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RE: Carbon Monoxide: A Silent Killer
Dear Website Customer:
It’s invisible. It’s odorless.
It’s nonirritating. It’s deadly. Carbon monoxide is
a silent killer.
Almost every winter, we read of some tragedy
involving carbon monoxide’s endangering or even ending human
life. The symptoms range from a loss of concentration, headaches,
dizziness, weakness, fatigue and impaired vision; to rapid breathing,
chest pain, nausea and flue-like symptoms; to loss of consciousness
and possibly, death.
How and why does it happen? There are many potential sources of carbon monoxide
(CO) in a structure. Some of the most common are: home appliances,
unitary heating devices, or central heating plants. Carbon monoxide
is a by-product of the normal operation of this equipment. "Normal"
operation ceases to exist when:
- there is a blockage or failure in the
venting system;
- there is inadequate combustion air; or
- a crack develops in the heat exchanger.
Unvented devices such as space heaters and
gas-fired cooking equipment also have the potential to cause health
and safety problems depending on the type or equipment and availability
of air for combustion and ventilation. For brevity’s sake,
we will only discuss common vented heating equipment in this Update.
Carbon monoxide is about the same weight
as air or slightly lighter in some cases. It mixes easily with
air and spreads evenly throughout a structure. Let’s discuss
some of the ways carbon monoxide enters a space:
BLOCKAGE OR FAILURE IN THE VENTING SYSTEM :
Normally, CO is expelled to the outdoors through
a venting system. Circumstances causing vent failure are improper
installation or sealing, crushing of a portion of the vent, damage
caused by roof work, or an accumulation of matter which blocks
air flow. Any of these situations can cause CO to be released
into the indoor air.
INADEQUATE COMBUSTION AIR :
Poor initial design, structural and ventilation
changes, and inadequate maintenance are the most common causes
of combustion air problems. When combustion air is not proper,
CO can back up into the indoor space. Combustion air openings
should never be covered up!
CRACKED HEAT EXCHANGERS :
Corrosion is the major cause of heat exchanger
cracks. These cracks are not repairable and the exchanger part
or the entire piece of equipment (furnace or boiler) must be
replaced.
A few simple steps can be taken to insure
early detection of carbon monoxide intrusion into a building:
- Proper installation.
- Comprehensive annual clean and check.
- Installation of a carbon monoxide sensor.
Kahn Mechanical offers carbon monoxide testing
as well as inspection to verify combustion and ventilation are
in proper order. Please call me at (214)631-1010 if you have any
questions or would like additional information. I’d like
to hear from you.
Sincerely,
KAHN MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS
Ann R. Kahn
TACL A370C
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