November 5, 2024
Many homeowners rely on a heating system that burns fuel to create heat during winter. Because all these fuel-burning heating systems rely on combustion to produce heat, they all create toxic exhaust fumes. While these fumes are generally vented through a chimney to the outdoors, sometimes a system malfunction can happen that allows them to back up inside your home. Here is what carbon monoxide poisoning is and the signs you inhaled too much of it.
What Is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and toxic fume that can be created from the combustion process of a household heating system. This flammable and poisonous gas comprises one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. When carbon monoxide is inhaled by the body, it can be poisonous, and in high amounts, it can even be fatal.
This is because carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood. This binding prevents the body from carrying oxygen to all your vital organs. Without adequate oxygen to your organs and brain, your body will experience a wide variety of symptoms.
What Are Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms?
It’s important to note that the symptoms a person experiences will highly depend on the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air. Symptoms can also be altered by a person’s current health conditions, such as affecting those with respiratory illnesses more than those with a healthy respiratory system. Some of the most commonly experienced symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include the following:
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Impaired vision
- Confusion
- Nausea
Because the symptoms associated with this type of poisoning are so widespread, it can be challenging for homeowners to identify the source of their discomfort. This is where having adequate detection devices, like carbon monoxide detectors, come into play.
Carbon Monoxide Concentration Level Classifications
There’s no denying that the concentration of carbon monoxide that you inhale will greatly impact the symptoms that result from it in your body. Professionals classify carbon monoxide concentrates into four different levels, and they are the following:
- Low Level: 50 PPM (parts per million) or less
- Mid Level: Between 51 and 100 PPM
- High Level: Greater than 101 PPM with no symptoms
- Dangerous Level: Greater than 101 PPM with symptoms
It’s very important to note that carbon monoxide experienced at dangerous levels can be fatal to humans. If you suspect that you have carbon monoxide poisoning or have been exposed to a dangerous level of carbon monoxide, your priority should be getting outside to get fresh air into your lungs. It’s best always to be examined by a medical professional immediately if you suspect poisoning. Better safe than sorry, so if you’re not currently experiencing symptoms but know you’ve been exposed to a high concentration of carbon monoxide, you should seek medical attention.
What Are Carbon Monoxide Detectors?
Most homeowners are familiar with smoke detectors that will set off an ear-piercing sound when they detect smoke in the air. A carbon monoxide detector works in much of the same way as it will set off an alarm if it detects carbon monoxide at a high or consistently high level over time. The average response time for a carbon monoxide detector to set off its alarm is as follows:
- 400 PPM: 4 to 15 minutes
- 150 PPM: 10 to 50 minutes
- 70 PPM: 1 to 4 hours
- 50 PPM: 8 hours
- 40 PPM: 10 hours
You must have a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home and outside every bedroom. Ensuring that your chosen detector makes a loud noise to wake you from your slumber can be exceedingly helpful. It’s good practice to check the batteries in your detector every six months and test it every month to ensure that it’s working appropriately.
When Will You Start Experiencing Symptoms?
In general, specific toxic levels of carbon monoxide will cause people to notice particular symptoms. However, it’s vital to note that those with preexisting medical conditions, like asthma, may experience these symptoms at a lower concentration.
Most people will start experiencing symptoms from carbon monoxide poisoning when the concentration reaches around 200 PPM. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and a slight headache after exposure for around two to three hours at this concentration. When a healthy adult is exposed to a concentration of 400 PPM for an hour or more, they will notice a frontal headache. This concentration can prove life-threatening after exposure for three hours.
Once exposures reach a level of 800 PPM, people may experience convulsions, nausea, and dizziness within 45 short minutes. After about two hours, the person will be unconscious. Death can occur within 2 to 3 hours of exposure at this rate. Lastly, an exposure of 1,600 PPM will lead to nausea, dizziness, and headaches within 20 minutes. Death can occur within the hour.
The Importance of Annual HVAC Maintenance Service
If you rely on a fuel-burning heating system to warm your home during winter, you must get HVAC maintenance each year. When a professional HVAC technician performs maintenance on your heating system, one of the things that they do is test it for carbon monoxide emissions. If they note that your system is letting off carbon monoxide emissions, they’ll inform you of the problem so you can get your system repaired or replaced. You never want to be stuck running a malfunctioning heating system and allowing harmful carbon monoxide to back up in your home.
Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips for Homeowners
Apart from investing in annual HVAC maintenance service and having carbon monoxide detectors in your home, there are some other things that you can do as a homeowner to significantly reduce your risk of getting carbon monoxide poisoning. You should only use fuel-burning space heaters in areas that are adequately ventilated. It’s best to stick to electrical-powered space heaters when it comes to creating heat inside your home, as they don’t pose any danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Avoid starting cars inside your garage and leaving them running to warm up. Even if you leave the garage door open, high concentrations of carbon monoxide can still accumulate inside your garage. If you find yourself using a fuel-burning generator because your power went out, make sure that you place it at a safe distance from your home. You don’t want the carbon monoxide fumes entering your home through a window or door next to the backup generator.
Reliable Indoor Air Quality Service
Scott-Lee Heating Company offers reliable IAQ services for the St. Louis community. Our IAQ services include air scrubbers, dehumidifiers, residential and commercial humidifiers, air filtration systems, and energy recovery ventilators (EVR). We can also help with all your heating, air conditioning, geothermal, HVAC zoning, metalwork, commercial HVAC, new home registration, and new home construction needs. Our HVAC technicians provide reliable installations, repairs, and maintenance services.
Simply give us a call today to schedule your next service consultation.