A lot of people are talking about carbon monoxide these days-and for good reason.
A City of Chicago ordinance, which goes into effect Saturday, requires installation of carbon monoxide detectors in most residential dwellings. And, the recent death of former tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis from carbon monoxide poisoning served to publicize the dangers of this colorless, ordorless gas.
At least 250 people in the United States are fatally poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO) every year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, it was the deaths in 1991 of a Southwest Side family of 10 from CO poisoning that helped spur the Chicago ordinance.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to install a carbon monoxide detector. And there are additional measures a homeowner can take to minimize the risk of CO poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is produced naturally by burning oil, natural gas or any other fossil fuel in furnaces, boilers, water heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves or room heaters.
Venting problems
Normally, CO is exhausted from a home via the chimney. There are, however, a number of ways it can remain in the home, according to Dave Luckowicz, a manager with NICOR Energy Services, an arm of the suburban utility company.
The most common way carbon monoxide gets into a home is through venting problems, says Luckowicz. “For example, a bird’s nest obstructs the chimney, or a furnace flue pipe deteriorates and develops a hole in it, or disconnects from the chimney,” he says.
A house that is too tightly sealed with weatherstripping can produce a phenomenon known as backdrafting, in which carbon monoxide produced by a furnace or water heater stays in the house instead of being sucked up the chimney.
A car left running in an attached garage can also produce high levels of CO in the bedrooms above, says Luckowicz. So can the use of an outdoor grill indoors.
Most carbon monoxide poisoning deaths occur during the winter and, ironically, early symptoms often are mistaken for cold symptoms or the flu, also typical in winter.
One of the best lines of defense against this poisoning is a carbon monoxide detector, which sounds an alarm if a dangerous level is detected. Now selling for as low as $40 at home improvement stores, discount stores and pharmacies, most detectors are fairly easy to install.
Again, most homes in Chicago are now required to have a CO detector. About the only homes exempted by the new ordinance are those with electric or solar heat. But if those homes have a natural gas appliance such as a water heater, or a wood- or gas-burning fireplace or stove, they, too, are required to have a CO detector.
Styles of detectors
There are several styles of CO detectors, but the most common and least expensive ones resemble smoke detectors.
Installation of the common CO detector is much like a standard smoke detector’s: Two small screw anchors are inserted into a wall or ceiling and the unit is anchored via screws. These detectors have integrated sensor/battery units that need to be replaced every two to three years if they are not activated. Replacement sensor/battery units cost about $20.
There also are AC-powered detectors, which use a plug-in power unit or require a hardwire connection into an existing electrical circuit. Other units are designed to plug directly into a wall outlet.
According to Bill Holmes, deputy commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Building Department, the detector must be installed within 40 feet of the sleeping rooms of a home.
An excellent location is the hallway ceiling outside of the bedrooms, near the smoke detector, suggests Holmes.
Don’t place the CO detector near the furnace room, the garage or the kitchen, where it may react to temporary but high levels of CO.
Other steps to take
There are other measures you can take to prevent carbon monoxide problems in a home:
– Have the forced-air furnace or boiler checked before each heating season by a licensed professional or your utility company.
On the furnace, the inspection should include checking the unit’s heat exchanger, the vents, the fan motor, the belts and the fuel shutoff switch. Debris should be cleared off the burners and safety switches should be tested. There should also be a check for proper backdrafting.
– Check your chimney each autumn for any blockage, such as an animal’s nest of twigs or leaves. Clean the chimney or have it cleaned on a regular basis, especially if you frequently use a fireplace or woodburning stove.
– If you plan on remodeling your basement, don’t build an airtight enclosure around your furnace or water heater because without an adequate fresh air flow there can be problems with backdrafting.
– Finally, look for the signs that can foretell carbon monoxide problems: Streaks of soot around the service door of a gas-burning appliance; large rust spots on flue pipes or the exterior of furnaces, boilers or water heaters; excessive moisture on the windows in the basement, a sign of poor ventilation; or constant stale air through the house.
