When taking care of your home and family in Roanoke, it’s important to understand which threats are overblown and which threats are truly worth worrying about. At Roanoke Mechanical Heating & Cooling, we want you to know that although carbon monoxide is a threat that you should be concerned about, it’s also one of the easiest threats to address. With the proper safety measures in place, you won’t need to worry about carbon monoxide in your home.
Some Information About Carbon Monoxide
In a perfect world, carbon monoxide would never be created in your home. That’s because the ideal byproduct of combustion is carbon dioxide, not carbon monoxide. This gas is created when fuel is burned in an oxygen-rich environment, allowing two atoms of oxygen to combine with every carbon atom, resulting in relatively harmless CO2.
However, in gas appliances, there is sometimes a lack of oxygen. For example, in a gas furnace that hasn’t been properly maintained by Roanoke Mechanical Heating & Cooling, the burner may be dirty, resulting in a low-oxygen combustion environment. This causes only one atom of oxygen to attach to every carbon atom, resulting in the formation of carbon monoxide.
Why Is Carbon Monoxide Harmful?
Although carbon dioxide can be harmful in exceptionally large concentrations, carbon monoxide can be harmful in almost any concentration because it is much more effective at replacing the oxygen in your body. When carbon monoxide attaches to your hemoglobin, your body will quickly become oxygen-starved, resulting in symptoms including dizziness, nausea, headaches, confusion, loss of consciousness, and death.
How Can I Reduce the Risk?
Getting to fresh air quickly is the most important way to treat exposure to carbon monoxide. To get to fresh air, though, you have to know that there is a high concentration of carbon monoxide. You can’t do this on your own since carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless. That’s why we at Roanoke Mechanical Heating & Cooling recommend keeping carbon monoxide detectors on every floor in your home so that you can know instantly when you need to evacuate. Proper maintenance of your gas appliances is also important in the fight against carbon monoxide.
Caring for Your Family
At Roanoke Mechanical Heating & Cooling, our technicians have families just like you. That’s why they understand the importance of performing with excellence so that your family can stay safe. Whether they’re repairing your furnace, maintaining your air conditioner, installing a water heater, or performing one of our other services, you can be sure that our technicians will always work hard to take care of your home, which is one reason why we maintain an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. For more information on carbon dioxide protection measures, contact us at Roanoke Mechanical Heating & Cooling today.
