Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Posted
Monday, March 31, 2008 2:25 AM
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR IN YOUR HOME!
Hallelujah! It's a relief to wake up in the morning, something I normally take for granted!
We awoke extra early before our alarm clock on Friday morning to the sounds of a different alarm - the carbon monoxide detector! So, we jbolted out of bed, turned off the furnace and aired out the house, while trying to get ready for work, etc. Our bedroom was registering 85. Poisonous with flu like symptoms is 100 and death is at 400. Exposure to low readings over long exposure is harmful. Thankfully, the detector alerts you before levels are poisonous. We did have one room that registered 188 (my daughter's room - who moved out...for once I'm thankful that she isn't in that bedroom, where I always thought she was safe & sound)! My youngest daughter had been complaining of headache, dizzyness, and soreness in moving her eyes...I was all set to call the eye doctor thinking she needed stronger prescription glasses. I also wonder if it explains our feeling like we weren't getting enough sleep or achy joints. But until that morning, the detector always registered 0.
The furnace repair man said if our home wasn't old (drafty/not air tight), we would have died. Or we would have gotten sick ... thinking it was the flu, ignoring the CO poisoning.
Thankfully we bought the detector when DH installed a wood burner last fall along with an extra fire extinguisher. Thankfully we have the woodburner since the furnace is disconnected until we replace it next week. Thankfully we have a cord of wood. Thankfully the temperature isn't as cold & the wood burner is able to maintain a comfortable average 65 degrees in the house. THANKFULLY WE HAD THE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR! And thankfully God was watching over us.
It sucks to have to invest in a new furnace (so much for no credit card debt or fun plans for the economic stimulus check), but life is so much more precious and valuable! Thinking of 'what could have happened is very scary' and I hope everyone has a carbon monoxide detector in their home.