CARBON: An Acronym for Preventing CO Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning kills hundreds of Americans each year. This odorless gas is sometimes known as the silent killer since its victims are unaware of its presence until it is too late.

Thankfully, you can do a lot to protect yourself and your household from carbon monoxide. The following acronym, CARBON, will help you remember how to protect yourself.

C: Care for Your Appliances

Any fuel-burning appliance produces carbon monoxide - your furnace, gas stove, wood-burning fireplace, gas or charcoal grill, and generator all fall into this category. If a fuel-burning appliance is not wellmaintained, it may not ventilate properly or it may not burn its fuel completely, both of which can lead to an accumulation of CO in your home.

Keep your fuel-burning appliances clean, and arrange to have larger appliances, like your generator and furnace, tuned up and maintained by a professional annually. If your heating equipment have any problems, a professional will catch them before they start exposing you to CO.

A: Activate Alarms

Even properly maintained appliances occasionally leak or malfunction. As such, you should place CO alarms throughout your home to alert you if this gas starts building up. Place the alarms on the wall five feet from the ground. You need one on each level of your home and near every sleeping area. Replace your alarms every five years to ensure accuracy.

R: Repair With Professional Help Only

You can do some repairs yourself, but you should leave repairs to your furnace and other fuel-burning appliances to professionals. Without proper training, you may make a mistake in the repair process that leads to accumulation of CO in your home. Professionals know how to ensure equipment is properly ventilated to protect your family.

B: Burn Outside

Some cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are caused not by faulty equipment but by silly mistakes on the part of the homeowner. Namely, grilling indoors or burning items in a non-ventilated stove or fireplace can lead to an accumulation of CO in the home.

Whether using propane or charcoal, always grill outside, far from any windows. Never use your oven or stove to burn anything; it is not properly designed for this purpose.

O: Only Heat With Heating Equipment

When the heat goes out or when you only need to heat your home a little, you may be tempted to just turn on the oven and let it heat your home. But as mentioned above, your oven is not well-ventilated, and as such, this practice can lead to CO poisoning. Only heat your home with a furnace or other heater that is specifically designed for that purpose.

N: Never Ignore Symptoms

Since accidents can happen in spite of the best intentions, you must also know the symptoms of CO poisoning so you can seek medical care if they do occur. Symptoms include:

• Nausea or upset stomach
• Confusion and brain fog
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Headaches
• Weakness and fatigue

The symptoms of CO poisoning tend to get better when you leave the home but worsen again when you return. If you have even the slightest suspicion that you may be suffering from CO poisoning, seek medical care. You may find out you have the flu or a cold, but you're better off safe than sorry.

More than 20,000 people visit the ER due to CO poisoning each year, so this is a condition that most medical personnel know well.

To protect yourself and your family from CO poisoning, just remember the acronym CARBON as described above. If you are looking for a qualified company to service your heating and cooling equipment in the Knoxville area, contact A-1 Finchum Heating & Cooling.