Northwest Iowa — This time of year, we need heat to keep us warm. But most heat comes with a possible danger — that of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Aaron Alons of SP Heating and Cooling says carbon monoxide or “CO” is a byproduct of the combustion process and it’s so dangerous because you can’t smell or taste it.
In fact, experts say carbon monoxide poisoning kills more than 400 Americans each year. He says there are a couple of reasons that this is a crucial time to know about carbon monoxide.
Alons says one of the things you can do to protect yourself is to have your heating system checked each year.
He says a homeowner needs to do some maintenance too, including changing the filter and keeping the intake and exhaust ports outside the home free of debris, leaves, snow, and ice.
He says every home should have carbon monoxide detectors.
Alons suggests more than one, but if you’re only going to have one, make sure it’s near where you sleep.
He says the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often easy to ignore because they somewhat mimic those of the flu. But he says the flu is usually accompanied by a fever, and carbon monoxide poisoning is not. He says if all the members of your family seem sick, you should probably suspect carbon monoxide. In that case, he says get out of the house and call 911. He says the fire department can check it out, and then you can call a technician to come in and rectify the problem.
Alons says there’s another common danger too.
If you have any questions Alons says you can call him or another technician and they’ll steer you in the right direction.
