Environmental Issue & Sick Building Syndrome Blog

There is common serious problem that you probably have not heard about and is often ignored by heating professionals.  You should hire a furnace technician who will look at ALL of the gas appliances in the home. High efficiency furnaces can cause an intermittent problem of a furnace pulling carbon monoxide back into a home from other gas appliances such as gas clothes dryers, hot water tanks and fireplaces. If you occasional smell the odor of natural gas or experience headaches, you probably have that problem.  Return air ducts that are installed too close to these appliances can also cause the same problems.      

•    If you smell gas, turn off gas at the exterior meter, open windows and have the cause immediately corrected. 

• If any pilot light goes out, you smell gas around the hot water tank, the fireplace smoke comes back into the home, or you smell gas when the clothes dryer is working, the probable cause is the furnace operation. This needs addressed ASAP.
• Place space heaters in protected areas surrounded by noncombustible surfaces away from pets and children.
• Do not fill portable heaters with liquid fuels indoors.
• Do not use extension cords with space heaters.
• Turn portable heaters off when leaving a room or going to bed.