Why is Carbon Monoxide so Dangerous?

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Wherever combustion occurs, hazardous carbon monoxide gas is the natural by-product. This includes your gas furnace, stove or water heater, the engine of your automobile, a charcoal grill or even firewood burning in the fireplace. Carbon monoxide (CO) in sufficient concentrations is fatal, and in an average year about 500 people in the United States die from inhaling it. Thousands of others are sick enough to require a trip to an emergency room and subsequent hospitalization.

Most local building codes today require CO detectors in every home, at least one on each level of the house. Here are some of the reasons why CO can be such a threat:

  • It’s odorless, colorless and invisible. If your house was slowly filling with deadly CO at this very moment, without a detector you would most likely be totally unaware of it. Many people who die from exposure to this gas are found in bed, having gone to sleep for the night without any knowledge whatsoever that the hazard was present in the house.
  • Early symptoms of exposure to the gas are very non-specific and often dismissed as a common illness such as the flu or simple fatigue. However, symptoms can rapidly advance from the seemingly unimportant to the fatal. The amount of CO exposure that causes tiredness and a headache is only slightly less than the amount that can cause rapid unconsciousness followed by death.
  • Long-term exposure to only trace levels of carbon monoxide is also dangerous. It can cause brain damage, heart trouble, memory and cognitive issues, and behavioral changes. The very young and the elderly are especially susceptible to danger from both short- or long-term exposure.

Test your carbon monoxide detector twice a year by pressing and holding the “Test” button on the face of the unit until the alarm sounds. If the unit does not respond, replace it immediately. If the detector is battery-powered, install fresh batteries twice a year.

Avoid the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning by having life-saving detectors installed in your home. Contact Apollo Home for more information.

"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."
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"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."
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