Keeping My Family Safe with First Alert

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Help ensure your family is protected with CO alarms!

There are times when life happens.

Fender benders, broken windows, or in our case, a leaking flue pipe.

For the past few months, we have been working on renovating our music room which involved opening up a few walls to create more space.

When we opened up one wall, we suddenly had water pouring from our ceiling.

We saw that the source was coming from the vent pipe from our gas furnace leading up to the attic.

So we called our HVAC tech to come out and see what the issue was and boy, were we  surprised and frightened by what they told us.

Without getting too technical, we basically found out that our flue pipe didn’t fit the newly installed  furnace. What we were seeing was built up condensation dripping down.

But – that’s when they warned us of the carbon monoxide (CO) danger.

There are two basic failures to HVAC systems that can cause CO problems. An incomplete fuel combustion, and a vent system that doesn’t remove the exhaust adequately – like ours. Yikes!

So what is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer, and is an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced from any fuel burning device in your home.  So our stove and furnace are what we need to watch for.

And winter months are when two-fifths of CO exposure occurs according to the CDC. They also state that CO is the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the US, with almost 50,000 Americans visiting the ER each year.

According to our HVAC tech, having the flue improperly fitted put our family in danger of being exposed to those harmful gases.

And what does that look like? Just a little carbon monoxide exposure can cause headaches, respiratory issues, dizziness and if there is enough exposure, possibly death.

The good thing is, carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable with the proper protection! Annual maintenance by a trained HVAC tech is helpful.

But also having reliable carbon monoxide alarms installed.

The only way to detect CO in your home is to install the proper alarms on every level and in every bedroom of your home.

I truly believe things happen for a reason.

This little leak, which resulted in an expensive repair, gave me peace of mind knowing that my home is now properly vented.

But it also reminded me to place quality carbon monoxide detectors throughout my home.

I love this First Alert carbon monoxide alarm because it has a 10-year sealed battery and it doesn’t have to be installed.

You can place it on a tabletop in a room and it will display the temperature as well as if or when carbon monoxide is detected.

Once you have your CO alarms installed, don’t forget to test them regularly and swap out the batteries every six months.  

I use the time change to remind myself to replace batteries in all my detectors. 

Or you can upgrade to First Alert 10-year sealed battery alarms. Then there’s no need for battery replacements for a decade!  No late-night battery chirps!

And the one thing I love is that I can display it in my home and it’s still beautiful!

Plus, I have peace of mind knowing that my family is safe!

Take key safety steps today to help protect what matters most to you from carbon monoxide.