When used safely, a home’s fireplace can offer a wide range of benefits like lowering expensive heating bills and providing wonderful ambiance. The room in which you have your fireplace can serve as a warm gathering place for family and friends to visit and reminisce.
But with these benefits comes risk. The deadliest is carbon monoxide, which can seep into your home through crumbling chimney mortar or back through the fireplace if your exhaust channel is blocked.
Carbon monoxide — aptly nicknamed the “silent killer” — is an odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that can cause flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, vomiting, confusion, weakness and headaches. If exposed to carbon monoxide for long periods of time, the poisonous gas can be fatal, especially in young children and the elderly.
To reduce the threat of carbon monoxide entering the home, it’s important that homeowners keep their chimney clear from any debris and have it thoroughly inspected annually. Not only will a thorough inspection clear debris, but it also will ensure that your chimney is not deteriorating and causing the gas to enter the home. A thorough cleaning also will remove excessive build-up of creosote, the dangerous by-product of burning that adheres to the inner walls of your chimney and can catch on fire in extreme heat.
At MCP Chimney and Masonry, we have the experience and knowledge to identify any structural issues with your chimney that could be allowing carbon monoxide into your home. In addition, we can clean your chimney to remove and obstructions that would allow the poisonous gas into your house through the fireplace.
In the meantime, if you suspect you or your family has been exposed to carbon monoxide, leave the home immediately, leaving windows and doors open as you escape. Once outside, contact the local fire department and do not re-enter the home until cleared by authorities.
Also, consider investing in a carbon monoxide alarm that will alert you to elevated levels of the gas. Install carbon monoxide alarms on every floor of the house and near bedrooms.
For more information about carbon monoxide, or to schedule a cleaning or inspection, contact us today.
