Carbon Monoxide Check

Did you know carbon monoxide (CO) detectors have shorter life span than most household equipment (such as air conditioning units, water heaters, washers and dryers etc.)? On average, carbon monoxide detectors have service lives of about five years. If you have not replaced your carbon monoxide detectors in the past five to six years, they’ve probably stopped working correctly.

Ventilation systems are critical in enclosed parking garages and most systems installed over the past ten years or so are controlled by carbon monoxide detectors. Without properly functioning, accurate detectors the exhaust fans of garage ventilation system will not activate to remove toxic fumes from vehicle exhaust before they reach unhealthful levels.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that’s  a bi-product of combustion, such as occurs in car and trucks engines, standby generating systems, gas-fired furnaces and dryers, etc. CO from such sources can build up in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces and people therein can be poisoned by breathing it. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. High levels of CO can cause loss of consciousness and death.

Given the hazards associated with carbon monoxide, now is the time to replace old sensors in your home and have your garage ventilation systems professionally inspected and tested