Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide are well publicised.

It is a well-publicised issue that boilers and gas appliances create carbon monoxide. This is highly dangerous because you cannot see it and it causes death. The dangers of carbon monoxide are easy to research. They are often reported in the press by devastating stories of faulty boilers or badly maintained appliances. There are approximately + 40 million boilers in the UK. They all need servicing and maintaining as, if you do not then they can become a hazard. All boilers emit Carbon Monoxide as a by-product of burning natural gas. This is then put into the atmosphere by using in pretty much all cases a powered flue system. Unfortunately, if there is a problem with your heating equipment then this can cause carbon monoxide to leak into the home, especially if there is not adequate ventilation and fresh air available, which is common in modern homes since they are typically well insulated. For humans high levels of carbon monoxide is harmful since CO2 is a poisonous gas and can be a silent killer. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can cause personality changes, is dangerous for pregnant women, can cause brain damage and is harmful to vital organs. Long-term exposure even at very low levels can cause a range of health issues such as dizziness, respiratory problems and general sickness. These symptoms can mimic the same sort of issues a person gets from food poisoning. So if you have felt unwell for a while, seek medical advice and consider booking a heating engineer to carry out some gas safety checks to ensure that you are not suffering from carbon monoxide exposure. In previous times boilers relied on natural draft but this was deemed to be inefficient and dangerous. If you still have a conventional or balanced flued appliance you are at more risk and the boiler and flue definitely need checking. All appliances, as suggested need to vent to the outside but in some cases the emissions can get trapped or leak from the flue joints. This is not good and the gases can build up in cavities and cause a real disaster. So flues in voids and flues that vent too close to windows or with a building are really positively dangerous! It is not worth taking any risk with a gas appliance so get it checked out! There are lots of things that you can do to make sure that all your appliances are safe. These are now readily available to buy from Mr Central Heating. Carbon monoxide alarm can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning - CO detectors are always available fro Mr Central Heating. One of the cheapest and simplest safety tips we can offer is to invest in a carbon monoxide alarm. C02 alarms are now really affordable and offer a fit and forget type of option. Obviously always remember to check your batteries! There are other options like pads and disc spots to indicate levels of carbon monoxide but a good carbon monoxide detector is relatively cheap so this is probably the best solution. Since there are very few warning signs with carbon monoxide leaks and co poisoning it is not worth leaving to chance. When buying a co detector make sure it complies with the correct European standard which is: part two of BS EN 50291 which superseded the British Standard BS7860 back in 2006. With all things it is better to prevent rather than deal with an issue after so make sure you get your boiler serviced regularly by a registered engineer, you do not cover or obstruct the vent, the boiler is fitted correctly, and the boiler is burning the gas properly. If you are renting then you need a Gas Landlord Certificate from a registered Gas Safe installer  and you need to be definitely on the case as you are responsible for your tenants. A gas safe installer can be found on the gas safe register. Get your gas appliance serviced by a gas safe registered installer. So to sum up it is better to prevent than fix and there are some great devices to monitor your air so if there is a leakage you can be notified straight away because it is a potentially fatal problem.