![]() When your heart, brain, or other vital organs are deprived of that oxygen, you’re in trouble. If you inhale too much carbon monoxide, it builds up in your bloodstream, where it takes the place of the oxygen that belongs there. If you have a boat or motorhome, detectors are also available there.Before there’s any trouble, ask your fire department for the number to call if the alarm goes off.That way, if one of them detects trouble, they all go off. If you have multiple alarms, connect them all together.Some alarms also give off audible signals on their own if the battery runs low or they break down. Detectors should go on each level of the home and outside each sleeping area.Follow the instructions about installation and change the batteries twice a year at Daylight Savings Time. These detectors are available at hardware stores and other retailers, and your home should have one or more.īuy alarms that are certified by a testing laboratory. If you see any of these, have a trained technician check them out and fix whatever needs it. Cracked or crumbling masonry on a chimney.Soot falling from fireplaces or appliances.If you don’t, carbon monoxide can be sucked into the vehicle.īy keeping your eyes open, you may spot evidence that appliances are out of whack or something else is wrong. If your vehicle has a tailgate, be sure to open windows anytime you drive with the tailgate down. Even with the garage door open, the fumes can seep inside the house. If your garage is attached to your home, don’t leave a vehicle running there. Vehicles: Have your car or truck’s exhaust system checked each year.Space heaters: Use them only when someone is awake to keep an eye on them make sure there is some airflow in and out of the room.Charcoal grills and portable camp stoves: Use them only outdoors.Put them outside the house at least 20 feet from windows or doors. Emergency generators: Don’t use them in your garage or basement.If you have a fireplace, the chimney needs a going-over. Maintenance: Have a qualified technician inspect your heating system, water heater and any other fuel-burning appliances every year.In your home, any equipment should be installed with vents running outdoors. When you buy appliances that burn fuel, look for the seal of a testing agency such as UL. That’s all the more reason to make sure your home is safe. Someone who is asleep can die from carbon monoxide poisoning without ever waking up. And battery-operated detectors that are easy to find at stores can warn us of trouble. There are things you can do to stay safe. But if they’re out of order, or if people use them in the wrong places, the fumes can build up. Ovens, heaters and other devices put out little of it when they’re working properly. And whenever we turn on devices that run on natural gas, charcoal, gasoline, wood, or other fuels, we have to use them the right way.Ĭarbon monoxide, produced any time a fossil fuel burns, is a gas you can’t see or smell.
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