TMA Heating, Inc. - Carbon Monoxide

Carbon Monoxide - The Silent Killer

News Articles:
March 15, 2000 – Indianapolis, Ind. – In an effort to protect against unnecessary fire and carbon monoxide poisonings, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends that homeowners installing a new hearth appliance have their chimney and venting systems inspected by a certified chimney sweep before the installation process begins.	“Every hearth appliance has specific venting requirements,” says Mark McSweeney, executive director of the CSIA. “Homeowners should always have a certified chimney sweep determine if their chimney and venting system can handle the addition of the new hearth appliance or if modifications to the system are necessary.”
If the chimney and venting system is not adequate or is in poor condition, installing a new hearth appliance can result in carbon monoxide seeping back into a home, chimney fires or poor performance of the new hearth appliance.	When assessing the addition of a new hearth appliance to a home's chimney and venting system, a certified chimney sweep reviews the following questions:
Current and new appliance: What type of appliance and fuel is the homeowner currently using? What type of appliance and fuel is the homeowner installing? Is the chimney and venting system capable of venting the new appliance or does it require modification? For example, replacing a wood fireplace insert with a gas fireplace insert will generally mean modifications to a chimney and venting system, such as the addition of a chimney liner. Condition of chimney and venting system : No matter what type of appliance will be installed, the chimney and venting system needs to be free of obstructions, cracks in the flue as well as cleared of creosote. The addition of gas logs to a wood burning fireplace requires that the fireplace is in good working order and able to burn wood. Flue size: Is the flue in the chimney the proper size for the new appliance? If a homeowner is switching from wood to gas, the flue diameter might be too large and a new, smaller liner might need to be installed. Liner: Does the chimney have the proper liner? If a chimney is masonry and does not have a liner, the new appliance will require the installation of a liner, regardless of what type of fuel. Chimney Height : If a chimney is not tall enough to create the necessary draft for the new hearth appliance, the chimney will either need to be heightened or a different type of appliance might need to be considered. Air pressure in home: If the home is extremely air tight -- like many new homes are today -- the existing chimney and venting system might not be able to handle the addition of the new appliance. The recommendation at that point might be to add a direct vent hearth appliance (no chimney required) instead of a natural venting appliance.
After this inspection process, the certified chimney sweep provides a complete analysis of the condition chimney and venting system to the homeowner. If necessary, the certified chimney sweep can meet with the hearth retailer installing the hearth appliance to determine the correct course of action for the homeowner, such as who will perform the repairs and if the information obtained during the inspection warrants the selection of a different type of hearth appliance. Both the CSIA and the National Fire Protection Association recommend yearly chimney inspections to help prevent fire and carbon monoxide poisonings.	CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps also have extensive knowledge of the combustion processes of chimneys, fireplaces (both masonry and pre-fabricated), central furnaces and all hearth appliances – such as gas, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves and fireplace inserts. They are also well versed in the characteristics of all fuels available for home heating such as wood, gas, and wood pellets. This knowledge allows them to expertly diagnose and solve chimney and venting problems. The CSIA, established in 1983, is a non-profit, educational institution, dedicated to educating the public about the prevention of chimney safety hazards.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 1998, there were 26,900 residential fires in the United States originating in chimneys, fireplaces and residential heating equipment. These fires resulted in 480 personal injuries, 130 deaths and $251.4 million in property damage. The CSIA also recommends that homeowners have inspections performed by chimney sweeps that are CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps. These certified chimney sweeps have earned the industry's most respected credential by passing an intensive examination based on fire codes, clearances and standards for the construction and maintenance of chimney and venting systems.	For more information on chimney safety, or for a list of CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps, call (800) 536-0118 or visit the CISA web site at www.csia.org. The CSIA is located at 2155 Commercial Drive, Plainfield IN, 46168
	To view more detail regarding Carbon Monoxide, click here to see more what the CSIA has to say!

Letters:
My family and I just had an incredibly scary experience with carbon monoxide. On February 17th, 2004 around 9 PM my husband started vomiting. I thought it was just maybe a stomach virus. Around 11 PM I was getting ready to go to bed. As I went to lay down I became very nauseus and lightheaded. As I got up I felt as though my heart was beating funny and I got a cold feeling throughout my body. I immediately got out of bed and went online to check what the symptoms are for carbon monoxide poisoning. It turned out we had exactly what the symptoms were. So I got my 2 year old son out of bed and told my husband to get the dogs and to get out of that house. We arrived at my mom's house and I called 911. The fire department went to my home and told us they do not know how we survived. They said there is supposed to be 28% oxygen in your home, we had 3.2%. I don't know what made me think that it was carbon monoxide poisoning that we were experiencing but I am so glad we got out of the house. Today is the first day that we are back in. We got a new furnace and the chimney has been completely fixed. We also have a carbon monoxide detector as well. What I want to know is, I have been experiencing severe panic attacks. I just want to know if they will go away as I am more comfortable with being in my home or is this possibly a long term effect of being in the carbon monoxide? Thank you so much. Please everyone get a carbon monoxide detector. They will save your life. - The Chambers Family From PA	Today I received the dreaded phone call from our son's school. He apparently had passed out in class. When my husband and i reached the school, the paramedics had already performed their necessary tests and said that our son seemed fine. Still panic-stricken, we decided he should be seen by a doctor because this episode was just totally out of character. Our son has always been generally healthy. At the hospital, the doctors checked blood levels (for certain things like anemia), motor skills and asked many questions. We just couldn't figure out why this normally healthy child fainted. He had been a little tired lately and had complained of an upset stomach, but with the many "bugs" going around we weren't overly concerned. Finally, the doctor stated that a specific nerve in our son's body had been stimulated. Thus, causing a quick decrease in his blood pressure which results in fainting. We were told that this was rather common. This, to us, still raised many questions. Something just wasn't right. You know your children. It wasn't until on our way home from the hospital, it occurred to me that our other children had similar complaints. Our 10 year old had headaches, upset stomach, leg pain and was just plain tired ( this kid is like Pikachu). Same goes for our daughter and our 6 year old son. The more i thought about it, the more i realized that my husband's and my headaches weren't just due to sinus problems. Nor were the upset stomachs just a "bug". Just then something told me to have the furnace checked. Well, as suspected, the gas company found a leak. Our entire family was being slowly poisoned by carbon monoxide. We honestly feel like terrible parents for not figuring this out sooner, but we had no idea. There is no smell and our detector didn't detect anything. It would have been a matter of time before ...let's just be glad that it didn't happen. Thank God! It's amazing how a child's terrifying fainting spell lead this whole life-saving ordeal. We are a very fortunate family and have learned to take more serious precautions on the hazards that one can't see or smell. We strongly urge others to do the same. Sincerely, The ******* Family