You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Ovens and grills help us stay fed. Heaters keep us warm. Cars take us where we want to go. And whenever we turn on devices that run on natural gas, charcoal, gasoline, wood, or other fuels, we have to use them the right way.

Carbon monoxide, produced any time a fossil fuel burns, is a gas you can’t see or smell.

Ovens, heaters and other devices put out little of it when they’re working properly. But if they’re out of order, or if people use them in the wrong places, the fumes can build up. This can be life-threatening.

There are things you can do to stay safe. And battery-operated detectors that are easy to find at stores can warn us of trouble.

How to Avoid Danger

Someone who is asleep can die from carbon monoxide poisoning without ever waking up. That’s all the more reason to make sure your home is safe.

When you buy appliances that burn fuel, look for the seal of a testing agency such as UL. In your home, any equipment should be installed with vents running outdoors.

Here are more tips:

• Maintenance: Have a qualified technician inspect your heating system, water heater and any other fuel-burning appliances every year. If you have a fireplace, the chimney needs a going-over.
• Emergency generators: Don’t use them in your garage or basement. Put them outside the house at least 20 feet from windows or doors.
• Charcoal grills and portable camp stoves: Use them only outdoors.

Space heaters: Use them only when someone is awake to keep an eye on them; make sure there is some airflow in and out of the room. Don’t try to use a gas oven for heat.

Signs That Equipment Is Out of Order

By keeping your eyes open, you may spot evidence that appliances are out of whack or something else is wrong. A few danger signals:

• Soot falling from fireplaces or appliances.
• Rust or water streaks on vents.
• Loose or disconnected vent pipes.
• Moisture inside windows.
• Cracked or crumbling masonry on a chimney.

If you see any of these, have a trained technician check them out and fix whatever needs it.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

These detectors are available at hardware stores and other retailers, and your home should have one or more.

Buy alarms that are certified by a testing laboratory. Follow the instructions about installation. Here are a few other guidelines:

• Detectors should go on each level of the home and outside each sleeping area.
• Test the alarms once a month. Some alarms also give off audible signals on their own if the battery runs low or they break down.
• If you have multiple alarms, connect them all together. That way, if one of them detects trouble, they all go off.
• Before there’s any trouble, ask your fire department for the number to call if the alarm goes off.
• If you have a boat or motor home, detectors are also available for there.