Home heating oil and kerosene are both safe, affordable fuel sources, but burning them produces carbon monoxide. While furnaces and water heaters are designed to direct this byproduct outside, faulty seals and other defects could allow gas to seep into your home. Fortunately, you can minimize your family's risk of exposure by taking the following simple precautions.

How to Protect Your Household From Carbon Monoxide

1. Install Monitors

Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless, and colorless, so it’s undetectable, even at high levels. Monitoring devices continuously measure the levels of this gas in the air to alert you of any issues.

For maximum protection, install carbon monoxide detectors on each level of your home, with at least one outside each sleeping area. You should also install monitors near any appliance or device that uses home heating oil, kerosene, or propane.

2. Have Your Chimney Inspected

A fire can warm your home on a chilly winter day, but burning wood also produces carbon monoxide. As such, blockages in the chimney or cracked masonry can allow potentially harmful fumes into your home.

Before using your fireplace, have a professional inspect the chimney for damage or faulty equipment. They can fix cracked walls, repair misaligned flues, and remove any bird’s nests that could be blocking the chimney.

3. Maintain Your Equipment

The vast majority of carbon monoxide leaks are related to faulty home heating equipment. Cracked casings, broken seals, and damaged heat exchangers can allow exhaust fumes into your home. Over time, even a small leak can result in dangerous carbon monoxide levels.

Having your equipment inspected and maintained regularly can prevent many of these problems before they occur. An inspection allows a technician to identify and repair cracked seals and other issues to safeguard your home against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Since 2001, Main Energy in Palmyra has supplied home heating oil, kerosene, and equipment to residences throughout upstate New York. Along with dependable deliveries, they also offer payment plans that make it easy and affordable to keep your home comfortable. Visit their website to learn more about their services, or call (315) 597-5200 today to schedule fuel delivery.