Act now
Possible carbon monoxide: get outside now
A CO alarm, or headaches and dizziness in the house, means get everyone outside to fresh air and call 911.
Why this happens
The CPSC says that if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning you should get outside to fresh air immediately and then call 911. The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion as symptoms and describes them as flu-like. Lennox names a CO alarm among the signs of a cracked heat exchanger, and Trane says a blocked flue creates a risk of CO poisoning.
Do this now
- Get everyone outside to fresh air right now, pets included.
- Call 911 from outside. Trane gives the same instruction for a CO detector that is going off.
- Don't stay inside to look for the cause or to work on the furnace.
- Don't go back in until responders say it is safe.
- Before the furnace runs again, have an HVAC technician inspect it. The CPSC recommends a yearly professional inspection of every fuel-burning heating system, including furnaces, flues and vents.
What to tell the HVAC technician
- Whether the CO alarm sounded, and on which floor.
- Who had symptoms and what they were.
- That the furnace had been turning on and off quickly, and how long each run lasted.
- Any soot, rust or burning or metallic smell you noticed near the furnace.
Build the full list: what to tell the HVAC technician.
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References (every fact above comes from one of these pages)
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