Carbon monoxide in your home is certainly dangerous and quite possibly deadly. Wondering what you can do to protect your family from it? Here are some tips for eliminating sources of carbon monoxide and reducing your risks of CO poisoning but remember that incidents may still happen despite your best efforts so if you don’t have a CO detector installed in your house – get one!
- Have a qualified technician inspect and clean fuel-burning appliances yearly (ideally before the cold weather sets in) to make sure they are in good working order.
- Have a qualified technician inspect chimneys and vents yearly for cracks, blockages, corrosion or holes.
- Check any fireplaces for closed or blocked flues.
- Check with a qualified technician before enclosing heating and hot water equipment in a smaller room to ensure that there is adequate air for proper combustion.
- Never use propane or natural gas stove tops or ovens to heat your home.
- Do not start your vehicle in a closed garage, open the garage doors first. Even when the door(s) are open you need to pull a running vehicle out of the garage and you should close the door(s) to prevent carbon monoxide from being drawn into your home.
- Do not use a remote automobile starter when the car is in the garage.
- Never operate your propane, natural gas or charcoal barbecues inside or in an attached garage.
- Do not run a lawnmower, snow-blower or ANY gasoline powered tool inside a garage or your home.
- Regularly clean the clothes dryer ductwork and outside vent cover for blockages.