Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
a home vent their combustion gases to the outside via a chimney or some kind of vent pipe to
help keep combustion gases, including CO, out of the home.
Carbon Monoxide and Other Space Heater Considerations:
• A non-vented fuel-burning heating apparatus is not supposed to be used inside en-
closed spaces. Typically you should crack a window or door approximately 1 inch in
the room where the fuel-burning appliance is located. One rule of thumb is to allow
at least 1 square inch of ventilated gap for each 1,000 BTUs of fuel consumption, so
a 10,000 BTU kerosene space heater, like the one in
figure 4-2
,
would require a min-
imum of 10 square inches of window or door gap.
• A clear or blue flame is clean burning with minimal CO generated. A yellow flame
generates significant CO. Because of their small size, candles are not usually a prob-
lem (unless you are burning dozens at a time), but appliances that burn with a yellow
flame are dangerous.
• Check your chimney and stove flues for proper venting. A vented appliance with a
clogged flue can kill (think bird's and rat's nests in the chimney)!
• Never sleep in a room heated by a fuel-based non-vented space heater. Charcoal bra-
ziers and kerosene space heaters are famous for killing people in their sleep during
cold snaps.
• Keep flammables (curtains, topics, clothing, etc.) at least 3 feet away from the front
of space heaters. The hotter the space heater, the greater the fire danger.
• Space heaters typically come with a BTU rating, which describes the heater's output,
and a square-footage rating. The square-footage rating is for average construction,
and is a very subjective rating prone to wide fluctuations. If your home is older and
poorly insulated, or the outside weather is extremely cold, the heater will not warm
as large of an area as its rating might indicate. When comparing heaters, the BTU rat-
ing gives an apples-to-apples comparison, unlike the square-footage rating, which is
subjective and varies considerably between manufacturers.
Signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:
• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Muscle pains
