What Is Carbon Monoxide?
You may ask yourself if you really need to find out what carbon monoxide is.
You think your house is safe, you can't smell gas or any unusual smells coming from your gas appliances, they look OK to you and they seem to be working fine.
That's great and the chances are that they are safe, but, what if they are not? Do you know what can happen? Well, lots of things can, one of which is that there may be deadly fumes leaking into your home.
You think you would know? Think again! This deadly gas, also known as the 'silent killer' is an odourless gas that has no colour.
You can't see it, you can't smell it, but if it's lurking around your home, you will definitely find out! It is created by incomplete combustion.
When gas is not burned in the way it should, your appliance will give of these deadly fumes, which are deadly.
When breathed in, even in small amounts, carbon monoxide fumes cause poisoning in your body.
You can very quickly experience symptoms such as:
Children are always picking up some illness or viral infection at school or nursery, which present the same symptoms as the ones above, so you really do need to make sure your home is safe for them.
How can you do this? You should have all your gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer.
They will make sure your appliance is safe for use.
Even if you do have your appliances checked annually, things can still go wrong, so you should have an audible carbon monoxide alarm fitted in your home.
Just like a smoke alarm alerts you to the presence of smoke in your home, a carbon monoxide detector will alert you to the presence of the silent killer! You are especially at risk while you are asleep, so having an audible alarm fitted is a must.
You can buy a detector in most superstores for under twenty pounds, a small price to pay for the safety of you and your family's safety.
If you do suspect that you are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, turn off all your gas appliances and open the windows.
Seek medical advice and have all your gas appliances checked.
You think your house is safe, you can't smell gas or any unusual smells coming from your gas appliances, they look OK to you and they seem to be working fine.
That's great and the chances are that they are safe, but, what if they are not? Do you know what can happen? Well, lots of things can, one of which is that there may be deadly fumes leaking into your home.
You think you would know? Think again! This deadly gas, also known as the 'silent killer' is an odourless gas that has no colour.
You can't see it, you can't smell it, but if it's lurking around your home, you will definitely find out! It is created by incomplete combustion.
When gas is not burned in the way it should, your appliance will give of these deadly fumes, which are deadly.
When breathed in, even in small amounts, carbon monoxide fumes cause poisoning in your body.
You can very quickly experience symptoms such as:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Breathlessness
- Collapse
- Loss of consciousness
Children are always picking up some illness or viral infection at school or nursery, which present the same symptoms as the ones above, so you really do need to make sure your home is safe for them.
How can you do this? You should have all your gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer.
They will make sure your appliance is safe for use.
Even if you do have your appliances checked annually, things can still go wrong, so you should have an audible carbon monoxide alarm fitted in your home.
Just like a smoke alarm alerts you to the presence of smoke in your home, a carbon monoxide detector will alert you to the presence of the silent killer! You are especially at risk while you are asleep, so having an audible alarm fitted is a must.
You can buy a detector in most superstores for under twenty pounds, a small price to pay for the safety of you and your family's safety.
If you do suspect that you are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, turn off all your gas appliances and open the windows.
Seek medical advice and have all your gas appliances checked.