In the coming winter season, you will probably observe that old familiar grey smoke curling out of household chimneys.  Most families operate their fireplaces for ambiance and there are still some that use them as a means of providing heat for their homes during cold winter spells.  Burning combustible materials in a fireplace produces more than a comfortable feeling of coziness and Seasons’ Greetings at holiday parties and family get-togethers – they also introduce another guest into your home.  This guest is not a nice guy and to say he is sneaky is an understatement.  He lurks about while fires are burning and quietly enters your lungs where he slowly poisons his victims.  He is especially fond of young children whose vital organs are not fully developed and senior citizens whose lungs may already be damaged by years of smoking and natural aging.  His name is carbon monoxide and he is a killer.  Here is a list of other carbon monoxide producing appliances besides wood burning fireplaces:

• Gas/oil-fired furnaces
• Gas-fired water heaters
• Wood stoves
• Gas-fired clothes dryers
• Charcoal and gas-fired BBQ grills
• Gas-fired lawn mowers, leaf blowers and any other gas-fired yard equipment
• Gas-fired space heaters
• Automobiles

Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and deadly.  When you inhale carbon monoxide, the results are like a form of slow suffocation.  The poison attaches itself firmly to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying substance in your red blood cells.  When the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood is diminished, the body’s tissues and organs become oxygen starved and begin to die.  Large amounts of carbon monoxide can kill you in minutes, and even should you recover, the poison can cause permanent damage to any parts of your body which require oxygen to function correctly, such as your brain.  What usually happens is that people are exposed to small amounts over time, which may result in the following symptoms:

• Headaches
• Chest tightness
• Nausea
• Drowsiness
• Inattention to detail
• Fatigue

Should you have any of the above symptoms or feel ill when at home, but clear headed and friskier while out and about, suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.  Many times the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are dismissed as “post Christmas shopping syndrome” which makes it even more dangerous.  It is recommended that folks purchase a couple of carbon monoxide detectors and install them in locations recommended in the alarm manufacturer’s installation instructions.  These type of alarms usually cost less than one hundred dollars, which is cheap insurance for you and your family and most hardware and big box stores carry them.  Regardless, with all the possibilities of carbon monoxide poisoning through fuel burning appliances and the potential for back-drafting flues, I am a strong believer that carbon monoxide alarms are just as vital for occupant safety as smoke alarms.

Call me at 818-266-2267 or check our website link below for further details or any information on our home inspection services.

Shawn Blaney,

President,

West Coast Home Inspections

http://www.westcoast-inspections.com/

Home inspection for the home buyer can make your dream home a worry-free reality. This is our mission statement at West Coast Home Inspections.