Carbon Monoxide Detectors Save Lives

On your next trip to the local hardware store, be sure to pick up at least one carbon monoxide detector. 

     Carbon monoxide gas, which is produced during combustion, is odorless and colorless, and can build up quickly in a tight, closed space. This means that you won’t be able to smell this poisonous gas or detect it with normal senses, making it fatal if not detected. 

     A malfunctioning furnace in your home can be a danger to you and your family without a carbon monoxide detector. Even if your source of heat is vented, the air should be monitored against equipment failure.  Have furnaces, regardless of the age, serviced regularly to protect your family. It is a good idea to have a furnace technician conduct combustion and heat exchanger leak tests  

      Unvented space heaters may sometimes be used as an emergency heat source. However, remember that the by products of combustion, including many pollutant chemicals and carbon monoxide, will be released into the air you are breathing. If the heated is not ventilated, then the area heated should be adequately ventilated. Unvented space heaters are the main cause of carbon monoxide build-up in icehouses, so consider a carbon monoxide detector for fish houses too.