Furnaces are the darling of every home. They make your living room look sophisticated and inviting while keeping your home warm in the colder months. The hue of the dancing tongues of a burning fire is nothing actually very hypnotic.
With the holiday season upon us it is heartwarming to be in the presence of your family or friends in a living room with a furnace, or all cuddled up with your spouse over a glass of wine. Between the fireplace and the kitchen, it can be hard to decide which one is the heart of the house.
That being said, the furnace needs to be properly built and functioning properly as it can also turn out to be a silent killer from carbon monoxide poisoning if not properly constructed or well maintained. In fact, heating services are paramount at the slightest sign of a malfunction.
How to Detect Carbon Monoxide
Because of carbon monoxide may be hard to detect without an instrument, a good number of people have died silently in their sleep as they dozed off in their living rooms. This is unfortunate considering the fact that CO poisoning is preventable.
To begin with, every home owner with a furnace must have it fitted with a carbon monoxide (CO) detector and have this detector and their furnace inspected regularly.
You can also test for carbon monoxide in your home during the times you are using the furnace using a carbon monoxide detector badge. Place the badge near your furnace but facing away from the sunlight and away from cleaning materials like solvents, or ammonia. Check it after 15 minutes, if it has darkened even slightly it means you have CO in your air.
If nothing is detected, leave it in place for 60-90 days as a precautionary measure and check it periodically.
There are two most common areas that carbon monoxide manifests and that is between heat exchangers and exhaust flue. The easiest to detect and address is the exhaust flue although many times it also goes undetected. The flue is the round metal exhaust that comes from the top of the furnace, and should ideally go through a protected and enclosed space before exiting and exhausting air from your home.
Due to aging of a system, moisture can find it's way into the metal flue and rust can start to develop in that area causing holes that leak carbon monoxide.
The best approach to keeping your family safe where furnaces and carbon monoxide are concerned, is to hire heating services for regular inspections.
Share13 February 2018
Working with HVAC contractors is an important part of being a homeowner. Not only do your contractors ensure that a new system you buy is properly installed, but they also ensure optimal performance throughout the years through a series of regular inspections, maintenance services, and repairs. But there are lots of things you can do in between your contractor's visits to ensure that your HVAC investment is always in tip top condition, aside from cleaning out the air filters. After working with my dad for more than a decade in the HVAC business, I've put together a few methods homeowners can use to maintain a well working system, and I have published those tips and tricks right here on this blog. I hope some of the information you find here helps you on your journey as a homeowner!
