According to the CDC, emergency departments in the US receive 50,000 patients who have carbon monoxide poisoning every year. Furnaces are one potential source of a carbon monoxide leak, so you should know what the dangers are and what to do if it’s leaking in your home in Evans, GA.
What Can Cause a Furnace to Leak Carbon Monoxide?
A cracked heat exchanger results in carbon monoxide leaks because combustion occurs in the heat exchanger. As carbon monoxide leaks out of the crack, the heating system circulates it throughout your home.
It’s rare for your heat exchanger to crack. Old furnaces are more likely to have a heat exchanger crack because of their advanced age. The components inside your heating system will only last so long.
Other possible causes of a carbon monoxide leak from your furnace are a damaged furnace flue and poor maintenance. The furnace flue ventilates gases out of your home, so when it becomes cracked, those gases leak inside your home.
The Dangers of a Carbon Monoxide Leak
Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to death, and it doesn’t always cause symptoms first. Symptoms you may experience when there’s a carbon monoxide leak are headaches, nausea, confusion, dizziness and vomiting. Pets can also die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Long-term symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide include heart complications, emotional instability, brain damage and memory loss. You should never delay in scheduling heating repair when there’s a carbon monoxide leak in your home.
What to Do If Your Furnace Is Leaking Carbon Monoxide
When you have a leak, you need to schedule an emergency heating repair and stay somewhere else until a technician repairs the leak. To know when there’s a carbon monoxide leak in your home, you need to install carbon monoxide detectors and change their batteries every six months. You should also test your carbon monoxide detectors on a monthly basis.
Carbon monoxide leaks are a serious issue that you need to quickly address. Contact Plunkett Heating and Cooling to schedule emergency furnace repair in Evans, GA. We stay open 24/7 for emergency calls.
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