Carbon Monoxide, Why is Everyone
So Casual about it
I finally set aside the time to relate this story very close to
home. We have some close friends who lost a daughter to cancer
years ago and who better to know what it's like to deal with a
loss, than them? That's why it's amazing how casual they were
when that shriek of sound emitted from their carbon monoxide (CO)
detector one night. It is also important to note that they had
two other children, yet remained so casual.
I received a call the morning after the event informing me that
their CO detector had gone off asking if I knew what the problem
might be. My first question was, "What did you do when it went
off"? The second question, "Why did you not call me to come out
immediately"? The reply, nothing and no reason we couldn't see
anything wrong and we all felt OK, so we went to bed.
I can confirm that this is a typical response; persons often will
call my company at 2:00 AM and inform us that their CO detector
has just alarmed. No, they do not want us out. They want to know
what the problem is and how they can fix it. In addition, when
they do not take our advice, they further refuse our advice to
call the Utility.
Strange, isn't it? With all the media attention over CO related
events and deaths. Why is it consumers are obsessed about asbestos,
PCB's, CFC's, nuclear power, water quality, and other potential
products that may, or may not have, any documented environmental
impact, yet these same people can be so carefree about such an
undisputable hazard that takes its toll - like invisible, tasteless,
odorless, but ubiquitous carbon monoxide?
Sounding the Alarm about Ignoring your CO Alarm
Paul K. Clifford, Ph.D., of Mosaic Industries asked himself that
same question when he studied field experiences to determine what
causes CO alarm activation and how homeowners respond. His results
showed upon activation of their CO alarm 62% called no one, 23%
considered it a false alarm, 30% knew of a probable source yet
did nothing, 58% performed no investigation and 10% called the
utility. One other important caution Clifford pointed out "CO
detectors are a small part of the solution". People may install
them in lieu of regular service by a qualified contractor and
then may not respond when the alarm goes off.
CO is undoubtedly a most dangerous substance that is often only
thought of when reading or listening in the news about another
person or family who were rushed to hospital or flown to a city
having a hyper baric chamber for victims of CO poisoning. While
winter was always thought to have been the most serious time for
increased potential of carbon monoxide in buildings, because storm
windows were in place, the heating system in full gear and fires
in fireplaces. The fact is homes built today are sealed tight
365 days/year with climate-controlled ventilation, air conditioning
and air filtration systems CO can happen anytime.
Paul Nebrasky, President of Nebrasky Plumbing and Heating said,
"Most people think that CO comes from the exhaust of a car and
that is it. But actually, eight out of 10 times the problem stems
from a heating or hot water appliance, with water heaters being
the No.1 emitter of CO in a home.
Knowing the Signs of CO Production
As Building Officials, Contractors, Utilities, Technicians, etc,
we all must have a better understanding of the characteristics
and dangers of carbon monoxide gas. CO, scientifically speaking,
is a clear, odorless, toxic, flammable, colourless gas with a
similar specific gravity to air. However, there are visual signs
that carbon monoxide gas is being produced or that it is likely
present. From a practical and visual sense, carbon monoxide is
not odorless, nor colourless. When carbon monoxide is being produced
there is soot, water vapour and/or water staining, discoloured
face plates on the furnace, scaling, deteriorated venting and
if severe enough, a pungent odor that can be sensed by your nose.
This odor is created from aldehydes, the by-products of incomplete
combustion that are being produced. So while you cannot smell
or see CO, you can see and smell the effects of CO and the by-products
produced.
Carbon monoxide detectors/alarms mounted in homes can make detection
possible, however most are set to alarm at 100PPM. It is possible
to have carbon monoxide in small amounts under 100PPM. In addition,
there might also be a high concentration of (NOX) nitrogen oxide,
which is commonly called smog. It is this CO2 that may be causing
asthma-like symptoms and making occupants feel so terrible.
It is still a wise investment to recommend the purchase of a CO
detector to homeowners, however this is only part of the solution.
Be sure to point out the visual signs that CO leaves behind when
being produced so that they can check periodically themselves.
Also, don't forget to let them know that they still need annual
maintenance and cleaning performed by a qualified technician.
The Most Common Contributor of CO
Flue gas spillage termed "back drafting" describes the most common
contributing factor of carbon monoxide poisoning. This happens
when the venting from the appliance(s) to the chimney or the chimney
itself becomes blocked or deteriorated. Products of combustion
are then channeled back into the home instead of being safely
vented outdoors and if the burners are not burning properly, CO
may be produced creating a potentially hazardous condition.
In Manitoba, we should be proud of the fact that we live in some
of the "tightest" built homes in Canada. In an effort to reduce
energy consumption we continue to tighten our existing buildings
by installing added insulation, weather stripping, windows, energy
efficient furnaces, etc. We even incorporate controlled temperature,
humidification, ventilation, and air purification systems, all
in an effort to achieve the perfect indoor comfort controlled
environment.
However, tight homes do not come free of side effects. Everything
that you do within your home affects something else. The results
may be positive airflow or negative airflow (depressurization)
depending on your particular building. For example, the installation
of any one or combination of appliances such as a dryer, central
vacuum system, fireplace, wood stove, kitchen or bathroom exhaust
fan can possibly be enough to cause the chimney to back draft,
spilling the combustion products into the building. Other factors
such as closing off a combustion air intake or enclosing a furnace
or hot water heater can create back drafting.
Understanding the Chemistry & the Symptoms
To understand carbon monoxide one needs to know the fuel source
and its chemical make up. The main component of natural gas is
methane. For combustion to take place, the gas to air mixture
needs to be between 4 - 14% natural gas in the air. The by-products
of complete combustion are heat/light, carbon dioxide (CO2), water
vapor (H2O), and nitrogen oxide (NOX). Natural gas ignites at
approximately 1170 F. When incomplete combustion takes place,
the dangerous by-product produced is carbon monoxide. Incomplete
combustion is the result of the lack of air, which inhibits the
combustion process, commonly known as starving the air.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are tightness across the
forehead, headaches, giddiness, faintness, flushing, muscular
weakness, mental confusion, collapse, nausea, vomiting and dimness
of vision. These symptoms mimic those of the flu. Carbon Monoxide
enters our bodies through the air we breathe into our lungs and
is absorbed into our blood stream. The usual treatment is to administer
oxygen as soon as possible.
Minimize Your Risk
As homeowners, tenants or landlords there are many things that they can do to minimize the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. They are as follows:
- Keep the utility room or furnace areas clean and clear of
debris. Restricting air to the appliance can starve the air
causing incomplete combustion to occur.
- Make sure that if the furnace is in an enclosed utility room
that there is sufficient air to allow for complete combustion
to take place. If there is not sufficient air, a combustion
air intake pipe must be installed from outside.
- Be sure to check the combustion air intake screen if there
is a separate combustion air intake pipe installed to the outdoors.
All too often combustion air vents are found closed or blocked,
because they allow cold air to fall in or be drawn into the
building continuously creating comfort problems. Mechanical
combustion air dampers that interlock with the appliances that
resolve comfort problems are available. They open only when
the appliances are operating, eliminating the cold air problem.
These motorized interlocked dampers are relatively inexpensive
and very reliable.
- Have the heating equipment and appliances cleaned by qualified
service technicians to ensure that they are operating safely
and efficiently. Dirty burners or deteriorated venting systems
may leak carbon monoxide into the building.
- When using a fireplace or wood stove that does not utilize
outdoor air for the combustion process, make certain to leave
a window open during use. These appliances use and exhaust huge
amounts of air from the building that can create back drafting.
- Be certain the chimneys are cleaned and inspected on a regular
basis for debris and obstructions. Often in the summer birds,
raccoons, squirrels, and even ducks have been known to use the
chimneys as nests.
- In homes with attached garages open the garage door before
starting the car. Back the car out immediately. Do not allow
the car to sit in the garage running. Often there is a bedroom
above and/or an entry door to the building. Check the foundation
where the garage and building meet to ensure that all cracks
and holes around wires and pipes are sealed.
- When using a fireplace or wood stove never go to bed with
a fire still burning; put it out and leave the damper open until
the next day. Think of this as a campfire. You would not leave
a campfire unattended.
- Purchase an approved carbon monoxide detector. Compare detectors,
as some require replacement sensors and or batteries, some wire
directly into the building wiring, while others simply plug
into any standard 120-volt outlet. Still others require no replacement
of batteries or power and can be mounted anywhere.
- Use timers on exhaust fans to minimize fan "on" time. This limits the amount of air drawn from the home minimizing the potential for depressurization while at the same time saving energy.
Don't Become a Statistic
The numbers of persons who die each year from carbon monoxide
poisoning varies from a few hundred to a couple thousand depending
on the source. The one thing that everyone agrees upon is that
many deaths and injuries are associated with home fuel burning
equipment like furnaces, room heaters, and charcoal grills. The
sad part is that every one of those deaths could have been prevented.
The hype that always surrounds incidents of carbon monoxide is
all too soon forgotten, as consumers only seem to react when it's
in the news. Maybe its time that we all stepped up our marketing
efforts and reached out to better inform each other.
The diagnosis of the CO alarm at our friends home was the basement
bathroom exhaust fan that ran for a full day and night exhausting
air from the home causing the chimney to reverse and allow the
products of combustion into the home (depressurization) while
at the same time the appliance was producing CO.
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