Apparently 1 in 6 homes have an unsafe gas appliance…how scary is that? I read it recently on Corgi’s “How safe is your home” site and probably would have been a little sceptical about such a statement, if it hadn’t been for my personal experience last year of finding out that our new gas hob hadn’t been connected properly and left our home as a death trap!
I remember for several weeks after I thought I could smell gas, Nath couldn’t and thought I was being paranoid. After a visit from my family my mum also commented on it, and later other family members too. Eventually Mr Smith called the northern gas peeps and someone came out and low and behold, our hob was pronounced “unsafe” and gas cut off!
OH MY GOODNESS – what a lucky escape. It was later revealed that the previous work man who had fitted it, hadn’t even used correct piping, let alone other legit things…we really did have a lucky escape! I have since been paranoid for the safety of my home, and also with the news updates of Bobby and Christi Shepherd who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2006, whilst on holiday, I do often think and wonder how safe are our homes really? Whilst I am aware that Carbon Monoxide doesn’t have an order like that of a gas leak, and therefore we could quite possibly be suffering in other ways too, this did cause me to wake up and put precautions in place to protect our family! Its no secret I have lost one of my children, but a tragedy as that in Corfu pains my soul for their mother, especially when these things can be avoided. So with a this statistic of 1 in 6 homes, when was the last time you had your things checked? Perhaps imagining smelling gas, or headaches and things shouldn’t be fobbed off with reasoning, but investigated for gas leaks or Carbon Monoxide in the air!
We recently were offered and received with open arms a Carbon monoxide monitor which sits behind a picture near the gas fire we have in the lounge. No one knows it is there, but it puts my mind at rest to know that it is one more precaution in place to make our home safe and protect our children and selves from potential threats. It never crossed my mind to get one but now we have its great to know its there, you might never need it, but like smoke alarms it makes you feel that little bit safer in your own home!
We check our smoke alarms regularly (I hope), and so why not ensure our gas appliances are in a healthy state too, and fit a Carbon Monoxide monitor just to be sure..as you can see its only small, lasts 7 years and could be a life saver! Read and familiarise yourself with the dangers below so that you and your family can be safe both at home and on holiday.
Know the dangers: (Taken from the corgi site)
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas and, as such, it is very difficult to detect and can easily be inhaled without you realising. Being exposed to high concentration levels can be fatal or cause several other long-term health problems such as brain damage. According to NHS statistics, every year in the UK, over 200 people go to hospital with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, and around 40 people die.
The most common cause of a carbon monoxide leak is from incorrectly installed or poorly maintained household appliances – such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers. A blocked flue or chimney can also cause carbon monoxide levels to rise to lethal concentrations in an enclosed space.
There are several warning signs in your home that could mean you have a carbon monoxide issue. Here are a few things to look out for:
- The flame on your cooker should be crisp and blue. Yellow or orange flames mean you need to get your cooker checked
- Dark staining around or on appliances
- Sooty marks on the walls around boilers, stoves or the cover of gas fires
- Pilot lights that frequently go out
- Increased condensation inside windows
We were sent a free carbon monoxide alarm for the purpose of this post and I am very grateful to be supporting a good cause for awareness!
You keep using CO2 to refer to carbon monoxide. CO2 is carbon dioxide.
Hahahaha oh my what a ridiculous mistake! Thank you so very much for pointing that out, I shall edit it … Whoops tired mummy!