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. And it sounds like our furnaces, while they have been running, will get a little more of a workout in the days surrounding Christmas this year, with forecast lows below zero.
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. Alons says one of the things you can do to protect yourself is to have your heating system checked each year.
Alons says they recommend an annual checkup, which can catch other issues as well.
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.
The Federal Emergency Management agency also advises that some heating devices are unsafe to use indoors because they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. They say unsafe heating devices include portable gasoline heaters, propane heaters, natural gas heaters and charcoal heaters.
Alons says every home should have carbon monoxide detectors.
Alons 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. But Alons says carbon monoxide can even cause headaches and respiratory problems at low levels, so it pays to have your system checked.
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.
