It can get a bit chilly in the Peachtree City area, which means sooner or later you’ll need to rely on your home’s heating system. But before you crank up the furnace or fireplace, you should make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.

Colorless, odorless and tasteless, carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that’s a common byproduct of gas-powered furnaces, ranges and water heaters, as well as wood stoves and fireplaces. Lax maintenance or malfunction, combined with poor indoor ventilation, can cause this gas to build up to dangerous levels, resulting symptoms including fatigue, dizziness, headaches, loss of consciousness and even death.

Keeping your carbon monoxide detectors in good condition is the key to keeping yourself and others in your home safe against CO poisoning. Here are a few things you can do to insure your CO detectors are working as they should:

• Test every CO detector in your home. Pressing the test button on the detector will cycle it through its alarm functions, verifying that the detector works. Most CO detectors emit a high-pitched beeping that’s louder than a conventional smoke detector.
• Always replace the batteries in a timely manner. Battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors often require their batteries to be changed every two years. Many hard-wired detectors use batteries as a back-up source of power. These batteries should be replaced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Use a CO detector test kit. Available at your local hardware store, CO detector test kits verify that the unit is capable of actually detecting high concentrations of CO gas. A typical test kit consists of an aerosol can filled with CO gas and a plastic container or bag that goes around the CO detector during the test.
• If necessary, replace your non-working CO detector as soon as possible. If one of your detectors fail to pass muster, you should replace it with a new unit immediately.

To learn more about carbon monoxide detectors and how they can keep your home safe, turn to the professionals at Powers Heating & Air. Contact us today for service in the Peachtree City area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.

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