Carbon Monoxide & HVAC — Safety Guide for WNC Homes

Professional Carbon Monoxide & HVAC — Safety Guide for WNC Homes in Asheville & Western NC

The Invisible Danger in Your Home

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by the incomplete combustion of natural gas, propane, or oil — all fuels used by furnaces, boilers, and water heaters in WNC homes. CO is colorless and odorless, making it impossible to detect without a CO alarm. At low levels, it causes headaches and fatigue that are often mistaken for the flu. At high levels, it causes confusion, loss of consciousness, and death. Your HVAC system is one of the most common potential sources of carbon monoxide in your home.

How Your HVAC System Can Produce CO

A properly functioning furnace or boiler produces CO during combustion, but it's safely vented outside through the flue pipe. Problems arise when: the heat exchanger cracks, allowing CO to mix with circulated air; the flue pipe becomes blocked or disconnected; combustion is incomplete due to burner problems; or the draft system fails. Regular furnace maintenance includes specific CO safety checks — combustion analysis, heat exchanger inspection, and flue integrity testing — that catch these issues before they become dangerous.

Protecting Your Family

Install CO alarms on every level of your home and near bedrooms — this is both a life-saving measure and a North Carolina building code requirement for homes with fuel-burning appliances. Test alarms monthly and replace batteries annually. Schedule annual heating maintenance that includes CO safety testing. If your CO alarm sounds, evacuate immediately, call 911, and then call Quality Comfort to inspect and repair your heating system before restarting it.