Keep Your Family Safe From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Each year, over 400 people in America die from a completely preventable problem – carbon monoxide poisoning. Over 4,000 additional people are hospitalized, but treated successfully, due to CO poisoning. With the right protections and alarms in place, your family does not have to fall victim to this alarming problem. At Ernst Heating & Cooling, we want you to be properly protected, so your family can be safe and comfortable at home without fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Do you have the right carbon monoxide detectors in place? If you’re not sure, contact Ernst Heating & Cooling today for our qualified HVAC pros to help.
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is odorless and colorless. It is produced by anything that burns fuel, including your home’s HVAC system if you have a gas-powered furnace. It can also be created with a generator that runs on gas, and your car produces CO when it runs, which can create problems if you run your car in an enclosed garage space. Even room heaters, if they use fuel, can create this deadly gas.
Why Is Carbon Monoxide Dangerous?
Carbon monoxide, if inhaled in large enough quantities, can cause permanent brain damage, prevent you from breathing properly, and eventually lead to your death. Because the gas is odorless and colorless, you will have no warning that there is a problem. Often people who are killed due to carbon monoxide die in their sleep because of something left running throughout the night.
Protecting Your Illinois Home from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
While carbon monoxide is a scary potential problem, there are steps you can take to protect your home and family. Consider these tips from the experts at Ernst Heating & Cooling:
- Ensure that your heating systems are running properly and safely with yearly inspections and maintenance checks.
- Never use portable chemical heaters indoors.
- Keep generators outside of the home and away from open doors or windows.
- Keep your fireplace clean and maintained, and open the damper before lighting your fire. Leave the damper open until the fire is fully extinguished.
- Vent all gas appliances properly.
- Do not run your car’s engine in the garage for more than a minute or two.
- Watch for the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Install CO detectors on every floor of your home, particularly near bedrooms or other sleeping areas.
- Check CO detectors regularly to ensure they are functioning.
- Replace your CO monitor when necessary
Do you want to know that your family is as protected as possible? Schedule an appointment with Ernst Heating & Cooling for expert advice.
What to Do When the CO Alarm Sounds
If you trigger a CO alarm in your home, do not try to fix the problem. Take your family outside immediately and call 911. Make sure all family members and pets are safely outside and do not enter your home again until the emergency responders have vented the home and tested the air to ensure it is safe.
Once your home is safe, call Ernst Heating & Cooling to get help determining the source of the problem and repairing it.
Why Trust Ernst Heating & Cooling
At Ernst Heating & Cooling, we are passionate about the safety and protection of our customers throughout Metro East, IL. We will thoroughly inspect and test your home to determine any potential CO problems. We will help you keep your carbon monoxide detectors running perfectly.
Contact us online to schedule your HVAC appointment, and keep your family’s safety a top priority.