carbon monoxide detectors building regulations image
iiSH
while I was at work today i got a call saying someone in my apartment building had a carbon monoxide leak in their apartment... i have a one year old daughter.. should we be checked by a doctor since we slept there last night? and should we stay some place else tonight? i do have a carbon monoxide detector in my apartment but im kind of freaking out for my child's sake!! helpp!
Thanks that eases my worry a little. btw the fire department said it was clear and it was a basement apartment and i live on the 3rd floor.i was just worried that we may have come in contact with it last night. :)
Answer
Carbon Monoxide is dangerous but tends to stay pretty much close to the leak, the further away from the leak you get, the level of CO drops by the inverse square of the distance, even more if there are walls and stuff in the way. It would take an awfully BIG leak for enough to find its way into another apartment. Although CO poisoning is dangerous, low dosage effects usually reverse quite quickly once in a CO free atmosphere. If people know about the leak, then it will probably be repaired or the equipment causing the leak shut down by now, building regulations are very strict on this. Keep your CO detector on, you should be fine. If you feel drowsy and/or your lips/fingernails start turning cherry red, is a sign of monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide is dangerous but tends to stay pretty much close to the leak, the further away from the leak you get, the level of CO drops by the inverse square of the distance, even more if there are walls and stuff in the way. It would take an awfully BIG leak for enough to find its way into another apartment. Although CO poisoning is dangerous, low dosage effects usually reverse quite quickly once in a CO free atmosphere. If people know about the leak, then it will probably be repaired or the equipment causing the leak shut down by now, building regulations are very strict on this. Keep your CO detector on, you should be fine. If you feel drowsy and/or your lips/fingernails start turning cherry red, is a sign of monoxide poisoning.
Gas or oil heat?
ditdit
I think the drawback as far as my family is concerned with is: explosions with natural gas.
Do these really happen? What are the maintenance costs involved yearly with both . Thanks
Answer
There is no such thing as 100% safe. Yes, you could minimize the risk by buying a good brand of furnance, getting a professional installation done, follow building codes, get an inspection done by a third party and follow recommended maint procedures. You could relate this to buying a car.
Here are some facts based on my own experience of home ownership in the New England Area.
Oil is stored in a tank inside or outside your house. Natural gas is supplied by your gas company and is distributed by pipes. Natural gas is not stored in a tank. Based on industry standards & build regulations, Any professionally installed system,
(1) will have an emergency shutdown away from the furnance.
(2) Will have cut-off valves to oil/gas supply to the furnace.
Oil supply companies sell a maintenance contract for about $300 a year. This covers a major cleanup & maint of your furnance & oil supply lines & your chimney once a year. This also covers replacement of major components of the furnance. It's pretty comprehensive.
Your gas company will be able to provide you a quote for maint. I don't know the pricing on that one. Remember, the gas furnace does not require as much maint as the oil does.
Oil furnaces requires professional cleaning once a year. The tank also requires maintenance additives to be put in and filters changed at least once a year. An oil spill requires a environmental cleanup to prevent ground from getting contaminated. The chimney also requires a cleanup and the remains of the burnt oil(black sediment) have to be removed from the chimney outlet once a year.
Oil heat is used in two forms, (1) to provide forced air (2) to heat water - steam through baseboards is used to supply heat through the house.
Downside of forced air, if things go wrong in the oil furnace, instead of air, you will get black soot through the vents that will eventually sit on walls, carpet, beds, clothes, It will be like someone spray painted your house black from the inside. I have seen that happen to a friend of mine.
Gas furnance maintenance is quite low as compared to oil furnances.
Here are some proactive and preventive actions you can take.
(1) Besides having a carbon monoxide detector, the biggest thing you need to do in either cases is make sure you have a good chimney/vents for letting out Carbon Monoxide.
(2) Get electronic monitoring of your oil or gas furnance from your home alarm company.
(3) Install electronic fire monitoring connected to your home alarm system.
(4) Spend money on maint.
Couple of other things to consider,
Oil burns at 2000 BTU (British Thermal Units) and natural gas at 1000 BTUs. These are approximate figures. So technically you would need twice the amount of natural gas and nearly twice the amount of time required to get to the required temperature level. That is one reason why natural gas is cheaper than oil. However, both follow similar pricing trends when they go up or come down seasonally.
I replaced my oil furnace two summers ago. It gives me 25% savings in oil consumption. I use a combination of oil and propane. I have a propane fired fireplace made by JOTUL that acts as a heater. It is fully vented through the chimney so I do not have to worry about carbon monoxide. I use this in my living room for spot heating to reduce the consumption of oil. Propane burns at 1350 BTU and I have buried a tank in my backyard. I also converted my cooking range from electric to propane. Five years ago the cost of heating oil was $1.10. I received a quote for 2007/08 contract at $2.75. My anual consumption for a single family home with oil & propane is about $3500.00 that includes maint & delivery. The systems I have in place are the most modern money can buy. It will be a few years before I will be able to recover my investment.
I have stopped short of installing an instant fired water heater because I'm yet to find a good professional installer. I have looked at solar based alternatives, but the cost far outways the benefits it can provide today.
My point is, apart from safety look at how much it will cost you in the long run to put in either one of the system and calculate your ROI (return on investment).
All the best.
There is no such thing as 100% safe. Yes, you could minimize the risk by buying a good brand of furnance, getting a professional installation done, follow building codes, get an inspection done by a third party and follow recommended maint procedures. You could relate this to buying a car.
Here are some facts based on my own experience of home ownership in the New England Area.
Oil is stored in a tank inside or outside your house. Natural gas is supplied by your gas company and is distributed by pipes. Natural gas is not stored in a tank. Based on industry standards & build regulations, Any professionally installed system,
(1) will have an emergency shutdown away from the furnance.
(2) Will have cut-off valves to oil/gas supply to the furnace.
Oil supply companies sell a maintenance contract for about $300 a year. This covers a major cleanup & maint of your furnance & oil supply lines & your chimney once a year. This also covers replacement of major components of the furnance. It's pretty comprehensive.
Your gas company will be able to provide you a quote for maint. I don't know the pricing on that one. Remember, the gas furnace does not require as much maint as the oil does.
Oil furnaces requires professional cleaning once a year. The tank also requires maintenance additives to be put in and filters changed at least once a year. An oil spill requires a environmental cleanup to prevent ground from getting contaminated. The chimney also requires a cleanup and the remains of the burnt oil(black sediment) have to be removed from the chimney outlet once a year.
Oil heat is used in two forms, (1) to provide forced air (2) to heat water - steam through baseboards is used to supply heat through the house.
Downside of forced air, if things go wrong in the oil furnace, instead of air, you will get black soot through the vents that will eventually sit on walls, carpet, beds, clothes, It will be like someone spray painted your house black from the inside. I have seen that happen to a friend of mine.
Gas furnance maintenance is quite low as compared to oil furnances.
Here are some proactive and preventive actions you can take.
(1) Besides having a carbon monoxide detector, the biggest thing you need to do in either cases is make sure you have a good chimney/vents for letting out Carbon Monoxide.
(2) Get electronic monitoring of your oil or gas furnance from your home alarm company.
(3) Install electronic fire monitoring connected to your home alarm system.
(4) Spend money on maint.
Couple of other things to consider,
Oil burns at 2000 BTU (British Thermal Units) and natural gas at 1000 BTUs. These are approximate figures. So technically you would need twice the amount of natural gas and nearly twice the amount of time required to get to the required temperature level. That is one reason why natural gas is cheaper than oil. However, both follow similar pricing trends when they go up or come down seasonally.
I replaced my oil furnace two summers ago. It gives me 25% savings in oil consumption. I use a combination of oil and propane. I have a propane fired fireplace made by JOTUL that acts as a heater. It is fully vented through the chimney so I do not have to worry about carbon monoxide. I use this in my living room for spot heating to reduce the consumption of oil. Propane burns at 1350 BTU and I have buried a tank in my backyard. I also converted my cooking range from electric to propane. Five years ago the cost of heating oil was $1.10. I received a quote for 2007/08 contract at $2.75. My anual consumption for a single family home with oil & propane is about $3500.00 that includes maint & delivery. The systems I have in place are the most modern money can buy. It will be a few years before I will be able to recover my investment.
I have stopped short of installing an instant fired water heater because I'm yet to find a good professional installer. I have looked at solar based alternatives, but the cost far outways the benefits it can provide today.
My point is, apart from safety look at how much it will cost you in the long run to put in either one of the system and calculate your ROI (return on investment).
All the best.
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