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 leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths – causing about 15,000 emergency room visits and nearly 500 deaths annually in the United States1. There are surprising gaps in what homeowners do and don’t know about keeping safe.
A lot of common household appliances release carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that could build to dangerous levels in your home when fuel-burning devices are not correctly vented, operated or maintained. Breathing in CO can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which attacks the nervous system, heart and could be fatal. It’s important 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 uncover the alarming lack of information homeowners have about the hazards of carbon monoxide:
- 66% don’t know if they would know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (headache, nausea, dizziness, or confusion).
- 94% of homeowners know that the furnace can release deadly carbon monoxide gas, but more than half (54%) don’t get an annual furnace tune-up, a simple step that can help ensure proper furnace operation and venting.
- 54% don’t know the best place in the home to install a carbon monoxide detector (the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a detector outside of each separate sleeping area).
- More than half of homeowners (54%) don’t know that the clothes dryer may be a source of carbon monoxide; 25% don’t know that that fireplace also can be a source. Other potential 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 simple home comfort analysis, Boehmers/Cronin Emery Home Services by Enercare in Kitchener is happy to help keep your family safe this winter. Visit ServiceExperts.com/CO-Safety, call 519-804-1617 or use our online scheduler to set up an analysis of CO and other harmful indoor air pollutant levels.
1http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5650a1.htm