Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real threat - Ensure you address it immediately.
Now that the cooler weather is coming, that means more time spent indoors cooking up hearty meals and turning on the heating (now and again). While our winter homes should be places of comfort, there is one silent killer that could be lurking in your home - carbon monoxide (CO).
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is produced when fuels such as wood, oil, natural gas, and propane are not efficiently burned. In essence, your generators, lawn mowers, barbeques, furnace, and cooker could be harboring a deadly gas.
Common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Chest pains
- Confusion
As the symptoms can be mistaken as other concerns, such as a cold or the flu, it's important to stay on top of when you feel these symptoms coming on. If you leave your home for a couple of hours and the symptoms subside, only to come back when you return home, it is well worth getting your home checked for a carbon monoxide leak.
To help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, follow these tips:
- Hire a professional to check all of your gas-run systems in the house before using them regularly for the winter. A professional will ensure the appliance is burning properly and is suitably vented.
- Never leave a car idling in a garage (even if the garage door is open).
- Keep portable generators at least 20 feet from an open window.
- Never use a charcoal barbeque inside a home or tent.
- Never use a gas oven to heat a home.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home. For an extra level of protection, consider installing a CO alarm in every bedroom of your house.
With a little preparation, your home can stay safe from CO! Fortunately, it takes just a simple phone call to secure the right homeowners insurance protection for your property.
Talk to the professional team at Abatelli Group, Inc. to determine the right
homeowners insurance policy to suit your needs and home today.
