Cooler months in Gaithersburg are here. In fact, the months of October through February have a history of carbon monoxide safety concerns with 68 percent of carbon monoxide related deaths caused by home appliances happening during those months. To understand the safety of your home, arrange an annual furnace service now, before the peak of winter is upon us.
According to a new survey from Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning, 94 percent of homeowners know that their furnace may discharge deadly carbon monoxide gas, but more than half don't do anything to prevent it from taking place.
“Carbon monoxide is a colorless odorless gas that can be quite harmful,” says Dr. Lance Broy. “Initial symptoms can be mistaken for the flu – you can have nausea and fatigue but actually can progress and cause organ damage or even death.”
Any appliance in your home that uses fuels like gas, oil, or wood – such as furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces or clothes dryers – has the ability to release carbon monoxide if the system is not running properly or if it wasn’t installed correctly.
Your annual furnace service company can help identify any troubling concerns. When you have furnace service completed, your technician should:
- Be sure that your furnace isn’t emitting carbon monoxide
- Inspect for any other weird things that may compromise your safety
- Help you find any additional areas where you may want to end up adding a carbon monoxide detector
- Tune-up your system so that you know your equipment is running at its top efficiency, helping provide peace-of-mind that you’re in a good spot to potentially save money this winter
It’s important to remember that many furnace manufacturers could require annual furnace service to keep your system under their warranty. That’s where the team at Parker Pearce Service Experts can help. We’re here to help you have not only a comfortable home, but more importantly, a safe one. Give us a call at 301-476-4577 or set up an appointment with us online to learn more about carbon monoxide safety as we head in to the winter months.