Is Your Older Furnace Causing Carbon Monoxide in Your Home?

As your furnace ages, it’s more prone to breakdowns and malfunctions due to wear and tear. This is especially true if you haven’t regularly maintained your furnace with a yearly tune-up and inspection. With gas heating systems, this can be particularly dangerous and lead to carbon monoxide in your Northeast Cleveland home.

Schedule a furnace inspection and tune-up with the Verne & Ellsworth Hann professionals today. Call us at (216) 932-9755 to get started.

How Your Old Furnace Could Be Putting Your Home at Risk

The cause of CO leaks from furnaces is often a damaged heat exchanger – the part of your system that houses the combustion process. With time, the heat exchanger can develop cracks, leading to CO entering the air circulating inside your home. This is extremely dangerous to your family and home.Older furnace models are more at risk of CO leaks than modern systems because many do not have safety features added to newer furnaces. Some new systems, for example, have sensors designed to shut down the furnace if carbon monoxide is detected.

4 Signs of Carbon Monoxide in Your Home

Because carbon monoxide is invisible and silent, it’s essential to keep an eye out for indicators it’s present in your home. Below are the most common signs something’s not quite right.

Illness Symptoms Only at Home

If you seem to only get sick at home or start feeling better when away from your home, carbon monoxide may be to blame. If you have unexplained and frequent headaches or shortness of breath, something may be wrong with your furnace.

Increased Condensation

Excess condensation or moisture in your home is also a sign of carbon monoxide. Keep an eye out for moisture on windows, walls, and cold surfaces.

Pilot Light Issues

If your pilot light is anything but blue, there’s a problem. A yellow or orange flame on any natural gas appliance is a red flag for carbon monoxide.

Dying Plants or Sick Pets

Other Home Risks for Carbon Monoxide

• Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters
• Leaking chimneys
• Back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces
• Gas stoves
• Generators and other gasoline-powered equipment
• Automobile exhaust from attached garages
• Tobacco smoke

Schedule a Furnace Inspection With Verne & Ellsworth Hann

If you have a gas furnace, it’s important to have it regularly inspected and serviced. The licensed and insured technicians at Verne & Ellsworth Hann can conduct a thorough safety inspection and assessment of your furnace. As one of the oldest family-run businesses in Cleveland Heights, our team is committed to professionalism and integrity.