It’s convenient to have an attached garage, but it’s also important that you recognize the potential risks that they pose to your family’s well-being.

When your house is not properly sealed from your garage, carbon monoxide (CO) produced by your car and other sources can creep into the living areas of your house. By taking measures to prevent the poisonous gas from entering your house, you can enjoy the benefits of your attached garage without the element of danger.

How can carbon monoxide get into your house?

Carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that’s toxic to humans, is a by-product of the incomplete combustion process due to a lack of oxygen being present. When you start your car in your garage, the gas is generated. In fact, after allowing your car to run in a closed garage for only two minutes, it can accumulate lethal levels of CO. Without proper ventilation, once you’ve backed out of your garage and closed the overhead door, the gas will remain inside the garage unless it can find a way to seep into your home via cracks in your walls or air leaks around the door to your house.

How to prevent it from happening

Work with your HVAC contractor to evaluate how well your house is sealed. Any gaps, cracks or holes should be promptly sealed. Your contractor may also recommend installing an exhaust vent to keep CO from building up in your garage. You should consider investing in a carbon monoxide monitor as well. These monitors will not only alarm you in the event of an emergency, but will keep you informed about the level of CO present in your home at any given time. In this way, you’ll immediately know if the integrity of your sealant is lacking and allowing deadly CO to creep into your house.

To schedule an inspection of your garage doors and walls or for advice on choosing a carbon monoxide monitor, contact us at Powers Heating & Air. We’re proud to serve residents of Peachtree City and surrounding areas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree, GA and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Carbon Monoxide and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock