When you’re in the middle of a winter weather crisis, and you don’t have any heat, you must find a way to produce that heat in order to get warm. It’s not safe to just use any type of heating that you find, because many of them come with dangerous side effects that can be harmful or fatal.
One of the side effects of using the wrong kind of heating is carbon monoxide poisoning. This is something that occurs when, instead of carrying oxygen throughout your body, your cells are filled with carbon monoxide.
When you breathe in carbon monoxide, you may not even be aware of it because it’s odorless. You can get symptoms from experiencing it, though. You may get a headache or start to feel dizzy.
Some people get confused or end up vomiting. This type of poisoning can make you feel like you have the flu. There can be multiple things that cause carbon monoxide poisoning, but it happens to you when you inhale fumes from these devices.
Certain household appliances can cause a buildup of carbon monoxide in your home – things such as a furnace or a fireplace – even if it’s a wood burning fireplace. Your home can have a buildup of this gas from a gas stove or from a water heater.
You can also experience carbon monoxide poisoning from your vehicle. The main reason it happens is due to poor or no ventilation of an appliance or heating device. This is especially true when you’re trying to heat your home during a cold weather event.
When the electricity goes out and it gets cold inside, some people think it’s okay to bring their charcoal grill inside to heat the house. But a charcoal grill releases carbon monoxide.
One way to tell if something’s wrong is to look at the flame of whatever type of heating device you’re using. With natural gas devices, the color of the flame should be blue and not yellow or orange.
But if you’re burning fuel in a portable heating device, the flame should be yellow or orange. Always look at the device ratings. Most will have a label indicating whether or not they’re safe to use indoors and if there are any ventilation needs.
Don’t use any device that’s not rated for indoor use. It’s safe to use indoor propane appliances, alcohol heaters, solar powered heaters and vent-free heaters. You can use a wood stove or gas fireplace if either has been properly ventilated.
Because you can’t see it or smell it, you have no way to know if you’re at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. This is why you need to have a CO detector in your home. You should have one of these alarms on each floor of your home. These devices can sense carbon monoxide before the gas makes you ill – or worse.
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