, and vital organs of oxygen.
Thus, it becomes necessary to keep a check on CO (Carbon monoxide) coming out of gas sources in the household, primarily from central heating systems. Carbon monoxide (CO) is perhaps one of the most harmful gasses that can accumulate in your house. Since it is odourless and colourless, it is hard to detect it in the atmosphere without installing a carbon monoxide alarm. Even a tiny amount of CO gas can cause a lot of damage and can affect air quality. It can negatively affect you and your family members’ health. Be extra vigilant during winters to protect yourself and the family from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Here are some ideas and ways on how to prevent CO poisoning:
1) Always follow the carbon monoxide safety checklist
Safety is the topmost priority! So, experts advise to religiously follow the safety checklist at the time of installation. Depending upon the gas appliances you have in your home, you should carefully inspect each of them from time to time.
2) Know where Carbon Monoxide Leak is coming from
The first and the key step is to identify the source of the gas leak. Any home appliance or equipment that emits natural gas, coal, oil, charcoal, wood, or propane has the potential to produce carbon monoxide. These sources often are boilers, heaters, fireplaces, ovens, central heating systems, etc. Identifying the origin is the most important task. The sooner we find it, the better it is to mitigate the risk.
3) Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors at right places
CO detectors are a must for identifying leaks and thus protecting your family against carbon monoxide poisoning. It detects and alerts you in case of any CO leak within the house. It gives you time to take preventative measures. You should carefully assess installation places where you should install detectors. Primarily install it near central heating, boilers, gas appliances, fireplaces, and other similar spots. It all depends upon the number of appliances you have in your house.
4) Regularly Test CO Detectors
You should test the carbon monoxide detectors after regular intervals to ensure they’re functioning properly. You can check the manual or call an expert for more details about testing. So that alarms save you whenever there is a leak. Not testing them may prove expensive. We must not compromise with the safety and well-being of everyone in our family and around.
5) Invest regularly in maintenance of boilers and central heating solutions
It has been observed that components such as central heating are often more responsible for carbon monoxide leaks. You should make sure to get the boiler and central heating routinely checked. Not just boilers and central heating but also everything appliance that you feel may cause some danger.
Now you know how important it is to keep a check on carbon monoxide leaks. Make sure to take all the preventative measures. Get your heating system checked by experienced professionals of The Boiler Installation Specialists Ltd. We provide all types of services for superior home heating, from replacement to new boiler installation, we do it all. Contact us to know more about our services.