Carbon Monoxide Safety

Where carbon monoxide comes from in a home

Any appliance that burns fuel, including gas and oil furnaces, boilers, water heaters, gas ranges, fireplaces, and attached-garage vehicles, produces some carbon monoxide, and a healthy system vents it safely outdoors. Danger arises when combustion goes wrong or venting fails: a cracked heat exchanger that lets flue gases mix with the household air supply, a blocked or corroded flue, a burner starved of combustion air, or exhaust fans depressurizing the house until a water heater backdrafts. Because CO has no color, odor, or taste, people cannot sense it; early exposure feels like the flu, with headache, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue, often improving when you leave the house.

Protecting your household through the heating season

Install CO detectors on every level and near sleeping areas, test them regularly, and replace units that have reached the age limit printed on their label. If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside into fresh air and call emergency services or your utility before re-entering. The other half of prevention is mechanical: have fuel-burning heating equipment inspected annually, since heat exchanger cracks and venting failures develop quietly in aging furnaces and boilers, including the oil-fired systems still common in older Southeastern Pennsylvania homes. PJ MAC HVAC's heating tune-ups include combustion and heat exchanger checks, and the company offers 24-hour service when a heating emergency cannot wait for morning.