- Do have your gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer or an OFTEC registered engineer if an oil appliance. Make sure that you check their ID card, and ensure that they are qualified to work on your appliance: you can find a list on the back of their card identifying whether they are suitably qualified to work on your appliances;
- Do fit a CO detector with an audible alarm, but remember a CO Alarm will only warn you of Carbon Monoxide not the presence of other toxic fumes (this is especially important in the case of Oil fired appliances as oil appears to produce less CO but higher levels of other toxins);
- Do have your chimney checked and swept annually;
- Be aware of external flues close to windows, whether yours or your neighbours - make sure fumes are not blowing in from outside.
- Do not run your car even if the garage door to the outside is open. Fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of your home. This advice applies to any engine in an enclosed space, for example, a generator;
- Do not use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time;
- Do not use a charcoal grill indoors;
- Do not cover air-bricks. These are present for ventilation, if the appliances in your home don’t have enough air they will produce Carbon Monoxide;
- Do not ignore symptoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
- Carbon monoxide blocks the body’s ability to carry oxygen and poisoning from the gas can happen in minutes or over a period of time depending on the amount of carbon monoxide in the air.
Umbraco 8 Test System
