How to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at Home

Around 430 people die of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in the US each year. This might seem like a small number, but over 50,000 go to the hospital each year due to poisoning. Any of these could easily turn into an accidental casualty.

Do you know how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning? Do you know if your home has a system in place to protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning? Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas, so having a way to detect a possible leak could save your life.

Know the Cause

Any appliance or device that runs on fossil fuels could lead to possible carbon monoxide poisoning. This includes stoves, water heaters, your furnace, lawn mowers, cars, and more. Because it cannot be detected by physical senses, the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can sneak up on people, even killing people in their sleep.

Many appliances have detectors built-in to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide. However, you need to be aware of what could produce it so you can make sure those appliances receive regular maintenance and continue working properly.

You can find more on HVAC appliances and what they have as far as detectors go on individual sites. You can also talk to a professional installer to learn about how each system is made to monitor and detect carbon monoxide.

Know the Symptoms

If you’ve wondered what is carbon monoxide poisoning, it can look like a few different things. Essentially it deprives your body of oxygen by building up in the bloodstream and can cause dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, headaches, and confusion. Knowing the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning could save your life.

If you suspect a leak, move to fresh air and make sure everyone else is out of the area. If someone has symptoms of poisoning, take them to the hospital right away to get help.

Know How to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The very best way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning is to have a detector in your house. You don’t have to know how to detect carbon monoxide poisoning when you can first detect the carbon monoxide. You can find all kinds of carbon monoxide detectors that can be placed around your home to alert you if there is a leak.

Treat these like smoke detectors and be sure to test them every year to make sure they are on and working. Remember, it is odorless and invisible, so you cannot detect it on your own.