Definition
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced when fuels such as natural gas, propane, wood or gasoline burn incompletely. Household sources include leaking or back-drafting furnaces, blocked flues, wood stoves and portable generators. EPA notes exposure causes headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea and can be fatal at high levels.
Also called: CO
Why it matters to you.
Many Central Kentucky homes pair a gas or propane furnace with a gas water heater, fireplace or attached garage, and winter ice storms bring portable generators out during power outages. Because carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled, a working CO alarm is the only dependable warning.
Practical guidance.
Install CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, as CPSC recommends, test them regularly and run generators outdoors only, never in a garage. If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911 from there; finding and fixing the source is work for emergency responders and a licensed technician.
About this definition
Written by the Feistritzer Heating & Air Conditioning team — family owned and operated in Danville since 1976, Kentucky HVAC license M02584. Definitions inform; a whole-system diagnosis in your home decides.