Franzen Heating & Cooling FAQ: carbon monoxide

The effects at low concentrations include fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease; effects at higher concentrations include impaired vision and coordination, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and nausea.

CO can cause flu-like symptoms that clear up after leaving home. At very high concentrations, CO exposure is fatal. Acute effects are due to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, inhibiting oxygen intake. At moderate concentrations, the result may be angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function.

Sources of CO include:

• Automobile exhaust from attached garages
• Back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces
• Gas stoves
• Generators and other gasoline-powered equipment
• Leaking chimneys and furnaces
• Tobacco smoke
• Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters

Incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges and unvented gas or kerosene heaters can cause high concentrations of CO in indoor air. Worn or poorly adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces) can be sources, or if the flue is improperly sized, blocked, disconnected, or leaking. Auto, truck, or bus exhaust from attached garages, nearby roads, or parking areas can be sources, too.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, mostly odorless, and tasteless gas or liquid that results from incomplete oxidation of carbon in combustion.

• Auto ignition temperature (liquid) 1128°F
• Boiling point: -190°C
• Burns with a violet flame
• Classed as an inorganic compound
• Slightly soluble in water
• Solidification point: -207°C
• Soluble in alcohol and benzene
• Specific gravity: 0.96716
• Specific volume: 13.8 cu. ft./lb. (70°F)