Health/Safety: Why is Carbon Monoxide a Concern In Homes?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas. It is produced during the incomplete burning of fuel, including the natural gas of your water heater, furnace, range and oven. It is extremely important that CO levels are below accepted minimums and that the CO is properly exhausted from the house. Low to moderate CO poisoning can cause symptoms that are similar to a flu, including: fatigue, headaches, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath. The long-term exposure limit for CO is 35 PPM. Typically, we recommend an appliance to be serviced if it is near or over this level. If any appliance reaches over 100 PPM we recommend discontinuing the use of the appliance until is serviced. If the ambient CO level at any place in the house is above 9 PPM we recommend immediately identifying the cause and fixing the issue.
