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Most homes are equipped with smoke detectors to alert occupants of a fire. However, every home should also have a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an invisible, scentless killer that can build up anywhere fuel is consumed—including vehicles, fireplaces, gas kitchen ranges, and furnaces. Almost every home has a furnace, which makes carbon monoxide poisoning a considerable risk. Though rare, this deadly problem is preventable. 

What to Watch Out For

The symptoms of CO poisoning are not easy to spot. They’re usually described as “flu-like” and include weakness, dizziness, headaches, and vomiting. When CO poisoning is severe, it may lead to confusion and fainting, which can cause a person to become unconscious in a CO-contaminated area and, eventually, die. People are most commonly killed by CO when they are asleep and cannot identify the symptoms.

If your home uses a fuel source for a furnace, stove, or fireplace, you need to be vigilant of carbon monoxide. Make sure your furnace, chimneys, and exhausts are working properly before using them, and never use a generator indoors. It also pays to have your heating and ventilation system serviced by a technician every year.

How to Prevent Exposure

FurnaceCarbon monoxide detectors are extremely effective at alerting people to the presence of CO before it harms or kills them. Install a detector on a wall in your home and change the batteries regularly. The detector will sense harmful CO from any source, whether it’s a furnace or a truck running outside an open window. 

 

Steve’s Plumbing & Heating provides the Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield, and Wausau, WI, areas with 24-hour emergency heating and plumbing services. In addition to unclogging toilets, they cut energy bills, keep families warm, and ensure HVAC and plumbing systems work safely. Visit their website to learn why you should choose this team, and call (715) 421-1800 for more furnace-related tips.

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