Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is the silent killer.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas given off during incomplete combustion of a fossil fuel (natural gas, oil, gasoline, wood, coal, etc). CO is colorless, odorless, and tasteless and it mixes very well with air meaning that it is easily inhaled to replace the oxygen in your bloodstream causing asphyxia and eventually death.
CO may be given off by fuel fired heating systems, water heaters, gas cooktops and ovens, fireplaces, portable generators, and automobiles.
Unintentional CO exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 emergency department visits and 500 unintentional deaths in the United States each year. (CDC)
We perform a CO Check during every energy audit. Additionally, we can perform a CO Check generally in less than 30 minutes even if you are not interested in a full energy audit. Testing generally takes only a few minutes and we can install CO alarms in your home or business. During a CO Check we will test the following:
- Ambient CO throughout the house;
- Exhaust from gas cooktops, ovens, and logsets;
- Exhaust from oil and gas fired heating and hot water systems;
- Exhaust from other fossil fuel fired appliances where appropriate;
- Review existing CO alarms in your house for age and level of protection.
We will then install CO alarms in recommended locations meeting your needs. We do recommend one CO alarm per floor.
We offer both UL 2034 CO alarms as well as low level CO monitors for those people needing to know if they are subject to low level CO poisoning. Note that CO alarms meeting the UL2034 standard will not provide protection below a CO level of 70 ppm which may be too much CO for infants, pregnant women, and people with other health problems. Please contact us for information about CO monitors that provide warnings much below 70 ppm.
The cost for a CO Check is $50 plus the cost of any CO alarms installed.
- UL 2034 standard alarm - $25 (Kidde or First Alert)
- Low level alarm - $145 (CO Experts model 2014)
Feel free to contact me with any questions about the CO Check process and CO alarms.
Please take some simple and inexpensive precautions to protect your family from this silent killer. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to schedule a CO Check.
Currently there is a bill in the PA legislature to require CO alarms in all residences upon their sale and in multifamily residences. The links below are to agencies or legislators trying to make this law happen.
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