Colder months in Gaithersburg are upon us. In fact, the months of October through February have a track record of carbon monoxide safety concerns with 68 percent of carbon monoxide related deaths caused by home appliances occurring in the course of those months. To understand the safety of your home, arrange an annual furnace service now, before the cold of winter is here.
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 greater than half don't do anything to stop it from taking place.
“Carbon monoxide is a colorless odorless gas that can be surprisingly 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 utilizes 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 working correctly or if it wasn’t installed the right way.
Your annual furnace service company can help uncover any troubling concerns. When you have furnace service completed, your technician should:
- Make sure that your furnace isn’t emitting carbon monoxide
- Inspect for any other weird things that could 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 working at its top efficiency, helping offer peace-of-mind that you’re in a great spot to potentially save money this winter
It’s important to keep in mind that many furnace manufacturers could require annual furnace service to keep your system under their warranty. That’s where the pros at Parker Pearce Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning 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.