Unhealthy Fumes From The Garage: Are They Drifting Into Your Home?

Schedule Now

You may be doing everything possible to prevent carbon monoxide hazards in your home, such as having your fuel-burning equipment serviced regularly and using carbon monoxide detectors. But have you thought about the fumes from your attached garage?

If CO leaks from your garage, your detectors may not be positioned so that they can alert you to the hazard, as most expert recommendations advise locating detectors near sleeping areas and centrally located on each floor of a home.

An attached garage puts you at risk of higher CO exposure. Fumes from the garage may seep into the home when the shared door is opened or through cracks in the wall or floor/ceiling. In fact, studies now show that fumes from the garage pose a greater hazard than previously thought. These studies reveal that homes with attached garages typically have higher levels of CO than homes without garages. The gas is emitted by automobiles (released once a car’s turned on or while it’s warming up), lawn mowers and other power equipment.

Two issues that encourage fumes from the garage to penetrate the home involve leaks in the shared wall and pressure differences. During cooler weather, vented home equipment and exhaust fans create a lower home pressure, while a garage typically has a higher pressure. To resolve CO risks you can:

  • Install an exhaust fan in the garage.
  • Tightly seal the shared wall/floor.
  • Avoid running the car in the garage.
  • Limit how often you open the shared door.

Don’t let fumes from your garage hinder an otherwise effective home safety plan. Strategically locate CO detectors, service your combustible equipment, seal up the garage to prevent safety hazards and relieve pressure differences. For more expert advice on home safety and efficiency, contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. We’ve served homeowners in greater Cincinnati since 1910.

Image via Shutterstock.com

Schedule
Call
"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
    Read Reviews
    Image

    Financing

    Learn More
    Image

    Apollo Care Plan

    Learn More