Detecting Gas in a Home

Though most American homes use natural gas as their primary heating source, if you are not careful, it is potentially deadly. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a deadly chemical that can build in the air inside your home. Because the symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to those of the flu, you may not realize that you are suffering from it until it's too late, so don't rely just on your own judgment or sense of smell. A CO detector is the most effective method of detecting potentially lethal gas in your home so that you can get to safety in time.

Carbon monoxide detectors
Spare batteries

Instructions

- 1
  Call a licensed repairman, like an HVAC technician, to inspect your appliances once a year. Remember to include your gas stove in the inspection.
- 2
  Check your chimneys, flues and vents to ensure that they are properly ventilated. For example, you may need to go onto your roof and make sure that birds and rodents are not nesting in your chimney -- this could cause a deadly obstruction.
- 3
  Install CO alarms in each sleeping area of your home. This includes installing one in a bedroom and in the hallway outside the bedroom. Check them once monthly to make sure that the batteries are working.
- 4
  Monitor your health. CO poisoning symptoms are similar to those of the flu, but without the development of a fever. For example, you may experience headache, fatigue and nausea. As the CO poisoning advances, you may develop confusion and a loss of muscular coordination.
- 5
  Heed the warning of a CO alarm. If your alarm goes off, get outside into the fresh air immediately and call emergency services like 911. Do not re-enter your home until instructed to do so by emergency workers.

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