It is very important that everyone knows some of the facts regarding the silent killer that is Carbon Monoxide. Its effects are lethal. Here is a basic guide to this gas and some simple actions that can be taken to fight it.


Detectors:

Detectors are cheap and available at many outlets, and should be fitted all around the house, on multiple floors if required, especially bedrooms and areas in the vicinity of boilers and flues.
Definitely fit detectors where an open flue or solid fuel burning appliances are situated.
Detectors should not be fitted directly above or adjacent to boilers, fires or cookers, as it is possible that they could emit an amount of carbon monoxide that might give a false alarm when they start up.
Place the alarms about 150mm below from the ceiling, it is ok to go higher, however, not lower, keeping them higher than windows or doors that can be opened, keeping them between 1.8m and 4.5m away from a possible source such as a cooker etc. as they generate false alarms and definitely not in any very humid areas like bathrooms due to water vapour damage. A Putney Plumber knows the warning signs. You can clean the detectors using soapy water but no chemical cleaners should be used.


Your boiler:

Your boiler should burn with a specific kind of flame that tells you it is ok and not giving off carbon monoxide. Look at the flame through the glass viewing point and hopefully you should see the flame burning blue with a defined inner and outer core. If the flame is flickering orange or yellow, then the burn is not correct and there is a problem. Putney Plumbers are gas safe. When there is a problem with combustion, the flame will start to release soot, which coats everything around the boiler.


Symptoms:

If you or anyone in the home experiences any of these symptoms, then you should shut the boiler down and call a gas safe engineer straight away, headaches, tiredness, dizziness and nausea. ALWAYS REPORT IT!