Carbon monoxide fumes are unfortunately a common problem in garages. This invisible gas is tasteless and odorless, and occurs when gasoline, wood, coal and other fuels burn incompletely. The exhaust that vehicles produce is filled with carbon monoxide that can drift into your home if attached garages aren’t properly sealed.
Sealing air leaks is the ideal preventative step to ensure unwanted fumes don’t make their way into your living space. Air sealing will also make your home more energy efficient. Weatherstripping installed around doors helps prevent air leaks while inexpensive expanding foam helps fill in cracks. Mastic sealant painted on ductwork seams and joints, insulated ducts and sealed registers all help prevent air loss. For complete protection, consider hiring a professional HVAC company to ensure the attached garage is properly sealed.
In addition to air sealing, consider taking the following steps to reduce the buildup of carbon monoxide fumes in your garage:
- Never let vehicles idle in the garage; move the vehicle as soon as possible to the driveway when idling.
- Always start weed eaters, mowers and gas-powered equipment after removing them from the garage and never let these items idle inside attached garages.
- Never install mechanical systems — such as water heaters or furnaces — that run on fuel inside garages. Studies have shown that homes that have placed these items in attached garages typically test higher for contaminated indoor air than homes where these systems are installed in other locations.
- Keep attached garages clean and never store old paint, chemicals or other items that produce fumes in an enclosed space.
- Regularly open the garage doors and windows to help air out the enclosed location.
In addition to the above methods, install several carbon monoxide detectors in your home — including over the door connecting the garage to your home — to help alert you if CO fumes being to buildup in your home.
For more information about carbon monoxide fumes and detectors, and how you can prevent this dangerous gas from harming your family, contact the experts at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. For more than 65 years, we have provided affordable and reliable services to the Metro-Detroit area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Carbon Monoxide and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.
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