There’s nothing more important than the safety and wellness of your loved ones. Sometimes, life is unpredictable, and dangers and worries occur without warning. But there are other dangers you can take effective precautions against! You don’t need to be concerned about carbon monoxide poisoning if you know you have reliable CO detectors. If you’re not sure, we can help!
What CO Is
Carbon monoxide or CO is made of one carbon molecule bonded to one oxygen molecule. Neither of these things are dangerous elements on their own. In fact, they’re necessary for life! But in this exact combination, it is deadly. How can that be? Well, the danger of elements like this is in how they bond with other things.
If you breathe in carbon monoxide, it binds to the hemoglobin in your blood. This is the substance which does the absolutely critical job of carrying oxygen throughout your body. If the carbon monoxide takes up the spots where hemoglobin is supposed to bond with oxygen, it will keep flowing through your body but it won’t bring that essential oxygen with it! And without oxygen, well, you might as well not be breathing.
Why There Is CO in Your Home
Carbon monoxide is one of the components of the combustion gasses created by burning fuel. If you have any appliances or equipment in your home that operate via combustion, they create carbon monoxide. Now, these appliances have venting systems to safely eject the exhaust from your home. But if anything goes wrong with those systems, the results can be deadly.
For example, if you have a gas furnace, and the vent becomes blocked, perhaps by the nest of a bird or squirrel, it can prevent the exhaust from leaving your home, and carbon monoxide will start to contaminate your air. And it’s not just furnaces — other appliances like kitchen stoves, water heaters, and clothes dryers commonly use natural gas as well.
Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
There are two key steps you can take to make sure that carbon monoxide doesn’t threaten your family. The first is to have professional maintenance done every year on the appliances or equipment in your home which might pose a risk. This should be done anyway, because it will keep these systems efficient and effective, reduce the risk of repair needs, and help the appliances last longer.
The second step is to be diligent about your carbon monoxide detectors. Don’t just assume that they work and forget about them. Make sure you get to know them well! They could save your life. Your best bet is to have your CO detectors professionally assessed. We can check that you have enough detectors, that they’re in effective placements, and that they are working properly.
Carbon monoxide detection services in Bossier City, LA can keep you and your family safe. Don’t put it off. It’s not worth the risk!
Contact us today to discuss any of your CO or smoke detection needs.