Carbon Monoxide and What You Need to Know

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide builds up in the blood. When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, the body replaces the oxygen in the red blood cells with carbon monoxide. This can lead to serious tissue damage, or even death.

Carbon monoxide is gas that has no odor, taste or color. Burning fuels, including gas, wood, propane or charcoal, make carbon monoxide. Appliances and engines that aren’t well vented can cause the gas to build up to dangerous levels. A tightly enclosed space makes the buildup worse.

Anyone exposed to carbon monoxide needs to get into fresh air and seek medical care right away. Call emergency medical services (EMS) or dial 911 right away for someone who’s in a coma or can’t respond.

Source:

Mayo Clinic Home Page

There can be several sources of carbon monoxide in your home. Stoves, gas dryers, water heaters, and fireplaces to name a few. Rarely, do any of these compare to the quantity of carbon monoxide produced by your furnace.

Typically your furnace will burn its fuel and the harmful gasses will travel through the heat exchanger (or exchangers) and then be expelled through your flue pipes. For lower efficiency furnaces, that usually means the galvanized pipe that runs from your furnace to your roof or out through a side wall. For higher efficiency furnaces PVC or ABS pipe is used in the same manner.

When the path of the flue gasses are not connected correctly or sealed off from the airflow inside of the furnace you get carbon monoxide where it shouldn’t be. The heat exchanger (image above) is the barrier between the airflow in your home and the gasses produced by combustion in your furnace. It is also the part of your furnace that is heated so that when the air in your home passes over it the air can get warm. You can imagine that this metal barrier is expanding and contracting every time the furnace lights. Inevitably the expanding and contracting over years will cause this barrier to crack and begin allowing carbon monoxide to mix with the air in your home.

Exposure Limits

The level of carbon monoxide (CO) in the air is typically measured in parts per million (ppm). Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, and its harmfulness depends on the concentration and exposure duration. Here are some general guidelines for carbon monoxide exposure:

1. 0-9 ppm: This is considered a safe or normal level of CO in indoor air.

2. 10-35 ppm: Low levels of CO exposure may be safe for most people but can cause some individuals to experience mild symptoms like headaches or fatigue over an extended period of time.

3. 36-99 ppm: Prolonged exposure at these levels can lead to more severe symptoms, including dizziness, nausea, and headaches.

4. 100-199 ppm: At these concentrations, symptoms like confusion, chest pain, and impaired coordination can occur within a few hours of exposure.

5. 200-399 ppm: Symptoms become more severe, and immediate medical attention is necessary. Unconsciousness and death can occur if exposure continues.

6. 400-800 ppm: Life-threatening symptoms occur within a short time frame (minutes to a few hours), and individuals can lose consciousness or die if exposed for an extended period.

7. 800+ ppm: Fatal within a few minutes to an hour of exposure.

#1 Change your air filter.

Changing your filter will help keep your heat

exchanger cooler because of increased airflow.

#2 Open all of your vents.

Keeping your vents opened accomplishes the same goal as

number 1.

#3 Have your ducting inspected for kinks or crushed spots.

Once again low airflow is the enemy of your furnace.

#4 Have your furnace inspected.

Having a proffesional inspect your furnace isn’t very

expensive and they will be able to tell you if your heat

exchanger is compromised, or if any other parts that

can lead to a failed heat exchanger needs to be serviced

or replaced.

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Carbon Monoxide and What You Need to Know

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Exposure Limits