Jack Pixley's Homeowner's Guide

Gas Heat?

Chimneys Still Need Safety Inspections

Like 58 percent of American households today, Corey Butler of Seattle, Washington, heats her home with a National gas furnace. She also has a gas insert installed in her masonry fireplace for quick evening fires.

But, it wasn’t until recently that Corey discovered she still needs to have her home’s chimney inspected regularly, despite the fact that she no longer has fires in her fireplace.

When Corey stopped burning wood, she thought she was getting away from chimney maintenance. What she didn’t realize was that virtually any gas heating system relies on either a chimney or a vent to direct carbon monoxide outside the house.

One of the biggest concerns, of course, is the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. A blocked or damaged chimney can cause carbon monoxide to seep into a home unnoticed. That is why the Chimney Safety Institute of America and The National Fire Protection Association both urge homeowners to have annual inspections of their chimneys to make sure their gas heating systems—including both gas and propane—are venting properly.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that can kill, and because there may be no smoke with gas appliances, the presence of carbon monoxide is virtually unseen. At low levels, carbon monoxide can cause dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, and irregular breathing—common symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as a cold or the flu. Left undetected, however, carbon monoxide can cause more serious health problems such as loss of consciousness, brain damage, heart irregularity, muscle weakness, miscarriage--and even death.

Another way to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning is to make sure that a home is equipped with a UL-listed carbon monoxide detector. While a carbon monoxide detector can alert a homeowner to the presence of carbon monoxide, an annual inspection helps to prevent carbon monoxide and can detect other problems before they become a dangerous or costly situation.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 1994 there were 118 deaths and 3,100 injuries due to carbon monoxide poisonings caused by gas-heating appliances. That number does not include victims who were either misdiagnosed or who did not seek medical attention. Virtually all of them could have been prevented with proper maintenance.