Carbon Monoxide Dangers
What does carbon monoxide have to do with chimneys? Well, if your chimney does not receive regular maintenance, you can develop blockages in your chimney, which could prevent harmful gases from escaping through the chimney.
Safety Over Convenience
Perhaps in our fast-paced lives we might neglect to keep up with the cleaning and inspection of the chimney and fireplace. The excuse is always: “I’m busy enough as it is.” But what many don’t know is that when the chimney isn’t kept at its optimal functioning capacity, a snowball effect begins, creating conditions in which many things could go wrong. And one of the most deadly of these problems is carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Truth About Carbon Monoxide
In chemical terms, CO is described as a colorless and odorless gas; it is absolutely invisible, and worse, unnoticeable. You don’t know it, but it is present every time you use your fireplace, and when the chimney is damaged or blocked, it cannot properly carry out its job of eliminating the harmful gas from your home.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) reports the statistics gathered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that over 200 people across America die of carbon monoxide poisoning each year. Other agencies believe this number to be much higher, ranging from 2,000 to 4,000. Plus, there are about 10,000 cases of health problems related to carbon monoxide exposure diagnosed annually.
Those are some pretty scary statistics, but it becomes even scarier because those are only the known cases. There could be thousands more who have gone undiagnosed because the symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to many other non-life-threatening conditions. Nausea, headaches and dizziness are only some of the symptoms that could be mistaken for other illnesses.
The Good News
Don’t fret just yet; we have some good news for you! Now, your busy schedule doesn’t have to be the downfall of your heating system because Guaranteed Chimney Services, Inc. is here to take care of all your chimney needs. We are just a call away from eliminating the probable causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in your home; no more dangerous CO lurking in your chimney. We guarantee “Old Fashioned, Reliable Service” to all of our customers. Give us a call today!