Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Featured Article

Do you have gas appliances or a gas furnace? Then you need to know this information!

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING is a very real danger any time an appliance burns fossil fuels. We encourage everyone who lives or works around appliances that burn fossil fuels to know the inherent dangers, and to protect themselves with high quality Carbon Monoxide Detectors at all times.

CO is invisible, colorless, tasteless, and odorless.  At low levels people will suffer mild headaches, and/or nausea and at higher levels unconsciousness, heart failure and then death can occur.  The following is a guideline of how the symptoms elevate with the level of concentration.  Carbon monoxide intrusion into the air we breathe is measured in ppm (parts per million.)  It takes a very small amount in our air to cause unhealthy effects.

Warning Signs: 
• 10ppm-100 ppm - light headache within 2 to 3 hours, some nausea & possibly slight confusion.  Runny nose.
• 400 ppm - frontal headache, confusion, runny nose & ‘flu’ type symptoms of achiness, nausea in 1 to 2 hrs & wide spread headache in 2 ½ to 3 ½ hrs.
• 800 ppm - dizziness & nausea, confusion, runny nose & ‘flu’ type symptoms of achiness, convulsions within 45 minutes.
• 1600 ppm - headache, dizziness and nausea within 20 minutes, disorientation. Death with in 2 hours!!!
• Higher Concentrations - overpowering disorientation, nausea & dizziness within minutes, coma & death imminent in minutes!!!  

If you experience any of the above symptoms due to CO poisoning, the exposure to the problem has already been too long.

Safety Measures if a CO leak is detected:
• Leave the area immediately
• Turn off the fuel source to your appliances if possible
• Call your local Fire Department
• Ventilate the area

SAFETY COMFORT CARE
When it comes to the safety of our families, there is no safe way to cut corners or pretend.  Because it’s a fact that gas appliances are vital to us, safeguards are as necessary and basic as seat belts.

Every home that uses gas appliances (which can become potential problems) should have:

1.  Properly maintained carbon monoxide detectors. 
2.  An annual safety check & maintenance protection plan.

Carbon monoxide (CO) can occur and spill into buildings whenever any fossil fuel burns without sufficient amounts of oxygen, which happens for many reasons:

• Chimneys can become clogged by various things such as dirt, leaves & soot, affecting ventilation & causing back draft with CO.
• Heat exchangers can become cracked or warped. This can be due to filters not being changed regularly enough or just age & normal wear & tear.  If cracks occur, combustion gasses (which include CO) can then be delivered to everywhere there are warm air vents.
• Combustion air gets restricted severely.

When any of these things happen, carbon monoxide and combustion gasses can spill into the rooms.  Many families and business suffer daily because of small leakages from their gas appliances.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1.  $19.95 RESIDENTIAL AIR SAFTETY CHECK - This is a basic overview of air safety quality and the CO levels in your home. This does not take the place of #3 below.

2.  DETECTORS:  Most CO fatalities that relate to gas appliances occur when families are sleeping, we recommend :
• Install CO detectors in all bedrooms and sleeping areas 
• Install at least 1 carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the home
• Install a carbon monoxide alarm near your heating equipment. 

We recommend “state of the art” carbon monoxide detectors from Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating. These alarms monitor the air and if CO levels rise to dangerous concentrations, they sound an alarm and proper actions can be taken immediately. 

Caution - inexpensive C.O. alarms (sold in retail outlets) do not sound until there are catastrophic levels.. They provide NO PROTECTION for long term Low Level Exposure, nor do manufacturers recommend them for respiratory sensitivities/issues.

3.   Annual Operations & Safety Check -  Maintenance Protection Plan:
Most every Fire Department in the U.S, and each and every Gas Furnace & Gas Water Heater Manufacturer recommends a thorough operation and safety check be done on every gas appliance every year; no exceptions!

 A proper maintenance and operational check will have a complete physical examination of the entire appliance system, including at least: 
• Vent conditions & operations   
• Burner assembly condition & operations
• A complete and comprehensive Combustion gas analysis at appliance and heating duct registers
• Filtration system examination, cleaning &/or replacement
• Safety limit cut-outs checked & proven