Safety and Fire Prevention - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

If you have a fuel burning appliance in your home you are required (By-Law 54-99 of the Corporation of the City of Oshawa) to have a working carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. A fuel burning appliance includes: furnaces, refrigerators, clothes dryers, water heaters, boilers, fireplaces, woodstoves, charcoal grills, gas ranges or space heaters which are fired by flammable fuels. A CO alarm is also required if you have direct entry into your home from an attached garage.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, deadly gas. It can kill you before you know it because you can't see it, taste it or smell it. It is produced by gas or oil furnaces, space and water heaters, clothes dryers, ovens, wood stoves and other household appliances that run on fossil fuels such as wood, gas, oil or coal. When properly installed, maintained and vented, any CO produced by these devices will not stay inside the home.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

When you inhale carbon monoxide, it can cause brain damage, suffocation or death. Because you cannot see, smell or taste this deadly gas, poisoning can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. Everyone is at risk but pregnant women, young children, senior citizens and people with heart and lung problems are at greater risk. If your home is well sealed or not well ventilated, the levels of carbon monoxide in the air may easily rise to deadly levels.

Carbon monoxide poisoning and the flu seem a lot alike at first. Early warning signs of low-level poisoning include tiredness, headaches, dizziness, nausea or vomiting and shortness of breath. Your skin may also turn pink or red in response to rising blood pressure. If you experience any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and should call 9-1-1 as well as talk to your doctor.

Prevention

Have a qualified service technician inspect and clean your fuel-burning appliances, furnace, vent pipe and chimney flues once a year. Birds’ nests, twigs and old mortar in chimneys can block proper ventilation and lead to build-up of carbon monoxide gas in the home.

Protection

Proper placement of a carbon monoxide detector is important. Carbon monoxide detectors are required to be installed so that they audible from every bedroom in the home when the intervening doors are closed. Homeowners should remember not to install carbon monoxide detectors directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances, as appliances emit a small amount of carbon monoxide upon start-up. A detector should not be placed within fifteen feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or near very humid areas such as bathrooms.

There are several types of detectors, including battery-operated and plug-in models. Install the carbon monoxide detector according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Maintenance

Test your carbon monoxide detector regularly to make sure it is operating properly. The owner’s manual should tell you how to test your alarm. Remember to check the manual for information on when to buy a new carbon monoxide detector.

What should you do if the detector alarm sounds?

If the detector sounds, you and all members of your household should leave your home immediately. From outside the home, call 9-1-1. Don’t go back inside until the problem has been found and corrected.

In case of fire or an emergency, call 9-1-1.