Carbon Monoxide Safety for Akron, OH Homes

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious illness or death before anyone realizes it is present. Because the gas cannot be detected by sight or smell, a working carbon monoxide alarm is the primary way to identify a dangerous buildup inside a home.

What does carbon monoxide look or smell like?

Carbon monoxide has no reliable color, odor, or taste. It is produced when fuels such as natural gas, heating oil, propane, wood, charcoal, gasoline, or kerosene do not burn completely.

Common household sources include:

• Furnaces and boilers
• Gas water heaters
• Fireplaces and wood stoves
• Gas ranges and ovens
• Portable generators
• Charcoal grills
• Vehicles running in or near an attached garage
• Portable fuel-burning heaters or equipment

A home can have a carbon monoxide problem even when the heating system appears to be operating normally. Blocked chimneys, damaged venting, cracked heat exchangers, poor combustion, backdrafting, or snow and ice blocking an exterior vent can all contribute to unsafe conditions.

This is especially worth remembering during cold weather in Akron, OH, when homes are closed up, heating systems run for long periods, and residents may use generators or fireplaces during a power outage.

How can you tell if carbon monoxide is present?

The dependable way to detect carbon monoxide is with a listed carbon monoxide alarm installed and maintained according to its instructions. Human senses cannot reliably detect the gas, and symptoms may be mistaken for illness.

Possible symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include:

• Headache
• Dizziness or weakness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Unusual tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Loss of coordination
• Fainting

Symptoms may improve after leaving the home and return after going back inside. If several people or pets become sick at roughly the same time, or symptoms improve outdoors, carbon monoxide should be treated as a possible cause.

People who are sleeping may not notice symptoms. Infants, older adults, pregnant people, and those with heart, lung, or blood-related conditions may be more vulnerable to serious effects.

What should you do if a carbon monoxide alarm sounds?

Leave the home immediately if an alarm sounds, unless doing so would delay escape. Take everyone and pets outside to fresh air. Do not stay inside to search for the source, silence the alarm, open windows, or gather belongings.

Once outside:

• Call 911 or the local emergency number.
• Tell responders that a carbon monoxide alarm sounded or that exposure is suspected.
• Do not re-enter until emergency personnel say it is safe.
• Seek medical attention promptly if anyone has symptoms, even if those symptoms begin to improve outdoors.

Do not assume that a brief alarm is a false alarm. A carbon monoxide alarm may sound because of a temporary condition, a failing appliance, a low-level buildup, or a sensor that has reached the end of its service life. The reason still needs to be determined before the home is occupied again.

If the alarm sounds repeatedly but emergency responders do not find an immediate hazard, the fuel-burning equipment and venting should be evaluated by a qualified heating or appliance technician before continued use.

Where should carbon monoxide alarms be installed?

For most homes, alarms should be placed near sleeping areas and on every level of the home, including the basement. A central location on each level helps the alarm be heard from bedrooms and living areas.

Additional placement guidance includes:

• Install an alarm outside each separate sleeping area, close enough to wake occupants.
• Place an alarm near the door connecting an attached garage to the home.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for wall or ceiling placement.
• Keep alarms away from direct airflow from supply registers, exterior doors, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, and fuel-burning appliances unless the instructions say otherwise.
• Do not cover an alarm with furniture, curtains, or other objects.



• Keep the alarm at least 15 feet from a fuel-burning appliance when the manufacturer or applicable code calls for that spacing.

Carbon monoxide does not simply rise to the ceiling or sink to the floor in a predictable way. It mixes with indoor air, so placement near sleeping areas and in frequently occupied parts of the home matters more than choosing a specific “breathing height.”
In homes with an attached garage, an alarm is particularly important because vehicle exhaust can enter through connecting doors, wall openings, cracks, or air pathways. Never run a vehicle inside an attached garage, even with the garage door open.

How do you test and maintain an alarm?

Press the test button at least once each month. A test confirms that the alarm can produce a sound, but it does not prove that the sensor can measure every dangerous condition. Replace batteries as directed, or sooner if the alarm produces a low-battery warning.
Carbon monoxide alarms also have limited service lives. Many models need replacement after about five years, but the manufacturer’s instructions control. Write the installation date on the alarm or set a calendar reminder.
Replace an alarm immediately if:

• It does not sound during a test
• It has been painted, damaged, or exposed to water
• It continues chirping after a fresh battery
• Its expiration or replacement date has passed
• The manufacturer instructs that it be replaced

Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can be useful, but the smoke and carbon monoxide functions must both be maintained. A smoke alarm alone does not detect carbon monoxide.

What heating-system problems can create carbon monoxide?

Fuel-burning heating equipment should send combustion gases outdoors through properly installed and maintained venting. Carbon monoxide can enter the home when that pathway is blocked, damaged, disconnected, improperly sized, or affected by backdrafting.
Warning signs can include:

• Soot or dark staining around an appliance or vent
• Rust, corrosion, or moisture near a flue or furnace
• A pilot light that repeatedly goes out
• Unusual odors from combustion equipment
• Yellow or flickering flames where a steady blue flame is expected
• Excessive condensation on windows or cold surfaces
• A carbon monoxide alarm that activates when the furnace, fireplace, or water heater operates

Carbon monoxide itself has no odor, but a faulty appliance may produce other smells or visible clues. Those clues should not be ignored, but the absence of clues does not confirm that equipment is safe.
Annual inspection of fuel-burning heating equipment, water heaters, chimneys, and venting can help identify problems before the heating season becomes severe. Homeowners should also keep exterior vents clear of snow, ice, leaves, and animal nests without modifying the vent or blocking it with covers.

What should never be used indoors?

Never use a portable generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, gasoline engine, or outdoor-rated heater inside a home, basement, garage, enclosed porch, or other partially enclosed space. Opening a door or window does not reliably prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
Generators should operate outdoors and well away from windows, doors, and ventilation openings. Exhaust can enter a home even when the generator seems far from the building.
Do not use a gas oven or range to heat a room. Do not sleep in a room with an operating fuel-burning appliance that is not designed for indoor residential heating.

A properly installed alarm, regular testing, safe equipment use, and prompt action after an alarm are the most reliable defenses against an invisible carbon monoxide hazard.