381-8 Old Riverhead Road

Westhampton Beach, NY

Tel. 631-998-0780

Hours: Tues. - Thur. 9am to 3pm / Fri. 9am to 12pm (or by appt.) / Sat. - Mon. Closed

Our Company Blog

Carbon Monoxide Is Odorless, Colorless & Deadly

Carbon monoxide is one of the most dangerous gasses that people are exposed to…right in their own homes! Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas produced as a by-product of your home heating system. When not properly directed outside your home via your venting system and chimney, the gas causes often misinterpreted aliments and can even result in fatalities. That’s why it is so important to have a yearly chimney professional inspect, clean, and make any necessary repairs to your chimney, it’s lining, venting, and masonry. Beach Stove and Fireplace is here to provide those services for you.

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Sign/Symptoms/Warnings of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Many people may not attribute or recognize that the headaches, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, weakness, irritability, and trouble seeing clearly may be caused by toxic fumes leaking into their houses rather than being properly vented outside. And of course, as the concentration of carbon monoxide increases, so does the severity of its effects. According to the Center for Disease Control, over 20,000 people have to go to the emergency room due to the effects of carbon monoxide; 4000 people are poisoned so severely that they need hospitalization; and sadly, over 400 people die each year from toxic gas poisoning.

Causes of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The most common and frightening reason for carbon monoxide poisoning is accidental exposure. Leaking and malfunctioning fuel burning appliances including furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, water heaters, gas and kerosene room heater all contribute to releasing the toxic fumes into your home and most of the time you don’t even realize it.

Today’s homes are built more airtight than ever in order to be more energy efficient. But, when heating systems are not properly vented outside, there is not enough fresh air in your home to dissipate the toxic gas and you, your family, and pets continue to breathe contaminated air. Those same poorly sealed window, doors, roofs, and attic that once drove up your utility costs also compensated by allowing the toxic fumes to escape.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) explains it further, “Manufacturers have designed new, high-technology heating appliances whose greater efficiency helps us save money, conserve natural resources and decrease environmental pollution. However, the new breed of high-efficiency gas and oil furnaces – when vented in to existing chimney flues – often do not perform at an optimum level. The differences in performance create conditions that allow toxic gases to more easily enter home living spaces.”

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

According to CSIA, “When gas and oil burn in vented heating systems – in order to produce household heat – the dangerous fumes that are by-products of combustion range from soot to nitrogen dioxide to acidic water vapors. None of these pollutants should be allowed to leak from the chimney into your living space.

In addition to carrying off toxic gases, chimneys also create the draft (flow of air) that provides the proper air and fuel mixture for efficient operation of the heating appliance. Unfortunately, many chimneys in daily use in homes throughout the country either are improperly sized or have conditions that make them unable to perform their intended function.”

Every homeowner should review the guidelines provided by the Chimney Safety Institute of America to learn more about preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.

Yearly Inspections & Cleanings

CSIA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Fire Protection Association, the EPA, and the American Lung Association are just a few of the many organizations that encourage homeowners to have a yearly cleaning and inspection of your chimney, flue, fireplace, and household venting (including your clothes dryer venting) by a trained and CSIA certified technician/chimney sweep.
The consequences of toxic fume poisoning, and fire risks justify the related cost of prevention.

The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

November has begun and that means fall is nearly halfway over. With the inevitable cold weather on the way, most people have retired their shorts and sandals in favor of warmer clothing like jackets and scarves. For homeowners trying to heat their homes as the cool temperatures set in, many have already lit up their fireplaces this season. With the right maintenance done every year, fireplaces can add plenty of life, character and warmth to your home. However, neglecting the fireplace and chimney’s need for an annual sweep and inspection can have disastrous consequences. One dangerous result of poor fireplace care is a deadly gas known as carbon monoxide.

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The tiny molecule called carbon monoxide is produced in large quantities anytime combustion occurs. Any fuel burning, therefore, produces carbon monoxide, including gas ranges, car exhausts, wood stoves, and even lanterns. When any type of burning occurs in an enclosed space, the area will experience a rapid rise in concentration of carbon monoxide. You cannot know the relative levels of carbon monoxide without the help of a specialized, functioning detector, because this insidious gas has no scent, color, or taste. Thus, the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can set in quickly, even before the victim realizes what may be wrong.

Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea, and unconsciousness. To ease these symptoms, the person must be moved to an open, outdoor space. The reason carbon monoxide is so dangerous is that it moves more quickly than oxygen and replaces it inside the body. With the levels of oxygen in the body steadily depleting, the above symptoms begin setting in. Without reprieve, the body will suffer organ damage and eventually death.

For good reason, carbon monoxide is a serious threat that must be respected and avoided at all costs. This concerns your fireplace because, every time you light it, carbon monoxide flows freely from it. A properly functioning chimney expels the gas and smoke from the home, but without proper maintenance, this could change. For example, any obstruction in the chimney will cause the gases produced by the fire to back up into the home. An obstruction could be caused by an animal and its nest inside the flue, and this can be easily remedied by a chimney sweep and the installation of a good chimney cap. The chimney can also experience an obstruction through the buildup of creosote, which is a tarry product of burning wood. A chimney sweep can remove this, but if left to build up, it can cause serious problems.

To protect your home and your family from carbon monoxide, all you need to do this season is have an expert out to sweep and inspect your chimney. If you live in the Westhampton Beach area of New York, contact Beach Stove and Fireplace for a professional consultation.

By Julie Dismore on October 30th, 2014 | Tagged with: Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

Our Location

Beach Stove and Fireplace is located on Old Riverhead Road between Montauk Highway and Sunrise Highway. From Sunrise Highway take exit 63 south, travel 1.2 miles and turn right at the 381 complex (just north of Gabreski Airport)