Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer, as it’s a colorless, odorless gas that can result in death by asphyxiation within only a few minutes. The highest number of cases of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning occurs during the winter when people have their heating system running. That’s why it’s important that you take steps to protect your family if you have a gas furnace, a gas boiler, or any other potential sources of carbon dioxide in your home.
How HVAC Systems Can Create Carbon Monoxide Risks
Furnaces and boilers don’t always produce carbon monoxide, contrary to what many people believe. When natural gas burns cleanly and fully combusts, it only produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. While carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas, it’s only harmful to humans at very high concentrations. Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, can lead to serious or fatal health risks at even fairly low concentrations.
Even though furnaces and boilers don’t always produce carbon monoxide, they can if they have any issues that lead to the gas not fully combusting. Incomplete combustion can sometimes happen if the burners are dirty and clogged with soot. However, it most commonly occurs as a result of the flames not receiving sufficient oxygen, which can happen if the airflow to the unit is obstructed. That’s why it’s important to keep the area around your furnace or boiler clear.
You can tell if natural gas is fully combusting by the color of flames it produces. Steady, bright blue flames indicate that the gas is fully combusting and burning cleanly. Incomplete combustion results in weaker yellow or orange flames that frequently flicker. If you have a furnace, you can easily see the flames through the slots on the front panel. If you ever see that the flames are any color other than blue, you should immediately switch off the furnace and call to get it professionally inspected.
The exhaust fumes that a furnace or boiler produces normally flow directly outside through the chimney or flue. However, they can escape and leak out into the house if the flue is obstructed or damaged or if it wasn’t designed and installed correctly.
In a gas furnace, the fumes first get drawn up through the heat exchanger before flowing into the flue. If there are any cracks or holes in the heat exchanger, it will also result in some of the exhaust fumes escaping. This is an extremely serious issue, as it results in the fumes mixing with the hot air inside the furnace. It then gets blown out of the vents in every room.
How Regular Maintenance and Inspections Help Avoid Carbon Monoxide Risks
Hiring a certified technician to inspect and maintain your HVAC system regularly is crucial for lessening the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. When servicing your furnace or boiler, the technician will check the color of the flames and test to make sure that no carbon monoxide is being produced. They’ll also inspect the flue and make sure that the unit is properly vented and that the exhaust fumes are flowing outside. Cleaning the burners is also important for preventing carbon monoxide production and ensuring that the unit heats as effectively as it was designed to.
Regular maintenance provides other benefits in addition to ensuring safe operation and avoiding carbon monoxide risks. The chances of your heating system breaking down over the winter are far lower if you have it maintained and inspected during the fall. Your heating costs will also be lower if your HVAC unit is properly maintained. Annual maintenance can help extend the life of your furnace or boiler as well.
Prompt heating repairs also help avoid potential risks and ensure safe, effective operation. If you notice any potential issues with your HVAC system, having a professional inspect and repair it as soon as possible is essential for protecting your family. Getting the issue resolved quickly can help to avoid your heating costs skyrocketing as well.
The Importance of Having Working Carbon Monoxide Alarms Throughout the House
While a well-maintained HVAC unit is less likely to create carbon monoxide risks, issues could still suddenly arise that lead to CO leaking out into your house. That’s why it’s essential that you have carbon monoxide alarms in certain areas of your house and that you test them at least once a month to ensure they all still work. You should also make sure to replace all of your alarms every five to seven years. The back of each alarm will usually have a label showing the expiration date or how many years the unit is good for from the date of installation.
If you have a multi-level home, you should have at least one alarm on each level. If there’s only a single unit on any of the levels, you should choose a central location so that the alarm can be heard from every room. For larger houses, you may want to install two alarms for each level and place them toward the opposite ends of the house.
You should also have an alarm around 15-20 feet away from your furnace or boiler. You don’t want it any closer than 15 feet, as this could result in frequent false alarms when there’s no actual risk. You shouldn’t have an alarm too close to any other potential source of carbon monoxide, either. This includes wood stoves, pellet stoves, gas fireplaces, and gas water heaters.
The most important thing is to have an alarm inside of every bedroom. If you have multiple bedrooms in one part of the house, you can just install a single alarm in the hallway. However, you want to make sure it’s close enough so that the alarm can easily be heard from every bedroom.
When choosing carbon monoxide alarms, the best option is to go with hardwired units instead of battery-powered alarms. Hardwired alarms are more expensive and should be installed by an electrician, but they’re much safer. The main reason is that every alarm in the house is interconnected. If one alarm detects carbon monoxide and goes off, it will instantly trigger all of the others to go off as well. All hardwired units also have batteries that supply backup power to ensure they’ll still work if the power to the house is out.
Proper Carbon Monoxide Alarm Placement
Proper placement is crucial for ensuring that all of your alarms work properly and can detect if carbon monoxide is present. The best location is on the wall at about eye level or at least 5 feet above the floor, but you can also install them on the ceiling.
When selecting the location, you want to make sure that the alarms are in a place that has sufficient air circulation. If an alarm is in a “dead air” space, such as close to the corner of a wall or ceiling, it may not detect when CO is present. Placing an alarm too close to a window or an exterior door can also result in it not working properly and potentially not going off when it should.
You should also avoid placing alarms in humid areas like a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. Humidity can result in false alarms. Over time, it can also result in the sensor degrading and the alarm potentially not being able to detect carbon monoxide unless the concentration is fairly high. That means the alarm may not go off until it’s too late. Placing an alarm in an area that receives direct sunlight can result in false alarms and decreased effectiveness as well.
If you’re worried about the condition of your heating system, Joyce Cooling & Heating Inc. is ready to help. We’ve been serving Nashua and the surrounding areas since 2015. Our expert technicians can take care of your maintenance and repair needs. Signing up for our annual maintenance plan is the easiest way to ensure your HVAC system is safe and remains in good condition. By enrolling, you’ll also receive additional benefits like priority service and a 15% discount on repairs and replacements. To schedule a heating tune-up or learn more about our maintenance plans, contact Joyce Cooling & Heating Inc. today.
