InspectAPedia® FREE Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Construction, Diagnosis, Maintenance & Repair |
Question? Just ask us! InspectAPedia
|
Heating System CO Check
Recommended for Carbon Monoxide - CPSC Release 88-92
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about heating system -related CO or Carbon Monoxide hazards in buildings
This US CPSC document describes a brief heating system safety warning for homeowners.
The CPSC reminds owners to be sure that their heating service contractor also checks the chimney, flue, and flue vent connector as part of annual service (or when a problem is suspected). Unsafe chimneys and flues present a carbon monoxide hazard risk which can be fatal, as well as fire risks in buildings.
We [website authors] advise that special care be taken to inspect older buildings with large masonry flues into which gas-fired appliances have been vented, dead-end chimneys which are easily blocked by falling debris, chimneys with no caps (easily invaded by birds or animals), single-wythe brick flues (a fire and gas leak hazard), and chimneys which have been damaged by leaks or movement. The US CPSC document follows.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
Home Heating System Should Be Checked for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 1988
Release # 88-92
Home Heating System Should Be Checked Now
[for proper venting and for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards - DJF]
WASHINGTON - Government safety experts are urging consumers to have central heating systems inspected this fall even though the heat may have already been turned on.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that central heating equipment be inspected annually by a qualified heating contractor. The furnace or boiler as well as electrical and mechanical components, valves, thermostat controls and automatic safety switches should be tested for proper operation to protect against possible overheating or fuel leaks which may result in fire or explosion.
Although heating contractors do not routinely inspect venting systems as part of the checkup, consumers should ask the contractor to examine the flue and chimney for possible problems. Blockages may be caused by mortar and other material loosened from chimney walls, bird nests or debris.
Chimneys and flues should be clear at all times so exhaust gases, including carbon monoxide (CO), are properly vented outside the home. Flues and flue connectors should be checked for tight, secure fitting, and for signs of rust or corrosion, which could allow exhaust gases to enter the house.
CPSC cautioned homeowners to beware of carbon monoxide fumes (CO) in the home. CO is colorless, odorless, and is sometimes called "the silent killer." People exposed to harmful levels of CO often show symptoms similar to flu-type illnesses, including dizziness, fatigue, headaches, irregular breathing and nausea. In the most recent year for which statistics are available, CPSC estimates that almost 60 deaths could be attributed to carbon monoxide gas emitted from central heating equipment.
The federal agency also stressed the importance of chimney inspections where oil or solid fuel heating systems have recently been converted to gas. After the conversion, accumulated soot and debris on the chimney may loosen and fall.
If enough debris collects inside the chimney, it could block the chimney and cause a buildup of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the home. If the fall checkup of the heating system shows an accumulation of soot in the chimney, a chimney sweep should be called to clean the chimney and flue; annual chimney inspections should be made until no more soot is found.
CPSC said homeowners planing on converting to gas heat should have the chimney inspected when the conversion is made, then annually thereafter.
Dangerous Product Reports to the US CPSC: To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at SaferProducts.gov.
...
Continue reading at CO DETECTION OPTIONS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2 - a different gas
- CARBON MONOXIDE - CO
- CARBON MONOXIDE WARNINGS: HOME HEATERS
- GAS DETECTION INSTRUMENTS
- GAS EXPOSURE EFFECTS, TOXIC
- HEAT EXCHANGER LEAKS
Suggested citation for this web page
CARBON MONOXIDE WARNINGS: HOME HEATERS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to GAS HAZARDS in BUILDINGS
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.
Search the InspectApedia website
Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.
Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca
Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Roger Hankey is principal of Hankey and Brown Inspections, Winter Park, CO. Mr. Hankey is a past chairman of the ASHI Standards Committee and served in other ASHI chapter and national leadership roles. Mr. Hankey is a National Radon Proficiency Program certified measurement professional and a Level II infrared thermographer. Contact Roger Hankey at: 970-393-6604 - rogerhankey47@gmail.com . Website: www.HankeyandBrown.com Mr. Hankey is a frequent contributor to InspectAPedia.com.
- "Choosing and Using a Carbon Monoxide CO Monitor," Dan Friedman, The ASHI Technical Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1, July1991
- TABLE Z-1 LIMITS FOR AIR CONTAMINANTS, 1910.1000 TABLE Z-1 [PDF] OSHA standard for air contaminant limits (http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9992) - includes for CO2, Carbon dioxide.........| CAS No. 124-38-9 | 5000 ppm | 9000 mg/m3 limits for carbon dioxide as an air contaminant.
- Air Pollution Toxicology: APTI Course SI:300, Introduction to Air Pollution Toxicology, US EPA Air Pollution Training Institute, Environmental Research Center, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, Sept. 1993, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/
- CCSP, 2008: Analyses of the effects of global change on human health and welfare and human systems. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. [Gamble, J.L. (ed.), K.L. Ebi, F.G. Sussman, T.J. Wilbanks, (Authors)]. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA. Web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://nepis.epa.gov/
- Gas Exposure Hazard Levels: for Toxic Gas Exposure to Ammonia, Arsine, Arsenic, Bromine, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Hydride, Ozone - allowable exposure levels and hazard levels
- Health Effects of Carbon Dioxide - see "National Advisory Committee for Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for Hazardous Substances; Proposed AEGL Values, Federal Register Document", http://www.epa.gov/EPA-TOX/2002/February/Day-15/t3774.htm note that these are proposed guidelines
- Carbon Dioxide CO2: Geologic Sequestration Health Effects: "Vulnerability Evaluation Framework
for Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide", US EPA, EPA430-R-08-009, July 2008, web search August 2010,original source: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/VEF-Technical_Document_072408.pdf - Carbon Dioxide CO2: Geologic Sequestration, U.S EPA, web search 08/28/2010, original source:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_gs_tech.html - GTSP, 2006: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Geologic Storage: A Core Element of a A Global
Energy Technology Strategy to Address Climate Change (PDF, 37 pp., 6.05 MB, About PDF).
April 2006, JJ Dooley et al. Global Energy Technology Strategy Program (GSTP) - IPCC, 2005: Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage, Special Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Metz, Bert, Davidson, Ogunlade,
de Coninck, Heleen, Loos, Manuela, and Meyer, Leo (Eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, The
Edinburgh Building Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 2RU England - Nitrogen Oxides: Air Quality Criteria for Oxides of Nitrogen, Vol III of III, US EPA, EPA600/8-91/049cF, August 1993, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://nepis.epa.gov [Large PDF 25MB]
Key chapters in this document evaluate the latest scientific data on (a) health effects of NOx measured ill laboratory animals and exposed human populatIOns and (b) effects of NOx on agricultural crops, forests, and ecosystems, as well as (c) NOx effects on visibility and nonbiological materials. Other chapters describe the nature, sources, distribution, measurement, and concentratiOns of NOx m the environment These chapters were prepared and peer revived by experts from various state and Federal government offices, academia, and private industry for use by EPA to support decision makIng regarding potentIal risks to public health and the enVIronment Although the document IS not intended to be an exhaustIve literature reVIew, It IS intended to cover all the pertinent literature through early 1993 - Dräger MSDS for Dräger CH25301 Air Current Tubes, Page 1 of 2.
Dräger MSDS for Dräger CH25301 Air Current Tubes , Page 2 of 2.
Watch out: the Dräger air current tube or "smoke tube" # CH16631 produces a sulfuric acid gas sulfuric acid H2SO4 /SO3 that is dangerous to life and is highly corrosive. Take a look at our copy of the Dräger MSDS for their CH25301 Air Current Tubes. We stored this MSDS in the box with the rubber bulb and tube cutter provided by Dräger. These air current monitoring tubes are provided with rubber caps so that the tube can be "stopped" or shut down when not in use. But the sulfuric acid was so corrosive that it not only caused the rubbger caps to disintegrate, it actually "burned" or oxidized our copy of the MSDS paper form! - In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
 | HOME | ABOUT | ASK a QUESTION | CONTACT | CONTENT USE POLICY | DESCRIPTION | POLICIES | PRIVACY | |
| © 2024 - 1985 Publisher InspectApedia.com - Daniel Friedman | |||||||||