Effects of Carbon Monoxide Exposure on the Human Body
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The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) sets the maximum recommended exposure to carbon monoxide at as little as 9 PPM (parts per million), while OSHA sets its level at 50 PPM over an eight-hour workday.
However, there is no safe level of exposure to Carbon Monoxide (CO).
“Every year 600 Americans die due to accidental acute Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Over 20,000 are made ill and treated.” ~Centers for Disease Control
What is Carbon Monoxide (CO)?
Carbon Monoxide (CO), known as the “Silent Killer” is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It’s produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. The burning of any fuel has the potential to produce carbon monoxide.
Heat exchangers used in home heating systems such as furnaces separate the poisonous gases created during the combustion process from your indoor breathing air. They capture Carbon Monoxide before venting it, usually through a chimney or a pipe … but a cracked heat exchanger can expel deadly gases into your home.
The heat exchanger we just replaced in this furnace is a good example, and one we see dozens of times throughout the course of a normal home heating season.
Why Did My Heat Exchanger Crack?
Like all technologies, heat exchangers eventually fail. The normal process of expansion and contraction as a heat exchanger heats up and cools down weakens it over time, and eventually causes cracks in the metal. Once the heat exchanger is cracked, it’s compromised and will leak harmful gases into your indoor breathing air.
Overheating is often the culprit in systems that break down prematurely. Restricted air flow from poor or infrequent maintenance, an aging system, or even something as simple as a dirty air filter can restrict airflow and result in an overheated heat exchanger.
Heat exchangers should be inspected annually. Light or water passing through a breach is a positive confirmation of a hole or crack. Sanford’s experts can also use a tool called a combustion analyzer to determine if CO is leaking into your home.
We’ve shared a chart below of what happens to the human body at various levels of exposure to Carbon Monoxide. It’s something to take very, very seriously!
To learn more about Carbon Monoxide, read our “Exposing the Silent Killer” series today.
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I thought Derek was polite. Courteous knew what he was doing. Got my furnace fixed in one day. I was very appreciative and because of his service I will now only use you guys going forward. He’s a great technician.
I'm always impressed when a service provider takes the time to educate me about the product I bought. Eddie explained the protocols for maintaining my mini-splits
, provided me with the knowledge that he brought to the inspection and showed me how to improve the longevity of the product. In the process he convinced me to extend my service.
Good job -
Eric, our Sanford tech, did wonderful as always. maintaining our beast of a heating system takes skill. He is prompt and kind gets the maintenance taken care of quickly. He doesn’t mind the annoying dogs or the beam that you have to duck under going up and down stairs.
They check in the day before coming and Eric texts when on the way. He is always on time. We have been very happy with the work and the professionalism.
This was my first time using Sanford. Derek was amazing. He diagnosed the problem quickly, showed me the problem, and then quoted me a price which was very reasonable. He had the part on the truck and had the problem fixed within a half hour. From the person I made the appointment with, Irish, to the dispatcher I spoke with for an estimated time of arrival, to Derek, my experience was nothing but positive. I had such a great experience that I will always use Sanford for my heating, cooling, and plumbing needs. Highly recommended!
After Sanford did such an impressive job installing our new Bosch furnace last winter, it was a no brainer as to who we wanted to add a central air conditioner to our house.
They gave us two options and we chose to go with a heat pump. Jason and his team did an incredible job installing the system in just a single day. The quality of their workmanship is second to none and he couldn’t be a nicer person to work with.
Another great job by Sanford !
We had Brian B come to our home to conduct a follow up visit to evaluate our Carrier AC that was installed in February. Just like the three-man crew who did the installation, Brian B did an outstanding job of making sure that everything was working just fine. He answered all our questions and made sure we were confident that our AC would be working fine this summer. Great job.
Extremely happy with the service I received. Mike did an excellent job of servicing my HVAC system. He was very efficient, knowledgeable and took the time to answer all my questions. Also, the office personnel were very helpful and responsive to all my requests and questions regarding scheduling and pricing. I will be using them again and would highly recommend Mike.
Excellent service. Arrived on time. Asked me questions to diagnose any possible issues. Explained several things I did not know about my system.
Eric was very pleasant & thoroughly cleaned & diagnosed my system. Every Sanford employee with whom I have had dealings has been pleasant, attentive, and professional. A friend recommended Sanford to me & I recommend them to you as well. I have been very happy with my equipment & service & know I can contact them anytime with questions & concerns & they will respond in a timely manner. Thank you Eric!
Our tech was great! He was respectful of the space (and rolled with the chaos of small kiddos running around like goons), knowledgeable, and efficient. We’ve used Sanford for years and will continue to do so.
Kyle G. from Sanford was awesome and super respectful. They installed furnace and AC system. He explained everything without being condescending, helped set up the wireless system, checked it and his team cleaned up everything after the job. My standards are pretty high and Kyle not only met them, he exceeded them. Thank you.
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