We here at City and County Heating Services want to help promote and support this campaign and help raise awareness of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide.
What is Carbon Monoxide (CO)?
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no smell, colour or taste. The fact that is it hard to detect and can kill in less than three minutes has earned it the name 'The Silent Killer'. It can be released by any appliance that burns oil, solid fuel, wood or gas, including boilers, if they are not properly installed and maintained. It is essential that all gas and oil boilers are serviced annually, as recommended by all boiler manufacturers.
This is a 9 year boiler which we were asked to replace. It looked fine on the outside, but it was in very poor condition on the inside. We tested the boiler while it was running and got very high readings for carbon monoxide. If this boiler had been serviced every year it would never have deteriorated to this state and would have been safe and efficient to use for another few years. There could have been tragic consequences simply due to lack of maintenance.
Always remember, carbon monoxide is a silent killer.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones
Have your boilers and fuel burning appliances serviced annually using a qualified engineer registered with RGII, who will issue a Certificate of Conformance which confirms that your boiler is running safely and efficiently.
Buy and install an audible CO alarm with the following standards:
- Compliance with EN 50291
- BS Kitemark (as shown on the right)
- “End of life Indicator”– This is an option only some alarms offer and is separate to a fault or battery indicator. The “end of life indicator” shows when the unit has come to the end of its life and should be replaced. The documentation with the unit will say approximately how long this will be.
Ensure your home is well ventilated
- Never block vents
- Keep chimneys clear
- Never run engines in enclosed spaces
Get more information over at www.carbonmonoxide.ie.