If you think your home has a carbon monoxide leak, get outside and call 911 for help.
While air conditioners can't create carbon monoxide (like gas-powered furnaces or boilers can), they can help circulate it throughout your home if you already have a carbon monoxide leak.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause serious injury or even death if overexposed. For that reason, regular tune-ups of your HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system are recommended to help keep your family safe.
In this article, we'll go over:
- What causes carbon monoxide
- How air conditioners can disperse carbon monoxide
- Dangers of carbon monoxide exposure
- How to reduce carbon monoxide exposure
Want to prevent carbon monoxide in your HVAC system? Call Reliable Heating & Air at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment.
We'll tune up your air conditioner or furnace to make sure it's running optimally. We'll also give you the same 5-star customer service Atlanta residents have been getting for the past 40 years.
What Causes Carbon Monoxide Near You
Carbon monoxide is a chemical produced when combusting fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane, gasoline, kerosene or oil, and others. Small amounts of carbon monoxide are natural and not dangerous to people.
Carbon monoxide can accumulate in your home from fossil fuel-powered appliances and equipment, including:
- Stoves
- Water heaters
- Furnaces
- Boilers
- Room heaters
- Fireplaces
- Automobiles
- Lawn mowers and other lawn equipment
- Barbecue grills
These fossil fuel-powered home appliances are connected to a vent stack or series of vents that safely divert the fumes outside your home, where they're absorbed or dissipate into the atmosphere. When these vents become obstructed or cracked, they allow the gas to escape and potentially accumulate in your home, attic, or crawl space.
Common sources of carbon monoxide exposure from HVAC systems include:
- Cracked furnace heat exchanger. The constant expanding and contracting of metal heat exchangers in furnaces can cause them to crack over time. Large cracks can cause carbon monoxide to escape into your home.
- Improper ventilation. This prevents the fumes (and carbon monoxide) from properly and safely being expelled from your home. Improper ventilation can happen for several reasons, including:
Blocked chimneys or vent pipes. You may have a venting issue if you notice rust or condensation on the chimney or vent pipe.
Incorrect exhaust pipe installation. Vent pipes should be vertical or have an upward slope, have minimal bends, and have proper width to safely expel fumes. A downward slope or multiple bends can create too much resistance and force the carbon monoxide back into your home.
Carbon monoxide can be an even bigger problem when it's dispersed throughout your home via the HVAC system.
How Air Conditioners Can Disperse Carbon Monoxide
Many homeowners wonder, can carbon monoxide come from AC? The answer is no - air conditioners themselves do not produce carbon monoxide because they do not burn fuel to cool your home. In HVAC systems, only gas-powered systems, such as furnaces, boilers, and water heaters, have the potential to create carbon monoxide in air conditioning.
However, if an appliance in your home is leaking carbon monoxide into spaces like the attic or crawlspace, this gas can enter the HVAC ducts. Gaps, cracks, or holes in the ducts can allow the carbon monoxide to be sucked in. Once inside the ducts, your air conditioner can then circulate the carbon monoxide through the vents and into your home, potentially exposing the occupants to dangerous levels of this toxic gas.
Key Factors to Consider:
- Detection: Carbon monoxide detection is crucial in preventing exposure. Consider installing carbon monoxide detectors near gas-powered appliances and in areas where air conditioning systems might circulate air.
- Prevention: Regular maintenance of your HVAC system, including inspecting for leaks and sealing any cracks in the ducts, is essential to avoid carbon monoxide contamination.
- Risk: Exposure to carbon monoxide can lead to serious health problems, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even death in extreme cases. Keeping both your HVAC system and appliances well-maintained can help reduce the risk of CO exposure.
- Ventilation: Ensuring that your home has proper ventilation is critical. This can prevent the accumulation of carbon monoxide in areas where air conditioning systems are circulating air.
How to Protect Your Home:
- Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Make sure you have functioning carbon monoxide detectors in every area of your home that might be affected by HVAC systems.
- Regular Inspections: Have professionals inspect both your air conditioning system and other gas-powered appliances regularly to ensure they are operating safely and not contributing to carbon monoxide buildup.
- Seal Ducts and Gaps: Ensure that your air ducts are free of leaks or holes where carbon monoxide could enter.
By understanding how carbon monoxide could potentially enter and circulate through your air conditioning system, you can take steps to prevent exposure and protect your home's occupants from this dangerous gas.
Dangers of Carbon Monoxide Exposure in Kennesaw, GA
Unlike other gas leaks that you can detect by the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur in your furnace, carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas, which makes it impossible to detect through smell when it's accumulating in your home. This poses a significant risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can occur without warning.
Can You Get Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From an Air Conditioner?
While it's uncommon for air conditioners to produce carbon monoxide, can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from an air conditioner if there is a leak or if carbon monoxide enters the HVAC ducts from another appliance? Yes, it's possible. If there is a source of carbon monoxide in your home, such as a malfunctioning gas appliance, the gas could potentially circulate through your air conditioning system, putting you at risk.
Common Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms
Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause a range of flu-like symptoms, including:
- Headaches
- Dizziness and confusion
- Exhaustion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Chest pains
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning often go unnoticed, which can lead to severe health effects. Prolonged or excessive exposure can cause unconsciousness, brain damage, or even death. Carbon monoxide poisoning is especially dangerous for people who are asleep, as they are unable to feel the early symptoms.
Risks and Prevention
Because carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless, it is essential to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Early detection is key to preventing life-threatening consequences, as high levels of carbon monoxide can quickly accumulate without being noticed.
To protect yourself and your loved ones from carbon monoxide poisoning, ensure that your home is well-ventilated, check appliances regularly for leaks, and take preventive measures such as maintaining your furnace and other gas-burning appliances.
How to Reduce Carbon Monoxide Exposure in Kennesaw, GA
The best things you can do to prevent your family from carbon monoxide exposure is to:
- Install carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. Good spots are in bedrooms and other rooms where people might sleep, since carbon monoxide is most dangerous for those sleeping. You'll also want to make sure you test the detectors and replace batteries annually.
- Get your HVAC system tuned up regularly. Annual air conditioner tune-ups and furnace tune-ups include a check of your entire system to make sure it doesn't have any damage and all components are running as they should. Tune-ups not only ensure your system is running safely and efficiently to avoid carbon monoxide exposure, but also helps catch minor issues before they can become expensive repairs.
- Have your ductwork inspected. Ducts can develop tears, holes or gaps over time. If your ducts have been inspected in a few years, you may want to have them inspected. If they're damaged, a professional will perform a duct sealing, which will prevent your air conditioner from circulating carbon monoxide in attics and crawl spaces. It will also help your AC run more efficiently, likely lowering your electric bill, too.
- Run automobiles and other gas-powered equipment (like lawn mowers) outside. Running them in a closed garage allows the carbon monoxide to accumulate in the enclosed space, where people can inhale it.
- Use a gas or charcoal grills outside where there's plenty of open air for smoke and fumes to escape. Using grills in an enclosed area lets the smoke, fumes and carbon monoxide build up dangerously.
- Follow manufacturer's operating instructions and precautions when using a space heater. Some space heaters are gas powered and require good ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide exposure.
Think you have a carbon monoxide leak?
If you think your home has a carbon monoxide leak, you'll want to:
- Get your family outside as soon as possible.
- If it's safe to do so, open windows and doors on your way outside your home.
- Once everyone is outside, call 911 for help.
Want to Prevent Carbon Monoxide in Your HVAC System? Call Reliable Heating & Air.
Call us today at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment for a free in-home estimate.
We've been offering the most reliable air conditioner service in the greater Atlanta area for more than 40 years. Our HVAC techs will explain the best ways to keep your home safe and your HVAC system free of carbon monoxide. If you're interested, we'll also go over our maintenance plans to keep your HVAC maintenance hassle free.