Don't overlook carbon monoxide safety this summer

The warm summer weather may mean that you’ve traded your furnace for an air conditioner (AC), but that doesn’t mean you can go ahead and forget about the importance of carbon monoxide (CO) safety!

“It’s important to remember that CO dangers aren’t limited to the winter months,” says James Gates, Director of SaskEnergy’s Customer Solutons team. “While we may not be heating our homes in the summer months, CO is produced any time a carbon-based fuel — such as natural gas, propane, gasoline or wood — is burned, such as when operating a barbecue or when your water heater is running.”

Proper ventilation of appliances is critical to avoid the odourless, colourless, tasteless gas building up in enclosed spaces such as homes, cottages and campers, creating a serious risk of illness or death.

While CO safety is critical year round, in the summer months certain conditions can increase the risk of CO entering a home or living space, including using portable air conditioners.

“For example, single-hose portable AC units are designed to exhaust indoor air to the outside as part of their normal operation. This can create a slight negative pressure, or depressurization, inside the home,” explains James.

Depressurization occurs when air is exhausted from the home faster than fresh outdoor air can enter. In homes with natural draft appliances, this can cause exhaust gases to be pulled back into the home unknowingly, exposing the occupants to CO. A natural draft appliance relies on the natural buoyancy of hot exhaust gases to carry them out through a vent, rather than using a fan to move the gases.

(If your water heater has a draft hood and a vertical metal vent pipe rising from the top, with no electrical cord or powered exhaust fan connected to the unit, then you likely have a natural draft water heater!)

“It’s important to take the time to understand how your AC unit operates and identify if your home has natural draft appliances,” James says. “Be careful to not depressurize your home when running a portable air conditioner and ensure your homes and cottages — as well as campers and RVs — are equipped with working CO alarms.”

CO poisoning can happen to anyone, and even low exposure can have serious health impacts. A properly installed CO alarm will pick up its presence long before symptoms start and give occupants the warning they need to safely exit and contact emergency responders.

Preventing CO exposure during the summer

To reduce the risk of CO exposure and depressurization:

• Have fuel-burning appliances inspected and maintained regularly.
• Check that external exhaust vents are free of dirt, leaves and debris.
• Ensure your window AC units are not placed too close to potential sources of CO, such as appliance vents, barbecue grills, idling cars or generators.
• Watch for signs of poor ventilation such as lingering odours or stuffy air.
• Open a window or door slightly to allow fresh air into the home when running an air conditioner that exhausts air outdoors.
• Avoid running multiple devices that exhaust air from the home at the same time, such as kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans and air conditioners that exhaust indoor air outdoors. 
• Start gasoline-powered lawn mowers outside the garage. 
• Never use a barbecue, generator or other fuel-burning equipment indoors or near an air intake.

Visit our Staying Safe page for important information on year-round CO safety!