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Preventative measures against carbon monoxide poisoning include:
* Come fall, make sure your heating system is in proper working order. If your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger or a blocked flue, the unit can release CO into your home.
* Have your chimney and fireplace inspected annually, even if you rarely use the unit. A nest in the chimney can cause a smoke and/or CO backup into the living space. (If you use your fireplace frequently, the chimney may also have a build-up of soot that can become a fire hazard.) Do not close the flue of a smoldering fire in the fireplace until the ashes have fully cooled because embers can generate a large quantity of CO.
* Generators can also be CO hazards. If you have one in the case of a power failure, be sure to place it away from your house so that engine-exhaust gases, which emit CO, do not migrate back into the living space. Never operate a generator in a garage, basement, or other confined spaces where CO can leak back into the house.
*If you have an attached garage, warm up vehicles after you have pulled them out from the space.
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