By the WY&G, Inc. team: licensed HVAC contractor, CSLB C-20 #1044922, over 25 years and thousands of customers in the Santa Clarita Valley and Orange County.
When the CO alarm sounds
- Get everyone out, pets too. Don't stop to investigate.
- Call 911 from outside or from a neighbor's house.
- Call SoCalGas. They respond to suspected carbon monoxide and gas problems.
- Don't go back in until the fire department or the gas company says it's safe.
- Don't run the furnace again until a licensed technician has inspected it.
Know the difference between an alarm and a chirp. A single chirp every minute or so usually means a low battery or an alarm at the end of its life. A loud repeating pattern means CO. The exact sounds are in your alarm's manual, and it's worth reading once before winter.
How a furnace can produce carbon monoxide
A gas furnace burns natural gas. When it burns cleanly and the exhaust goes up the vent, the amount of CO reaching your living space is not a concern. Trouble starts in two ways:
- Poor combustion. Dirty burners, wrong gas pressure, or not enough air for the flame. The furnace makes more CO than it should.
- Exhaust that can't get out. A blocked or disconnected vent pipe, a failed inducer motor, a cracked heat exchanger, or a furnace closet so tight that exhaust spills back into the room.
Carbon monoxide has no smell and no color. If you smell something, it's not the CO itself. A rotten egg smell means gas: leave and call SoCalGas or 911 from outside.
Symptoms people often miss
Early CO exposure feels like the flu: headache, dizziness, nausea, tiredness, shortness of breath. Clues that point to CO instead: several people in the house feel sick at once, pets seem sluggish, and everyone feels better after leaving the house. If you suspect it, don't wait for the alarm. Get outside and call 911.
Warning signs on the equipment
- Yellow, orange or floppy burner flames instead of steady blue ones
- Soot or black marks around the furnace, the wall heater grille or the vent
- Rust or water stains at the vent pipe
- Scorch marks on the front of the furnace, a sign of flame rollout
- A vent pipe that's loose, sagging or disconnected
- Stale, stuffy air or heavy condensation on windows when the heat runs
Any of these is a reason to turn the furnace off and call a technician.
Everyday habits that lower the risk
- Never run a car, generator or gas tool in an attached garage, even with the door open.
- Keep outdoor vent pipes and the area around them clear of plants, firewood and stored items.
- Open the fireplace damper before you light a fire and leave it open until the ashes are cold.
- Don't use an oven or a range to heat the house.
- Have gas heating equipment inspected once a year, before the cold weather.
CO alarms: where they go
California requires CO alarms in most homes that have a gas appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. Put one outside each sleeping area and one on every level, following the maker's instructions. Test them monthly, and replace them by the date printed on the back. A combination smoke and CO alarm works too, as long as it's tested.
Older homes, closets and wall heaters
Many older homes in Newhall and across the San Fernando Valley have the furnace in a hall closet or a gas wall heater in the hallway. The furnace needs air to burn. Don't store boxes, paint or cleaning supplies in the furnace closet, and don't block louvered doors or vent openings. If you've remodeled and the closet door was replaced with a solid one, mention it to your technician. See also our article on gas wall heaters.
What a safety inspection covers
On a heating safety check, we look at the heat exchanger, test the venting and draft, measure combustion and CO in the flue, check gas pressure and the flame, and test the safety switches. It's part of every heating tune-up and safety check we do. WY&G is a licensed HVAC contractor (CSLB C-20 #1044922) serving the Santa Clarita Valley, including Newhall and Stevenson Ranch.
Call (323) 240-2373 or book an inspection. If an alarm is going off right now, call 911 first.
