Is it the flu ? Or could my house be making me sick ? Keep warm and safe during the upcoming cold winter nights .
our opinions : ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The Comfort Zone
JANUARY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Is it the flu ? Or could my house be making me sick ? Keep warm and safe during the upcoming cold winter nights .
As we turn the calendar over to January , the first few weeks are usually the coldest of the year in North Texas . Our heating systems are working their hardest during these bitterly cold days and many people come down with a cold or the flu . It ’ s seasonal , right ? It may be more than that . Your heating system actually can be making you sick – and in extreme situations can even kill you .
Carbon-monoxide poisoning can produce flu-like symptoms , especially during cold snaps when your heating system is working overtime . The signs and symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning can include a dull headache , weakness , dizziness , nausea or vomiting , shortness of breath , confusion , and in extreme cases , blurred vision and loss of consciousness . According to the Mayo Clinic , it is especially dangerous for people who are sleeping . And as with the flu , older people , children , pregnant women and their babies and those with breathing problems or cardiovascular disease are at increased risk . It can cause irreversible brain damage or death before anyone even knows there is a problem .
What is carbon monoxide ( CO )? It ’ s a colorless , odorless , tasteless toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion in fuel-burning devices like cars , gas-powered furnaces and portable generators . According to the Centers for Disease Control , unintentional CO exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 emergency department visits and 500 unintentional deaths in the U . S . each year . We have had customers who , either before we fixed or replaced their heating systems , had not felt well for weeks and had been to the emergency room over and over again because they had the flu and just couldn ’ t get better . They didn ’ t have the flu , they were being slowly poisoned by their own heating system .
There are lots of reasons for your system to be producing or not be exhausting these gases . It can be because there is something wrong in your system , or one customer had a roof replacement and a portion of her venting
By Brett Hobson CEO Comfort Experts
system was improperly cut off and left to vent the gases back into her home . That ’ s why we also talk about the importance of getting your system checked once a year to make sure it ’ s working the way that it ’ s supposed to . One tell-tale sign that you might be suffering from CO poisoning is if you get better when you are away from home and then feel poorly again when you return .
Our company recommends having at least two carbonmonoxide detectors in your home . Why two ? Because I don ’ t want to risk my family ’ s safety and well-being on any $ 50 piece of equipment . If the first one fails to work , the second one will register an increase in CO in the home . A carbon-monoxide detector costs between $ 20 and $ 100 so ask your heating technician which one they recommend . It ’ s a small price to pay for peace of mind . Another thing to watch out for is paying too much for heaters . If they have a room on the north side of the house , some people turn to space heaters during these cold winter nights to keep them warm . Make sure you ’ re not paying too much for your space heater . First , check that the one you are thinking of buying is certified by Underwriters Laboratories — look for the UL sticker on it . UL certifies that what you are buying meets their standards for safety , even testing for tip-over likelihood in space heaters . The prices of space heaters vary widely , although most have the same output of heat . A 1,500-watt electric heater puts out 5119.5 BTUs of heat which is like burning 5,120 kitchen matches per hour . This is the maximum output you can expect from a standard home plug-in heater , so make sure you ’ re not paying too much for the one you ’ re buying . I ’ ve seen heaters costing as much as $ 500 that put out the same amount of heat as one costing less than one-fifth of that , so shop smart and don ’ t be taken in by fancy labels or high design . When it ’ s cold , you just need something that is safe and reasonably priced to keep you and your family warm . Our winters are short , usually not that severe , and spring will be here before we know it .
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