How to Lower the Risk of Carbon Monoxide in Your Home

Personal Insurance Homeowners Insurance
Image of a carbon monoxide detector
Many common home appliances and equipment produce carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas, when they are used. Typically, this CO is vented to the outdoors, but a serious danger arises if it spills into your home instead. To reduce the risk of a carbon monoxide buildup indoors, homeowners should learn the main sources of CO in their homes and some critical carbon monoxide safety dos and don’ts.
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Carbon monoxide is created when any type of fuel, including gasoline, oil, kerosene, propane, wood, charcoal, natural gas, or methane, is burned. As a result, your home may be at risk for carbon monoxide problems from some common fuel-burning appliances or equipment regularly used in and around your property, including:

  • Furnaces, boilers, and water heaters
  • Space heaters
  • Ranges, ovens, and stoves
  • Clothes dryers
  • Fireplaces and wood stoves
  • Charcoal grills
  • Portable generators
  • Cars, trucks, and boats
  • Lawn mowers, snowblowers, power tools, and other yard equipment

The amount of CO these types of appliances produce is usually not hazardous when they are properly maintained and operated. However, if the appliances are poorly designed, incorrectly installed, malfunctioning, or used inappropriately, the CO fumes may not properly vent to the outside and could lead to hazardous levels of this gas in your home.

17 Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips for Homeowners

There are many simple actions homeowners can take to help reduce the risk of carbon monoxide buildup in their homes. The Andover Companies has gathered safety tips from several trusted sources, including the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and put them into a list of carbon monoxide dos and don’ts.

Do…

  • Install carbon monoxide detectors in a central location outside each sleeping area; on every level of the home; and anywhere required by applicable laws, codes, or standards.
  • Choose CO detectors that have been safety inspected and certified by a recognized testing laboratory and that feature interconnection technology so when one sounds, they all sound.
  • Test CO monitors at least once a month and replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Have all fuel-burning appliances installed by an expert, maintain and operate them according to manufacturers’ instructions, and have them inspected at least once a year.
  • Use the proper fuel indicated for each fuel-burning device.
  • Clear dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace vents during and after a storm.
  • Schedule annual professional inspections of your chimney and flue to check for blockages, corrosion, and other issues that could prevent proper CO venting.
  • Make sure the chimney flue is open before using the fireplace.
  • Operate a generator at least 25 feet away from and downwind of your house, and be sure that windows, doors, and vents near the generator are closed.

Do not ever…

  • Idle a car in a garage, even if the garage door to the outside is open.
  • Use your range, oven, or clothes dryer to heat your home, even temporarily.
  • Use a charcoal grill, oil lantern, or portable camping stove inside.
  • Sleep in a room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
  • Use any gasoline-powered engines, such as those found in weed trimmers, snowblowers, chain saws, or generators, in enclosed spaces.
  • Cover the bottom of natural gas or propane ovens with aluminum foil.
  • Block appliance vents and chimneys with tarps or debris while your home is being renovated.
  • Service fuel-burning appliances yourself if you do not have the proper knowledge, skill, and tools.

What Are The Signs of a Potential Carbon Monoxide Problem?

Since carbon monoxide in your home cannot be detected by sight or smell, placing CO detectors in a variety of locations is critical. If a carbon monoxide alarm goes off, everyone in your house should immediately get to a fresh air location, preferably outdoors. Then, call 911 or your local fire department and do not reenter your home until emergency service responders say it is safe to do so.

In addition, you should be on the lookout for the following red flags—and call for service immediately if you spot them—because these signs may indicate your home has a carbon monoxide issue:

  • Streaks of soot around fuel-burning appliances or soot falling into a fireplace.
  • Absence of an upward draft in the chimney.
  • Excess moisture and condensation on windows, walls, and cold surfaces.
  • Rusting on flue pipes or appliance jacks.
  • Flames that burn orange or yellow—rather than blue—when appliances are in use.
  • Damaged or discolored bricks at the top of the chimney.
  • Trace odors of exhaust gases that often accompany a carbon monoxide leak.

Carbon monoxide problems can arise throughout the year. However, since many homes are heated by fuel-burning appliances, the likelihood of a carbon monoxide issue in your home increases in the colder months. Winterizing your home in the early fall may also help you in your efforts to lower the risk of this hazard, as well as aid in preventing other serious seasonal property threats, such as frozen pipes, ice dams, and water leaks.

Sources:
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/carbon-monoxide#resources
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/protect-your-family-and-yourself-carbon-monoxide-poisoning
https://www.nps.gov/articles/p52-carbon-monoxide-safety.htm
https://www.firstalert.com/us/en/safetycorner/where-does-carbon-monoxide-come-from/

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