Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning surveyed 1,000 homeowners in the U.S. and Canada on their knowledge of carbon monoxide (CO). According to The Centers for Disease Control, carbon monoxide poisoning is a top cause of unintentional poisoning deaths – causing around 15,000 emergency room visits and almost 500 deaths every year in the United States1. There are surprising gaps in what homeowners do and don’t know about staying safe.
A lot of common household appliances release carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that could build to unsafe levels in your home when fuel-burning devices are not correctly vented, operated or maintained. Inhaling CO can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which attacks the nervous system, heart and could be fatal. It’s crucial to have your home inspected for carbon monoxide regularly to help ensure safe air quality.
Common sources of CO in homes include certain:
- Furnaces
- Stoves
- Space heaters
- Fireplaces
- Water heaters
- Clothes dryers
What do you know about CO?
Our survey results reveal the unsettling lack of information homeowners have about the dangers of carbon monoxide:
- 66% don’t know if they would identify the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (headache, nausea, dizziness, or confusion).
- 94% of homeowners know that the furnace can discharge deadly carbon monoxide gas, but more than half (54%) don’t get an annual furnace tune-up, a simple step that can help ensure good furnace operation and venting.
- 54% don’t know the preferred place in the home to install a carbon monoxide detector (the Consumer Product Safety Commission says a detector outside of each separate sleeping area).
- More than half of homeowners (54%) don’t know that the clothes dryer could be a source of carbon monoxide; 25% don’t know that that fireplace also may be a source. Other possible sources include gas water heaters, gas ranges, charcoal grills, gas space heaters and wood burning stoves.
- Over one third of homeowners (34%) don’t have or can’t be sure if they have a carbon monoxide detector in their home; 41% say they never swap out their carbon monoxide detector, or they aren’t sure how often it is replaced.
Determine your home’s CO risk
With a basic home comfort analysis, TML Service Experts in Boise is happy to help keep your family safe this winter. Visit ServiceExperts.com/CO-Safety, call 208-488-4892 or use our online scheduler to set up an analysis of CO and other hazardous indoor air pollutant levels.
1http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5650a1.htm